Chapter 12 - Organic Chemistey 2 Functional Groups Flashcards
What ability does the presence of functional groups in a molecule have?
The predictive ability of the types of reactions the molecule will undergo.
What is a functional group?
It is an atom or a group of atoms that determines the chemical and, in part, physical properties of an organic compound.
List some if the functional groups of simple molecules.
- alcohol
- aldehyde
- carboxylix acid
- ketone
- amine
- ester
What are some of the chemistry of functional groups related to?
The changing oxidation number of the carbon atom that is a part of the group.
What is the functional group present on an alcohol?
It is the -OH group attached to a tetrahedral carbon atom.
What are the physical properties of simple alcohols? (Up to 8 carbon atoms)
• Colorless liquids at room temperature.
• Boiling point of an alcohol is higher than that of the parent Alkane.
-This is due to the presence of hydrogen bonds as well as dispersion forces between the alcohol molecules, compared to only dispersion forces holding the Alkane molecules together.
List the boiling points of some alcohol.
- Methanol 65
- Ethanol 78
- Propan-1-ol 97
- Butan-1-ol 118
When do hydrogen bonding occur?
It occurs between molecules where a hydrogen atom is bonded to one of the 3 highly electronegative atoms - nitrogen, oxygen or fluorine.
Can hydrogen bonding occur with Alkanes?
- No because there are only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
* Only dispersion forces can exist between Alkane molecules.
Why do alcohols have a much higher melting and boiling points than parent Alkanes?
This is because hydrogen bonds are stronger than dispersion forces, and because there will be dispersion forces present in the Alkanes as well.
When does the strength of dispersion forces increase?
- They increases with the increasing number of electrons in the molecule.
- The alcohol molecule with larger molecular masses have more atoms present in the molecule and so have more electrons.
When does the solubility of alcohol in water decreases?
- When the molecular mass increases. Alcohols with smaller molecular masses are soluble in water.
- After butanol, the alcohols are essentially insoluble in water.
Why can’t longer chains of alcohol be broken down?
This is because the small number of hydrogen bonds that form between the alcohol functional group on he alcohol and surrounding water molecule is not sufficient to make up for the bonds that have to be broken between water molecules.
List the type d Alcohols.
- Primary Alcohol - one carbon atom and two hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon atom to which the -OH group is bonded.
- Secondary Alcohol - two carbon atoms and one hydrogen atom are attached to the carbon atom to which the -OH group is bonded.
- Tertiary Alcohol - three carbon atoms and no hydrogen atoms are attached to the carbon atom to which the -OH group is bonded.
Which alcohols are the most reactive?
- Primary
- Secondary
- Tertiary
What happens when the hydrocarbon chain of the alcohol increases in length?
The reactivity of the alcohol decreases as the likelihood of a successful collision between the alcohol functional group and the metal is reduced.
What are the two most common reactions of alcohols?
Oxidation and Reduction which forms another group of compounds called esters.