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14.1: Organic Compounds with Functional Groups

  • Page ID
    16041
    • Anonymous
    • LibreTexts
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     Learning Objectives
    • to describe functional groups and explain why they are useful in the study of organic chemistry.

    Previously, we considered several kinds of hydrocarbons. Now we examine some of the many organic compounds that contain functional groups. We first introduced the idea of the functional group, a specific structural arrangement of atoms or bonds that imparts a characteristic chemical reactivity to the molecule. If you understand the behavior of a particular functional group, you will know a great deal about the general properties of that class of compounds. In this chapter, we make a brief yet systematic study of some of organic compound families. Each family is based on a common, simple functional group that contains an oxygen atom or a nitrogen atom. Some common functional groups are listed in Table \(\PageIndex{1}\).

    Table \(\PageIndex{1}\): Selected Organic Functional Groups
    Name of Family General Formula Functional Group Suffix*
    alkane RH none -ane
    alkene R2C=CR2 Structural formula for alkene. -ene
    alkyne RC≡CR –C≡C– -yne
    alcohol ROH –OH -ol
    thiol RSH –SH -thiol
    ether ROR –O– ether
    aldehyde aldehyde formula.jpg aldehyde functional group.jpg -al
    ketone ketone formula.jpg ketone functional group.jpg -one
    carboxylic acid carboxylic acid formula.jpg carboxylic acid functional group.jpg -oic acid
    *Ethers do not have a suffix in their common name; all ethers end with the word ether.

    Summary

    The functional group, a structural arrangement of atoms and/or bonds, is largely responsible for the properties of organic compound families.


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