Organic Chemistry Dictionary
Essential Organic Chemistry Definitions
The Definitions listed in this Organic Chemistry
Dictionary are focused only on the terms that are essential for your
understanding of our Organic Chemistry Secrets.
It is our goal to provide you with just the right amount of critical
informaion to put you on the path to better Organic Chemistry Grades without
hitting you with the information overload that is so common on the
internet.
This is not a Chemical Encyclopedia - No information overload - just the
basics.
Organic Chemistry Dictionary
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A
Alcohols
When the elements making up an organic compound are Carbon,
Hydrogen and Oxygen and the Hydrogen and Oxygen combine in such a way as
to form a -C-OH group, the Organic Compounds formed are referred to as
Alcohols and the Functional Group (-OH) is referred to as the "O H"
Group. The most common Alcohol is Ethyl Alcohol or Ethanol
(C2H5OH) which is present in all beers, wines and
liquors.
Aldehydes
When the elements making up the organic compound are Carbon,
Hydrogen and Oxygen and when there is a terminal (at the end of the
molecule) double bond between carbon and oxygen, the Functional Group
becomes O=C-H and the compounds are called Aldehydes. The simplest
Aldehyde is Formaldehyde (H2C=O) commonly used in biology
laboratories to preserve specimens.
Aliphatic Compounds
Hydrocarbons that contain only single covalent
bonds, double covalent bonds separated by more than two carbon atoms, or
a triple covalent bond are referred to as Aliphatic Compounds. The
Aliphatic Compounds make up the majority of Hydrocarbons.
Alkanes
Alkanes are hydrocarbons containing only Single Covalent C-C Bonds are called Alkanes.
Alkenes
Alkenes are hydrocarbons containing at least one Double Covalent C=C Bond.
Amides
When Organic Acids have the Oxygen in the terminal -OH group of
O=C-OH replaced by an Nitrogen, then the resulting compound has the
terminal group O=C-NH2 and is called an Amide.
Amines
When the Oxygen of the -OH functional group of Alcohols is
replaced by Nitrogen the functional group becomes -NH2 and
the compounds are called Amines. The simplest Amine is Methyl Amine
(CH3NH2).
Aromatic Compounds
There is a special class of Hydrocarbons where the
carbon-carbon bonds are arranged such that a ring of carbon-carbon bonds
is formed. These compounds are called Cyclic Alkanes. There is a very
special class of compounds that are formed when Cyclic Alkanes become
Cyclic Alkenes in which every other carbon-carbon bond is a double bond.
This special class of very stable Hydrocarbons is referred to as
Aromatic Compounds. The simplest Aromatic Compound is Benzene
(C6H6).
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C
Chemical Bonds
When atoms of different elements bind together to form
a molecule of a substance, the bonds that hold the different atoms
together are formed by a electrons being transferred from one atom to
another or by two atoms sharing electrons.
Covalent Bonds
When atoms of different elements bind together to form
a molecule of a substance by sharing electrons, the type of bond formed is called a Covalent
Bond. The Covalent Bond is a very strong bond that is the main type of
bond occurring in Organic Compounds.
These bonds are referred to as Co-valent because each of the atoms
participating in the sharing of electrons Co-operates to achieve the chemical goal of
having an outer shell being full of electrons. (See our Chemistry Help
section for a full discussion of Atomic Structure.
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D
Double Bonds
When two atoms participate in a Covalent Bond and share
two electrons with each other, the Covalent Bond formed is referred to
as a Double Covalent Bond or just Double Bond. A common example of an
organic compound containing a double bond is ethylene
(H2C=CH2).
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E
Esters
When Organic Acids have the -OH in the terminal O=C-OH replaced
by an alcohol group -C-OH the resulting compound has the terminal group
O=C-O-C- and is called an Ester. Esters are used in many fragrances and
flavorings.
Ethers
When the elements that make up the organic compounds are
Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen and the bonds are all single bonds, but the
bonds are arranged such that there is at least one internal C-O-C bond
then the compounds are called Ethers. The most commonly known Ether is
Ethyl Ether (C2H5-O-C2H5).
Before the advent of modern anesthetics Ethyl Ether was the most common
anesthetic used in surgery.
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H
Hydrocarbons
When the only elements involved in organic compounds are
Carbon and Hydrogen the resulting class of compounds is called
Hydrocarbons. The simplest Hydrocarbon is methane (CH4).
Other common well known hydrocarbons are propane (C3H8)
and octane (C8H18).
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I
Ionic Bonds
When atoms combine by forming bonds through transferring
electrons from one atom to another, the type of bond formed is called an
Ionic Bond. This type of bond is referred to as Ionic because when an
atom accepts electrons from an atom of a different element the accepting
atom becomes a negatively charged Ion and the donating atom becomes a
positively charged Ion.
These two charged ions are held together, bonded, by electrostatic
attraction between the charges and the bond thus formed is referred to
as an Ionic Bond. This bond is the primary type of bond occurring in the
salts of Inorganic Chemistry with common table salt, Sodium Chloride -
Na+Cl- being a prime example.
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K
Keytones
When the elements making up the organic compound are once
again Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen and when there is an internal (within
the molecule) carbon-oxygen double bond, the Functional Group becomes C2-C=O and the compounds are called Keytones. The most commonly known
Keytone is Acetone (CH3-C=0 -CH3) the main
ingredient in fingernail polish remover.
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M
Molecules
In our section on Chemistry Help we
defined the elements of matter as being made up of individual atoms with
a specific atomic structure that was unique for each element. Atoms of
different elements can bind together to form multi-atom structures which
are referred to as molecules.
Molecules of a given substance such as carbon dioxide have a defined
composition and ratio of elements. For Instance carbon dioxide
(CO2) contains one atom of carbon and two atoms of oxygen.
This unit of three atoms is referred to as one molecule of carbon
dioxide.
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O
Organic Acids
When the elements making up the organic compound are
Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen and when there is a terminal combination of
a carbon-oxygen double bond linked to an "O H" group, the Functional
Group becomes O=C-OH and the compounds are called Organic Acids. The
most commonly known organic acid is Acetic Acid (CH3C=O -OH)
also known as Vinegar.
Organic Chemistry
Chemistry is the science concerned with the
composition, structure and properties of matter. Organic chemistry is
the science of the composition, structure and properties of the element
Carbon along with Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen. These four elements,
dominated by Carbon, make up over 50% of all living (Organic) matter.
Organic Compounds
A given Organic Compound is made up of molecules of
various unique combinations of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen and Nitrogen.
These molecules are made up of atoms of these elements linked by
Covalent bonds. Two examples of Organic Compounds are carbon dioxide
(CO2) and methane (CH4).
Organic Functional Groups
Organic Compounds can be grouped according
to their Functional Groups. Functional Groups are unique combinations
of atoms that impart to the Organic Compound specific and consistent
properties. One example of an Organic Functional Group is the -OH group.
When this group is present in an Organic Compound the compound is
referred to as an Alcohol.
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S
Single Bonds
When two atoms participate in a Covalent Bond and only
share a single (one) electron the Covalent Bond formed is referred to as
a Single Covalent Bond or just a Single Bond.
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T
Triple Bonds
When two atoms participate in a Covalent Bond and share
three electrons with each other, the Covalent Bond formed is referred to
as a Triple Covalent Bond or just Triple Bond. A common example of an
organic compound containing a triple bond is acetylene (HC=CH).
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