Definitions Flashcards
Achiral molecule
A molecule that can be superimposed on its mirror image
Acid anhydride
A molecule formed from two identical carboxylic acid molecules joined via an oxygen atom
Acid dissociation constant (Ka)
An equilibrium constant specific to weak acids that relates the acid concentration to the concentration of [H⁺] ions.
Ka = [H⁺]{HA⁻] ÷ [HA]
Acidic buffer
A buffer with pH of less than 7 made by mixing a weak acid with one of its salts.
Acyl chloride
A molecule which contains the functional group COCl
Addition polymer
A type of polymer formed by joining small alkenes together
Amide
A carboxylic acid derivative which contains the functional group CONH₂
Amine
A molecule where one or more of the hydrogen atoms in ammonia have been replaced with an organic functional group
Amino acid
A molecule with an amino group (NH₂) and a carboxyl group (COOH)
Basic buffer
A buffer with pH of more than 7 made by mixing a weak base with one of its salts
Biodiesel
A mixture of methyl esters of fatty acids which can be used as a carbon neutral fuel
Cationic surfactant
A surfactant which is positively charged
Chemical shift
Nuclei in different environments absorb energy of different frequencies. NMR spectroscopy measures these differences relative to a standard substance - this difference is called the chemical shift.
Chromatography
An analytical technique which uses a mobile phase and a stationary phase to separate out mixtures
Deuterated solvent
A solvent which has had all of its hydrogen atoms exchanged for deuterium atoms.
Deuterium
An isotope of hydrogen. It contains one neutron, one proton and one electron.
Electrophile
An electron deficient (usually positively charged) species which is attracted to regions of high electron density
Electrophilic substitution
A reaction mechanism when an electrophile substitutes for a hydrogen atom in a molecule
Enantiomer
A molecule that has the same structural formula as another molecule but with four groups arranged around a chiral carbon compound atom so that it is a non-superimposable mirror image of the other molecule.
Ester
A molecule that contains the functional group RCOOR
Esterification
Forming an ester by heating a carboxylic acid and an alcohol in the presence of a strong acid catalyst
Equilibrium constant Kc
A ratio worked out from the concentration of the products and reactants once a reversible reaction has reached equilibrium