7: Organic Chemistry
- Page ID
- 283315
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\(\newcommand{\avec}{\mathbf a}\) \(\newcommand{\bvec}{\mathbf b}\) \(\newcommand{\cvec}{\mathbf c}\) \(\newcommand{\dvec}{\mathbf d}\) \(\newcommand{\dtil}{\widetilde{\mathbf d}}\) \(\newcommand{\evec}{\mathbf e}\) \(\newcommand{\fvec}{\mathbf f}\) \(\newcommand{\nvec}{\mathbf n}\) \(\newcommand{\pvec}{\mathbf p}\) \(\newcommand{\qvec}{\mathbf q}\) \(\newcommand{\svec}{\mathbf s}\) \(\newcommand{\tvec}{\mathbf t}\) \(\newcommand{\uvec}{\mathbf u}\) \(\newcommand{\vvec}{\mathbf v}\) \(\newcommand{\wvec}{\mathbf w}\) \(\newcommand{\xvec}{\mathbf x}\) \(\newcommand{\yvec}{\mathbf y}\) \(\newcommand{\zvec}{\mathbf z}\) \(\newcommand{\rvec}{\mathbf r}\) \(\newcommand{\mvec}{\mathbf m}\) \(\newcommand{\zerovec}{\mathbf 0}\) \(\newcommand{\onevec}{\mathbf 1}\) \(\newcommand{\real}{\mathbb R}\) \(\newcommand{\twovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\ctwovec}[2]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\threevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cthreevec}[3]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfourvec}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\fivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{r}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\cfivevec}[5]{\left[\begin{array}{c}#1 \\ #2 \\ #3 \\ #4 \\ #5 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\mattwo}[4]{\left[\begin{array}{rr}#1 \amp #2 \\ #3 \amp #4 \\ \end{array}\right]}\) \(\newcommand{\laspan}[1]{\text{Span}\{#1\}}\) \(\newcommand{\bcal}{\cal B}\) \(\newcommand{\ccal}{\cal C}\) \(\newcommand{\scal}{\cal S}\) \(\newcommand{\wcal}{\cal W}\) \(\newcommand{\ecal}{\cal E}\) \(\newcommand{\coords}[2]{\left\{#1\right\}_{#2}}\) \(\newcommand{\gray}[1]{\color{gray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\lgray}[1]{\color{lightgray}{#1}}\) \(\newcommand{\rank}{\operatorname{rank}}\) \(\newcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\col}{\text{Col}}\) \(\renewcommand{\row}{\text{Row}}\) \(\newcommand{\nul}{\text{Nul}}\) \(\newcommand{\var}{\text{Var}}\) \(\newcommand{\corr}{\text{corr}}\) \(\newcommand{\len}[1]{\left|#1\right|}\) \(\newcommand{\bbar}{\overline{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bhat}{\widehat{\bvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\bperp}{\bvec^\perp}\) \(\newcommand{\xhat}{\widehat{\xvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\vhat}{\widehat{\vvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\uhat}{\widehat{\uvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\what}{\widehat{\wvec}}\) \(\newcommand{\Sighat}{\widehat{\Sigma}}\) \(\newcommand{\lt}{<}\) \(\newcommand{\gt}{>}\) \(\newcommand{\amp}{&}\) \(\definecolor{fillinmathshade}{gray}{0.9}\)In chemistry the word “organic” doesn’t mean the same thing that it means at the supermarket. In the past, it was thought that some compounds could only be produced by living things and these were classified as organic. It turns out that is incorrect! Compounds found in living things CAN be produced synthetically. The first one to be created in the lab was urea which is found in urine. Since then, many more compounds, like ascorbic acid (vitamin C), have been produced in the lab.
So, a different definition of organic compounds was needed. Now we classify chemicals as organic if they contain both carbon and hydrogen. Methane (CH4), sucrose (a sugar), proteins, and DNA are all examples of organic compounds because they contain carbon and hydrogen. Pesticides are often organic compounds, so the definition of “organic” in chemistry is quite different from the way the word is used in daily life! Carbon dioxide (CO2), water (H2O), and calcium carbonate (CaCO3) are not organic compounds because they contain either carbon or hydrogen, not both.
Organic molecules do not necessarily come from living things under the modern definition of the term. Compounds containing carbon and hydrogen can be produced in the lab or may come indirectly from living things like petroleum (crude oil) that is produced when dead organisms are subjected to heat and pressure over a long period of time.
Why carbon? Carbon is very versatile! It has four valence electrons so it forms four covalent bonds. These could be four single bonds, a double bond and two single bonds, two double bonds, or a triple bond and a single bond. That means that carbon can have many different molecular geometries. What is the molecular geometry around carbon for each of the bonding patterns? (see VSEPR)
Carbon atoms can also form long chains or rings. Because of this versatility, carbon is found in a wide variety of molecules that perform a wide variety of functions. Its compounds are the basis of life on Earth.
- 7.1: Representing Organic Molecules
- Depending on the size of molecules, how much detail we need to show, and the resources available (paper and pencil vs. Microsoft Word vs. a program designed to draw chemical structures), we use different methods of representing organic molecules on paper. This section shows some of the methods that will be used in this chapter.
- 7.2: Classifying Organic Molecules
- There are many organic compounds (millions?!) and they are very diverse. Therefore, we break them into categories in order to learn about and discuss their properties. Luckily by looking at the structure of an organic compound you can get an idea about its physical and chemical properties. In this section you will first learn about hydrocarbons, which contain only carbon and hydrogen. You will then read about functional groups which are portions of molecules that have a certain structure.
- 7.3: Distinguishing Isomers
- Because there are so many organic compounds and several different ways to draw each one, it can be easy to accidentally think that two different compounds are the same or that two different drawings of the same compound represent different structures. In this section you will learn how to identify isomers (different compounds that contain the same number of atoms of the same element) and you will also practice determining whether a pair of diagrams represent the same compound or isomers.