Applied Organic Chemistry

What is Organic Chemistry?  Study of carbon-based compounds

What are some examples of carbon-based compounds?  Fuel  Plastics  Drugs  Food  Explosives  Life

Fuel  Example: petroleum  Used as an energy source  Contains carbon and hydrogen  Reacts with oxygen to produce heat for energy and releases carbon dioxide

Plastics  Halocarbons  Contain a halogen, such as flourine covalently bonded to carbon  Other halocarbons: CFCs, DDT  Hazards: plastics do not biodegrade, they photodegrade, CFCs damage the ozone layer, DDT is harmful to animal populations, is a water pollutant, and is a carcinogen

Drugs  Most medicines are organic compounds  All illegal drugs are organic compounds

Food  Carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids are all organic compounds  Examples: sugar, fruits, vegetables, etc  Cons: Americans throw away ¼ to ½ of food (26 millions tons/year), jams up landfills, and hugely contributes to greenhouse gas emissions (methane)  What you can do: freeze, can, donate food, start a compost pile

Life  Life on Earth depends on carbon  ALL life contains carbon

What types of careers use organic chemistry?  Vets  Doctors  Dentists  Pharmacists  Chemists

Bonding in Organic Compounds  Covalent bonds  2 or more atoms SHARE valence electrons  Gain a full octet Valence electrons: electrons in outermost energy level Octet: atoms want 8 electrons (full outer shell) to be stable

Structures formed by carbon compounds  Carbon is unique because it can form:  Chains  Branched chains  Rings  single, double, and triple bonds Alkanes: single bonded Alkenes: double bonded Alkynes: triple bonded

Isomers  Carbon structures with identifcal chemical formulas (made of the same stuff)  Different structures (shaped differently)

Isomer Example