ORGANIC CHEMISTRY Flashcards
what is the homologous series
it is a family of compounds with similar properties because they have similar bonding
what do the family compounds of a homologous series need to have in common?
1) The same general formula
2) Have similar chemical properties- these are the similar because they have the same functional group
3) They have physical properties which show a steady gradation
4) Have successive members which differ by CH2
what is a hydrocarbon
these are compounds containing carbon and hydrogen, joined covalently- the two families of hydrocarbons are alkenes and alkanes
what does the stem of an organic compound show you?
it shows you how many carbon atoms there are
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘meth’ show you?
that there is 1 carbon atom in it
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘eth’ show you?
there are two carbon atoms in it
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘prop’ show you?
there are 3 carbon atoms in it
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘but’ show you?
there are 4 carbon atoms in it
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘pent’ show you?
there are 5 carbon atoms in it
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘hex’ show you?
there are 6 carbon atoms in it
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘hept’ show you?
there are 7 carbon atoms in it
at the stem of an organic compound, what does ‘oct’ show you?
there are 8 carbon atoms in it
at the ending part of an organic compound , what does ‘ane’ give
alkane
at the ending part of an organic compound , what does ‘ene’ give
alkene
at the ending part of an organic compound , what does ‘anol’ give
alcohol
at the ending part of an organic compound , what does ‘anoic acid’ give
carboxylic acid
what are the features of the an alkane
- alkanes are hydrocarbons
- their general formula is CnH2n+2
- These are saturated hydrocarbons
- these have four bonds with each carbon atom
what are the chemical properties of alkanes
- they are inflammable (which is why they’re used as fuels)
- They undergo combustion in excess air with a hot, non-smokey and non-luminous flame producing carbon dioxide and water
what type of reaction is combustion
it’s an oxidation or exothermic reaction
what problems do the formation of soot cause
blocks sunlight- global warming
smoke+fog -> smog
what problems does the formation of carbon monoxide cause
poisonous- can cause asphyxia
its colourless and has no smell
what’s the difference between flammable , inflammable and non-flammable
flammable and inflammable mean catch fire
non-flammable does not catch fire
in the combustion of petrol in a car engines when its burned at a high temperature that n2 and o2 in the air bond to form nitrogen oxides - why is this a problem
NO2 + H2O -> HNO2 (nitrous acid) + HNO3 (nitric acid)
nitrous acid+nitric acid -> acid rain
acid rain attacks structures made of marble, limestone and iron. it dissolves aluminium compounds in the soil. these get washed off into rivers and lakes where they can kill fish.
