Carbon Flashcards
all living organisms are made up of chemicals based mostly on the element?
carbon.
what are compounds that contain carbon called?
organic compounds
what is organic chemistry?
the study of carbon compounds
carbon is important because…?
it is able to form molecules that are large, complex, and diverse. this is because carbon has a valence of 4, allowing it to form four covalent bonds with a variety of atoms.
carbon can form covalent bonds with itself…?
resulting in molecules that differ by length, branching, location of double bonds, and rings.
what are the simplest organic molecules?
hydrocarbons.
what is a hydrocarbon?
a hydrocarbon is a molecule made up of only carbon and hydrogen.
- soluble in water
some organic molecules have one or more chemical groups replacing?
the h atoms. these groups help to give each molecule its unique function.
chemical groups also determine?
how the molecule participates in chemical reactions. these are called functional groups.
there are 7 chemical groups that are most important in biological processes, these are?
hydroxyl, carboxyl, carbonyl, amino, sulfhydryl, phosphate, methyl
what is hydroxyl?
OH: oxygen atom covalently bonded to a hydrogen atom.
- alcohols
- polar
- forms hydrogen bonds with water molecules helping to dissolve compounds such as sugars.
what is carbonyl?
C=O: carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen atom.
- ketone: if the carbonyl group is within a carbon skeleton. ACETONE
- aldehyde: if the carbonyl group is at the end of the carbon skeleton. FORMALDEHYDE
what is carboxyl?
- COOH carbon atom double bonded to oxygen atom and also bonded to a hydroxyl group.
- acts as an acid
what is an amino group?
NH2: nitrogen atom bonded to one or more hydrogen atom.
- amines
- acts as a base
- if attached to organic compound containing carbon: amine
what is sulfhydryl?
SH: sulfur atom bonded to a hydrogen atom.
- thiols
- polar
- stabilize protein structure
