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Learn about organic compounds where carbon bonds with itself and other atoms, offering wide diversity. Discover isomers, hydrocarbons, and functional groups in this comprehensive guide to polymers and macromolecules. Explore the properties and structures of organic molecules.
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Organic Chemistry Basics Chapter 3
Organic compounds • Carbon covalently bonded to each other and other atoms • Originally thought only found in living things • Wide diversity in compounds: more than 5 million have been identified • Macromolecules: cells make large molecules from smaller ones
Properties of Carbon • 4 valence electrons = 4 covalent bonds • Can form bonds with itself • Carbon to carbon bonds are strong but not unbreakable, making them good for structural components • Carbon can also form double and triple bonds with itself • Carbon can form straight or branched chains as well as rings
Isomers • Compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures • Do not have identical physical or chemical properties • Three types: • Structural – different covalent arrangement • Geometric– different spatial arrangement • Enantiomers– mirror images of each other
Structural isomers Geometric isomers Enantiomers
Hydrocarbons • Carbon + hydrogen • Nonpolar • Tend to be hydrophobic • Hydrogen atoms can be replaced with a functional group • Polar and ionic functional groups are hydrophilic
Functional groups • Hydroxyl group: R-OH • Alcohols • Carbonyl group: carbon to oxygen double bond • Aldehyde: • R-CHO (at end of C skeleton) • Ketone: • R-CO-R (internal carbonyl group) ethanol
Functional groups… • Carboxyl group: R-COOH • Amino group: R-NH2 • Both essential in amino acids • Phosphate group: R-PO4H2 • Part of DNA backbone • Sulfhydryl group: R-SH • Thiols – important in proteins
Polymers • Formed by linking small organic molecules together • Example: 20 different amino acids form thousands of different proteins • Hydrolysis reactions (‘break with water’) • Breaks apart a polymer • Condensation reactions (‘remove water’) • Joins monomers into a polymer • In biological systems these are regulated by different enzymes.