1.0: Introduction to Organic Chemistry

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Page ID: 44152

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Overview

This unit provides a review of material covered in a standard, freshman general chemistry course (such as Athabasca University’s Chemistry 217/ 218) through a discussion of the following topics:

the differences between organic and inorganic chemistry.
the shapes and significance of atomic orbitals.
electron configurations.
ionic and covalent bonding.
molecular orbital theory.
hybridization.
the structure and geometry of the compounds methane, ethane, ethylene and acetylene.

We recognize that students who are thoroughly familiar with a topic will not benefit from reviewing it; therefore, we have included a thirty-four item “entry level test” designed to allow you to assess your mastery of the material. If you answer all of the test questions correctly, proceed directly to Unit 2; if you correctly answer twenty-five or more questions, review the topics that posed problems and then go on to Unit 2; if you give correct answers to fewer than twenty-five of the thirty-four test items, you must work through the entire unit.

Answers to the test questions are given at the end of Unit 1. You will note that the answer table also contains references to the sections of the textbook, Organic Chemistry, 8th ed., that discuss each topic.

Objectives

After completing this section, you should be able to

Define organic chemistry as the study of carbon-containing compounds.
Explain why the results of the experiments carried out by Chevreul and Wöhler contributed to the demise of the “vital force” theory.

Key Term

Make certain that you can define, and use in context, the key term below.

organic chemistry

Study Notes

Pages 1-2 of the course textbook provide a brief introduction to the history of this discipline.

Note: Page numbers may be approximate. Because this course has transitioned from a print textbook to an eText, you may notice minor discrepancies between the textbook page numbers referred to in the course and the page numbers in the eText.

Contributors

Dr. Dietmar Kennepohl FCIC (Professor of Chemistry, Athabasca University)