Chapter 4: Carbon and the Molecular Density of Life

Question 1

Organic Chemistry

Answer 1

compounds containing carbon under study

Question 2

Valence

Answer 2

the number of covalent bonds it can form

Question 3

Hydrocarbons

Answer 3

organic molecules consisting of only carbon and hydrogen, main components in petroleum/fossil fuels, fat molecules have long hydrocarbon tails attached to a nonhydrocarbon component, hydrophobic, nonpolar carbon-to-hydrogen bonds

Question 4

Isomers

Answer 4

compounds that have the same number of atoms of the same element but difference structures and hence have different properties

Question 5

Structural Isomer

Answer 5

differ in the covalent arrangements of their atom, also differ in the location of double bonds

Question 6

Cis-Trans Isomer

Answer 6

also known as geometric isomer, carbons have covalent bonds to the same atoms, but the atoms differ in the inflexibility of double and triple bonds

Question 7

Cis Isomer

Answer 7

a simple molecule with double bonded carbon, each having a hydrogen and X molecule attached to it, both X’s on the same side

Question 8

Trans Isomer

Answer 8

a simple molecule with double bonded carbon, each having hydrogen and an X molecule, bonded on opposite sides

Question 9

Enantiomers

Answer 9

isomers that are mirror images of each other, differ in shape due to the presence of an asymmetric carbon

Question 10

Asymmetric Carbon

Answer 10

carbon that is attached to four different atoms or group of atoms

Question 11

Functional Groups

Answer 11

chemical groups that are directly involved in chemical reactions

Question 12

7 Most Important Chemical Groups

Answer 12

hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfhydryl, phosphate, methyl groups
first 6 are chemically reactive, sulfhydryl groups are hydrophilic, methyl groups often serve as a recognizable tag on molecules

Question 13

Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP)

Answer 13

complicated organic phosphate, stores potential to react with water or other molecules