11.1 Organic chemistry

• Hydrocarbons contain carbon and hydrogen atoms only
• A saturated hydrocarbon contains single carbon-carbon bonds only
• An unsaturated hydrocarbon contains at least one double carbon-carbon bond
• A straight-chain hydrocarbon contains one continuous carbon chain
• A branched-chain hydrocarbon contains a shorter side chain bonded to a longer continuous carbon chain
• An alicylic hydrocarbon contains carbon atoms joined together in non-aromatic rings with or without side chains
• An aromatic hydrocarbon is an unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains a benzene ring
• A homologous series is a series of organic compounds that have the same functional group and the same general formula
• A functional group is a group of atoms responsible for the characteristic reactions of a compound
• A general formula is the simplest algebraic formula of a member of a homologous series
• The general formula of an alkane is CnH2n+2
• The general formula of an alkene is CnH2n