Fundamentals of organic chemistry

Introduction to Organic Chemistry

Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-containing compounds, including hydrocarbons and their derivatives.
Organic compounds can contain other elements, such as hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, halogens, phosphorus, silicon, and sulphur.
The carbon atom is unique in its ability to form strong covalent bonds with other carbon atoms, creating long chains or rings.
Carbon atoms can form four covalent bonds, allowing for a versatility and complexity of structures.

Hydrocarbons are organic compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen.
They can be divided into two categories: alkanes and alkenes.
Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons, which means they only contain single bonds. Their general formula is CnH2n+2.
Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons, containing one or more carbon-carbon double bonds. Their general formula is CnH2n.

A homologous series is a series of organic compounds with similar structures and properties, where each member differs by a CH2 unit.
Members of the same homologous series show trends or gradations in physical properties.
Every member of a homologous series can be represented by a general formula.

A functional group is an atom or a group of atoms that determines the chemical properties of a compound.
Common functional groups include alcohols (OH), aldehydes (CHO), ketones (C=O), carboxylic acids (COOH), and amines (NH2).
Compounds containing the same functional group are often similar in their chemical reactions.

The IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds is systematic and depends on the number of carbon atoms, type of bonds, and functional groups present.
For example, the prefixes ‘meth-‘, ‘eth-‘, ‘prop-‘, and ‘but-‘ are used for compounds with one, two, three, and four carbon atoms, respectively.

Isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural formulas.
Isomers can have very different chemical and physical properties, despite having the same molecular formula.
There are two types of isomers: structural isomers, where the atoms are joined in a different order, and stereoisomers, which have the same structural formula but a different arrangement of atoms in space.

Organic compounds can undergo several types of reactions, including substitution reactions, addition reactions, elimination reactions and oxidation reactions.
Alkanes generally undergo substitution reactions, while alkenes undergo addition reactions.