ORGANIC

COMPOUNDS
What are organic compounds?
• Organic compounds, with a few exceptions, are
compounds that contain the element carbon.
• Most organic compounds also contain hydrogen
• Organic compounds that contain only carbon and
hydrogen are called hydrocarbons.
• Organic compounds may also contain other
elements such as oxygen, chlorine and nitrogen.
Characteristic Features of Organic Compounds
1. All organic compounds contain carbon atoms
and most contain hydrogen atoms. Carbon
always form four covalent bonds and
hydrogen forms one covalent bond.
H
H C H H
H H C H
ELECTRON DOT NOTATION
H
STRUCTURAL FORMULA

methane CH4
2. Carbon forms single, double and triple bonds
to other carbon atoms.

hydrogen electrons
H H
carbon 1 electrons
H H
carbon 2 electrons
H C C H
H C C H
HH H H
ethane – C2H6

H C CH H C C H
H H ethene-C2H4 H H

HC C H H C C H
ethyne – C2H2
3. Some compounds have chains of atoms and
some compounds have rings.
H H H
H H
H C C C H
H C H
H H O- H C C
H cyclopropane H C3H6

4. Organic compounds may also contain

elements other than carbon and hydrogen.
This atom is called a heteroatom. These are
usually nitrogen, oxygen and the halogens:
fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine.
 What is a homologous series?
A homologous series is a family of organic compounds with the same
functional group and chemical properties.
Ex. Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, carboxylic acid, esters, etc.

What is a functional group?

A functional group is an atom or group of atoms that
gives a molecule its characteristic properties.
Ex. aldehyde group Carbonyl group
Some Functional Groups

R- a hydrogen or a hydrocarbon
attached to the functional group.
Properties of a homologous series:
• They have the same functional group which
could either be:
a. hydrocarbon
b. compounds containing a single bond to a
heteroatom
c. compounds containing C=O group
• They have similar chemical properties
• There is a gradual change in their physical
properties as we go down the series from one
member to the next
 Hydrocarbons
• Compounds that contain only the elements carbon and hydrogen.
* alkanes – have only single bond and no
functional group.
Ex. CH3-CH3 (ethane)
* alkenes- have a C=C double bond as their
functional group.
Ex. CH2=CH2 (ethylene/ethene)
* alkynes – have a C C triple bond as their
functional group.
Ex. CH CH (acetylene/ethyne)
* aromatic compound- contain a benzene ring, a six-
membered ring with three double bonds.
Ex. benzene ring
3. Number the carbons of the parent chain from the end that gives the
substituents the lowest numbers. When comparing a series of numbers, the
series that is the "lowest" is the one which contains the lowest number at the
occasion of the first difference. If two or more side chains are in equivalent
positions, assign the lowest number to the one which will come first in the
name.
4-ethyl-5-methylhexane X

4-ethyl-2-methylhexane X
1 2 3 4 5 6
3-ethyl- 5-methylhexane X
6 5 4 3 2 1
4-ethyl-2-methylhexane ✔
4. If the same substituent occurs more than once, the location of each point
on which the substituent occurs is given. In addition, the number of times
the substituent group occurs is indicated by a prefix (di, tri, tetra, etc.).

Mother chain - heptane

3,3-dimethyl
4-ethyl

4-ethyl-3,3-dimethylheptane
5. If chains of equal length are competing for selection as the parent chain, then the
choice goes in series to:
a) the chain which has the greatest number of side chains.
b) the chain whose substituents have the lowest- numbers.
c) the chain having the greatest number of carbon atoms in the smaller side chain.
d)the chain having the least branched side chains.

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

7 6 5 4 3 2 1
5’

6’
7’

2,3,5-trimethyl-4-propylheptane

6. A cyclic (ring) hydrocarbon is designated by the prefix cyclo-which appears directly

in front of the base name.

methylcyclopropane
7. In summary, the name of the compound is written out with the substituents in
alphabetical order followed by the base name (derived from the number of
carbons in the parent chain). Commas are used between numbers and dashes
are used between letters and numbers. There are no spaces in the name.

2,3,5-trimethyl-4-propylheptane

4-ethyl-2-methylhexane

8. Alkyl halides
The halogen is treated as a substituent on an alkane chain. The halo- substituent is
considered of equal rank with an alkyl substituent in the numbering of the parent
chain. The halogens are represented as follows:
F fluoro-
Cl chloro-
Br bromo-
I iodo-

2-bromo-3-methylbutane
3-chloro-2-methylpentane
• CH3-CH=CH-CH3
2-butene
CH3-CH2-CH=CH-CH3
2-PENTENE

CH3-CH2-CH2-C= C-CH2-CH2-CH2-CH3
4-NONYNE