11 Organic chemistry

Question 1

What is a hydrocarbon?

Answer 1

A hydrocarbon is a compound containing carbon and hydrogen only.

Question 2

What is a saturated hydrocarbon?

Answer 2

A saturated hydrocarbon has single bonds only.

Question 3

What is an unsaturated hydrocarbon?

Answer 3

An unsaturated hydrocarbon contains carbon-to-carbon multiple bonds.

Question 4

What is a homologous series?

Answer 4

A homologous series is a family of compounds with similar chemical properties whose successive members differ by the addition of a -CH2- group.

Question 5

What is the simplest homologous series?

Answer 5

Alkanes. Alkanes contain single carbon-to-carbon bonds. E.g methane, ethane, propane

Question 6

What is a functional group?

Answer 6

A functional group is the part of the organic molecule that is largely responsible for the molecule’s chemical properties.

Question 7

How can hydrocarbons be classified?

Answer 7

Aliphatic, Alicyclic, Aromatic

Question 8

What is an aliphatic hydrocarbon?

Answer 8

Carbon atoms are joined together in unbranched (straight) or branched chains, or non-aromatic rings.

Question 9

What is an alicyclic hydrocarbon?

Answer 9

Carbon atoms are joined to each other in ring (cyclic) structures with or without branches.

Question 10

What is an aromatic hydrocarbon?

Answer 10

Some or all of the carbon atoms are found in an benzene ring.

Question 11

What are the three homologous series of aliphatic hydrocarbons?

Answer 11

Alkanes- containing single carbon-to-carbon bonds
Alkenes- containing at least one double carbon-to-carbon bond
Alkynes- containing at least one triple carbon-to-carbon bond.

Question 12

What are structural isomers?

Answer 12

Compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulae.

Question 13

What is a covalent bond?

Answer 13

A shared pair of electrons between two atoms.

Question 14

What can a covalent bond be broken by?

Answer 14

Homolytic fission or heterolytic fission.

Question 15

What is homolytic fission?

Answer 15

The breaking of a covalent bond with one of the bonded electrons going to each atom, forming two radicals.

Question 16

What is heterolytic fission?

Answer 16

The breaking of a covalent bond forming a cation (positive ion) and an anion (negative ion).

Question 17

What occurs in homolytic fission?

Answer 17

When a covalent bond breaks by homolytic fission, each of the bonded atom takes one of the shared pair of electrons from the bond.

• Each atom now has a single unpaired electron.
• An atom or groups of atoms with an unpaired electron is called a radical.

Question 18

What is a radical?

Answer 18

An atom or group of atoms with an unpaired electron.

Question 19

What occurs in heterolytic fission?

Answer 19

When a covalent bond breaks by heterolytic fission, one of the bonded atoms takes both of the electrons from the bond.

• The atom that takes both electrons becomes a negative ion.
• The atom that does not take the electrons becomes a positive ion.

Question 20

What are the 3 types of reaction?

Answer 20

Addition, substitution and elimination

Question 21

What is an addition reaction?

Answer 21

In an addition reaction, two reactants join together to form one product.

Question 22

What is a substitution reaction?

Answer 22

In a substitution reaction, an atom or group of atoms is replaced by a different atom or group of atoms.

Question 23

What is an elimination reaction?

Answer 23

An elimination reaction involves the removal of a small molecule from a larger one.
In an elimination reaction, one reactant molecule forms two products.