Organic Chemistry Flashcards
What is a functional group?
An atom or group of atoms that gives organic compounds their characteristic reactions
What is a homologous series?
A group of related organic compounds that all have the same functional group
What functional group do the homologous series of alcohols contain?
The -OH functional group
What funtional group do the homologous series of esters contain?
-COO-
What functional group do the homologous series of carboxylic acids contain?
-COOH
What are is the structural and display formula of ethyl ethanoate?
CH3COOCH2CH3
What are the names of the first three alcohols?
Methanol, ethanol, and propanol
What are the displayed formulae for the first three alcohols?
What is the structural formulae for the first three alcohols?
CH3OH
CH3CH2OH
CH3CH2CH2OH
What are the names of the first three carboxylic acids?
Methanoic acid
Ethanoic acid
Propanoic acid
What is the displayed formulae for the first three carboxyllic acids?
What happens when alcohols with smaller molecules are mixed with water?
They also mix well with water and produce neutral solutions
Why are alcohols useful solvents?
Because many organic substances dissolve in them
What is the main alcohol in wine, beer, and other alcoholic drinks?
Ethanol
What is the reaction for when alcohols burn in air?
When burned completely they react with oxygen to produce CO2 and water
What happens when sodium reacts with alcohols?
Hydrogen gas is produced
It does not react as vigorously as it does with water
How can alcohols be oxidised and what does this produce?
They can be oxidised with chemical oxidising agents (e.g. potassium dichromate) to produce carboxyllic acids
Some microbes in the air can also oxidise solutions of ethanol to produce ethanoic acid. This is what turns alcoholic drinks sour and is also the main acid in vinegar
What happens when carboxyllic acid solutions react with a carbonate?
They gently fizz as carbon dioxide is produced.
A salt and water are also produced
Why do carboxyllic acids have properties similar to all other acids?
They produce hydrogen ions in aqueous solutions
How are carboxyllic acids different from other acids?
They react with alcohols in the presence of an acid catalyst to produce esters
How is ethyl ethanoate produced?
Ethanol and ethanoic acid react together when mixed with sulfuric acid as a catalyst
This also produces water
What type of compounds are esters (aside from organic ones…)?
Volatile!
What types of distinctive smells do esters have?
Some have pleasant fruity ones
As a result, they are used as flavourings and in perfumes
What is the difference between strong and weak acids?
Strong acids ionise completely in water. Weak acids don’t.
What is the difference between aqueous solutions of equal concentration of strong and weak acids?
Weak acids have a higher pH and react more slowly than strong acids
Write a balanced symbol equation to show that propanoic acid is a weak acid
CH3CH2COOH(aq) ⇌ CH3CH2COO-(aq) + H+(aq)
What are the advantages of using organic compounds?
- They can be used as fuels
- They can be used in food and drink
- They can be used as biofuels which offer an alternative to fossil fuels and may help with the problems of diminishing resources and climate change
What are the disadvantages of using organic compounds?
- Alcoholic drinks and solvents can be abused and this can lead to health and social problems
- The crops used for the production of biofuels require the use of agricultural land that could be used to grow food
