Organic Chemistry

Organic Chemistry is the study of hydrocarbons (compounds of hydrogen and carbon) and their
derivatives. The only inorganic carbon compounds are CO 2 and its relatives.

Importance of Inorganic Chemistry

• 10 million Organic Compounds

• 1.7 million Inorganic Compounds
• Animal and plant matter, Foods, Pharmaceuticals, Cosmetics, Fertilizers, Plastics,
Petrochemicals, Clothing
Properties of Organic Chemicals
1. They are combustible
2. Their melting and boiling points are lower than those inorganic compounds.
3. Their solubility is limited
4. They undergo molecular reactions as opposed to ionic reactions.
5. They can have very high molecular weights
6. They are isomers (different compounds with the same chemical formula).
7. They form a substrate for microorganism.

Carbon is the element of life on earth and it has four bonding electrons.
Hydrocarbons are compounds containing only carbon and hydrogen.

• Alkanes are called saturated hydrocarbons because there is a hydrogen in every

possible location. This gives them a general formula C nH2n+2.

• Alkenes contain double bond and has a general formula C nH2n.

 ethene

• Alkynes contain triple bond and has a general formula CnH2n-2.

ethyne

Naming of alkanes
8. Find the longest chain of carbon atoms (the backbone) and name the atom as a
derivative of the alkane with that number of carbons. Prefix for number of carbons
listed below and suffix – ane are used.
9. Use the positions and names of the substituents that replace the hydrogen as prefixes.
10. When more than one substituent is present, either on the same carbon atom or on
different carbon atoms, list them alphabetically.
11. If there is more than one of the same substituent, use prefixes di-, tri-, tetra-, etc to
indicate the number of them.

Polymers
Polymers are large molecules made up of smaller units called monomers. A chain of monomers
can be thousands of units long.
Types of Polymers

• Synthetic polymers are joined by addition or condensation polymerization.

o Used to make up tires, cups, plates, and fabrics

Plastic containers

• Natural polymers
o Cellulose, a polymeric carbohydrate
o Proteins

Natural rubber
Addition Polymerization

• An addition polymer is the result of the direct addition of monomer units

Considering the monomer ethylene as shown in the figure below during polymerization, double
bonds are converted to single bonds. Note tha n can be around 2000.

Some Common Addition Polymers