Basic Chemistry- lecture #4 Flashcards
what element do all organic compounds contain?
carbon
why do organic compounds contain carbon?
excellent molecular component because of its ability to form large and diverse molecules
its the base or “building block”
(its like wood to build a house, its the first step)
photosynthetic organisms fix CO2 into what?
sugars
carbon is the main constituent of what 4 macromolecules required for life?
carbohydrates
lipids
proteins
nucleic acids
carbon has 4 electrons in its outer shell, how does it achieve a complete outer shell (containing 8 electrons)?
form 4 covalent bonds with other atoms
what is also required to form complex macromolecules?
PHONS
phosphorus
hydrogen
oxygen
nitrogen
sulfur
though PHONS are also required do they ever come close to the quantity of carbon that is used?
never
what do organic molecules contain as a part of their framework?
carbon
what are the 3 exceptions to use carbon as a part of organic molecules framework?
carbon dioxide (CO2)
carbon monoxide (CO)
carbonic acid (H2CO3)
do organic molecules range considerably in size?
YES
Methane (CH4)
Glucose (C6H12O6)
Protein
how do organisms differentiate between each other if they all use the same elements?
differences in the types of molecules found in living organisms allow one to differentiate between them
who is responsible for showthing that the non-living synthesis of organic compounds is possible?
Stanley Miller
what do biotic and abiotic mean?
Biotic: living (organic matter)
Abiotic: nonliving (sunlight, soil)
why is stanley miller’s experiment important?
supports evolution
organic molecules were ale to arise under the conditions of early earth
what redefined the study of carbon compounds regardless of their origin (biotic or abiotic)?
organic chemistry
why did Miller set up an experiment to mimic?
Miller set up an experiment to mimic the conditions that are thought to have existed on early earth
what was Miller trying to figure out?
figure out how abiotic factors were turned into organic compounds
explain Stanley Miller’s experiment
- a flask filled with hot water (represented the early sea)
- which evaporated into water vapor and entered the atmosphere flask (contained hydrogen, methane, and ammonia, and also electrodes to mimic lightning)
-a condenser cooled the atmosphere - after traveling through the atmosphere, the water vapor condensed into rain
- the water containing organic molecules was collected for analysis
after one week what did Miller find?
found a variety of organic compounds
including some amino acids
why is the carbon atom able to form very large, diverse molecules?
because carbon is able to form 4 covalent bonds
the outer most electron shell has space for how many electrons?
8
what is the octet rule?
tendency of atoms to prefer to have eight electrons in the valence shell
carbon chains form the ____ of most organic molecules
skeleton
the skeleton can be in what forms? (4)
straight
branched
ring
double bond
what are hydrocarbons?
organic molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen
hydrocarbons are a component of what?
fossil fuels
why do living cells not have full hydrocarbon structures?
because they exist as components of more complex molecules
ex. phospholipids, cholesterol
Are hydrocarbons hydrophobic/non- polar or hydrophilic/ polar?
non-polar covalent bonds
therefore, hydrophobic
hydrocarbons may participate in what types of reactions?
reactions that release large amounts of energy
what are isomers?
compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures
what do different structures create?
differences in properties
what are the 3 types of isomers?
structural isomers
cis/trans isomers
enantiomers
what arrangement do structural isomers come in?
straight or branched
they differ in the covalent arrangement of atoms
the number of possible isomers in structural isomers increases with what?
the number of carbon atoms
what else might differ in structural isomers?
double bond position
what were cis and trans isomers formerly referred to as?
geometric isomers
carbon-carbon double bonds are what types of structures?
rigid structures
why is the rotation of the double bond not possible?
because they’re more restricted
can single carbon-carbon bonds rotate?
yes because they are less restricted
but they arent as strong
what does not change between cis and trans isomers?
connectivity of atoms
spatial arrangement of atoms differ
when carbons involved in a double bond with one another have two different atoms attached what is possible?
different spatial orientations is possible
what is the difference is structure of cis and trans isomers?
cis isomers: both X substituents are on the same side of the double bond
trans isomer: X substituents are on opposite side of the double bond
small differences in spatial orientation may significantly affect what of the molecule?
activity of the molecule
are functional groups important?
as important as the arrangement of the carbon skeleton for molecular function
are hydrocarbons simple?
yes
they form the basic framework for more complex organic molecules
functional groups replace what element in chemicals?
hydrogen
how do functional groups contribute to chemical reactivity?
due to shape (directly or indirectly)
what is important for functional groups? (2)
number of groups and their arrangement
what is the analogy of functional groups and hydrocarbons?
This class is quiet, if someone joined the class that couldn’t stop talking loud it would only disrupt say one area of the classroom, however if she we added another disruptive student, it will disrupt more areas of the class and so forth
Hydrocarbon would be the quiet class
When you start to add functional groups it starts to disrupt and gets more disruptive the more functional groups you add
what are the 8 functional groups?
hydroxyl
carbonyl
carboxyl
amino
phosphate
sulfhydryl
methyl
acetyl (wont be discussed)
what is hydroxyl structure and an example?
do q- card (1)
what is the name of the hydroxyl compound?
alcohols
what are hydroxyl groups functional properties?
polar (hydrophilic)
can form hydrogen bonds with water molecules
what is the structure of carbonyl group and an example?
q-card (2)
what is the name of the compound carbonyl?
ketones if its within a carbon skeleton
aldehydes if the carbonyl group is at the end of the carbon skeleton
what do ketones and aldehydes hold onto?
ketones: 2 carbons
aldehyde: carbon and a hydrogen
what are the functional properties of carbonyl groups?
structural isomers with different properties
found in sugars
(gives rise to two major groups)
-ketoses (contains keytone groups)
-aldoses (contains aldehyde groups)
what is the structure of carboxyl groups and an example?
q- card (3)
what is the name of the compound for carboxyl?
carboxylic acids or organic acids
what groups are carboxyl groups made of?
hydroxyl + carbonyl = carboxyl
what are the functional properties of carboxyl groups?
acts as an acid
can donate H+
in what form are carboxyl groups found in?
ionized form with a charge of 1 (called carboxylate ion)
what does non-ionized and ionized look like?
q-card (4)
what is the amino group structure and an example?
q-card (5)
what is the name of the compound of amino?
amines
what are the functional properties of amino group?
acts as a base
can pick up an H+ from the surrounding solution
in what form are amino groups found in?
found in cells in the ionized form with a charge of 1+
what is the structure of sulfhydryl and an example?
q-card (6)
what is the name of the compound sulfhydryl?
thoils
what are the functional properties of sulfhydryl?
two sulfhydryl groups can react to form a covalent bond
(this cross linking helps stabilize protein structure)
what does cross linking of cysteines in hair proteins do?
maintains the curliness or straitness of hair
what is the structure of phosphate and an example?
q-card (7)
what is the name of the compound for phosphate?
organic phosphates
what are the functional properties of phosphate?
contributes negative charge to the molecule
molecules containing phosphate groups have the potential to react with water (releasing energy)
what is the structure of methyl and an example?
q-card (8)
what is the name of the compound for methyl?
methylated compounds
what are the functional properties of methyl?
non-polar
non-reactive
builds molecular weight (changes melting and boiling point)
addition of methyl to DNA (or molecules bound to DNA) affects the expression of genes
arrangement of methyl in male and female sex hormones affects their shape and function
