Topic 15: Carbonyl Compounds 1

Question 1

Carbonyl compound

Answer 1

A compound containing a C=O group

Question 2

Nucleophile

Answer 2

An electron pair donor

Question 3

Addition reaction

Answer 3

A reaction in which two or more substances join together to produce one product

Question 4

Optical isomerism

Answer 4

Occurs when a compound contains a chiral carbon atom, which leads to the formation of two different optical isomers called enantiomers

Question 5

Asymmetric carbon

Answer 5

A chiral carbon atom, which means that the carbon is bonded to four different groups. This gives rise to optical isomers (enantiomers)

Question 6

Chiral Compound

Answer 6

A compound containing one or more chiral atoms

Question 7

Optical isomers (enantiomers)

Answer 7

A pair of stereoisomers which are non-superimposable mirror images of each other and which rotate the plane polarised light in opposite directions

Question 8

Racemic mixture (racemate)

Answer 8

a 50:50 mixture of two stereoisomers which, overall, has no rotatory effect on the plane of plane polarised light because the rotation caused by each of the stereoisomers is cancelled out by the other

Question 9

Plane polarised light

Answer 9

Waves which vibrate in one dimension only

Question 10

Stereospecific

Answer 10

A process with a preference for one of the particular enantiomers. For example, many biological process are stereospecific so different enantiomers can have very different effects in the body (e.g. thalidomide has two enantiomers, one of which alleviates morning sickness symptoms and the other of which causes serve birth defects)

Question 11

Condensation

Answer 11

A reaction in which a small molecule (usually water) is released when two other substances join together

Question 12

Hydrolysis

Answer 12

The breaking of bonds by the action of water

Question 13

Biodiesel

Answer 13

A mixture of methyl esters of long-chain carboxylic acids