organic Flashcards
hydrocarbon
organic compound that contains only carbon & hydrogen
saturated molecule
molecule that contains only C-C bonds
(substitution reactions)
unsaturated molecule
molecule that contains C=C or C≡C bonds
(addition reactions)
structural isomerism
molecules with identical molecular formulae, but different atomic structures
i.e. chain & positional isomers
geometric isomerism (stereoisomerism)
molecules with identical molecular formulae, but different spatial arrangements of atoms
i.e. when both carbons in a C=C bond (alkene) are attached to two different groups
cis-isomer : vertical symmetry
trans-isomer : vertical asymmetry
relationship between mass & dispersion forces
↑mass = ↑electrons = ↑dispersion forces
relationship between carbon chain length & dispersion forces
↑length = ↑surface area = ↑dispersion forces
even-numbered vs odd-numbered carbon chains
even-numbered carbon chains pack more tightly than odd-numbered carbon chains
∴ stronger dispersion forces
∴ greater boiling/melting point
straight vs branched carbon chains
straight carbon chains pack more tightly than branched carbon chains
∴ stronger dispersion forces
∴ greater boiling/melting point
markovnikov’s rule
when alkenes undergo addition reactions with H₂O or hydrogen halides, hydrogen joins the carbon of the C=C bond with more hydrogen (major product)
small proportion of products may oppose this rule (minor product)
primary, secondary & tertiary alcohols
primary : OH attached to a carbon with at least two hydrogen
secondary : OH attached to a carbon with one hydrogen
tertiary : OH attached to a carbon with no hydrogen
relationship between carbon chain length & hydrogen bonding
↑length = ↓hydrogen bonding attraction
∵ ↑overall non-polar nature
relationship between alcohol type & physical properties
boiling point : primary > secondary > tertiary
solubility : tertiary > secondary > primary
∵ branching - OH becomes less accessible to form hydrogen bonds
relationship between chain length & alcohol solubility
↑length = ↓solubility
∵ non-polar hydrocarbon chain becomes stronger
why are carboxylic acids more acidic than alcohols ?
hydrogen atom is more exposed
∴ greater ability to donate a proton (↑Kₐ )