1. Interactions of Hazardous Materials
Intro to Organic Chemistry
Prepared by:
Dolores Gough, P.E.
George Gough, P.E., CSP
This presentation was prepared to provide some background or refresher notes on selected and limited topics in basic organic chemistry that may be of help for the chemistry portion of the BOS 3640 course. Your textbook is needed for some parts of this presentation.

2. Basic Features of Atoms
Atom: smallest particle of an element; composed of smaller particles known as electrons, protons, neutrons
Electrons: negative particles responsible for reactivity; charge of -1
Protons: positively charged particles; charge of +1
Neutrons: neutral particles; no charge
Electron
e -- P+ N
Nucleus
Protons and neutrons reside within the nucleus.
Electrons reside in designated regions surrounding the nucleus
called atomic orbitals.

3. Organic Chemistry – chemistry of compounds containing one or more carbon atoms. However, the hydrogen atom is almost always present in these compounds (shown in next slide).
Atomic Structure of Carbon - - -
6 P
6 N - - -
Carbon has four (4) electrons in the outer shell that need to bond for stability.
Carbon can also share electrons with other carbon atoms to form the following
types of carbon bonds:
C – C (single bond)
C = C (double bond)
C Ξ C (triple bond)

4. Hydrocarbons (HC) are compounds whose molecules consist of only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
Atomic Structure of Hydrogen -
1 P
0 N
Carbon electron sharing with Hydrogen: Hydrogen has one (1) electron in its outer shell that can share with the C to form covalent bonds. However, C needs to share all 4 electrons in its outer shell. Example: If all four electrons were shared with H, CH4 is formed. H
H C H or CH4 (methane)

5. Carbon – Carbon Single Bond:
Alkanes: have general formula of CnH2n+2 where n = number of carbon atoms
Example: Butane has 4 carbons, all single bonds as shown:
H H H H
I I I I
H - C - C – C - C - H C4H10 (see Table 12.1)
H H H H
Cycloalkanes: same as alkane but the first and last C are linked (closed).
In naming them, just add “cyclo” to the alkane name. (Examples – see Sec B)
Cyclobutane (
Cyclohexane
Organic Chemsitry Graphics retrieved from

6. Carbon = Carbon Double Bond:
Alkenes or Olefins: have general formula of CnH2n
Example: Butene has 4 carbons and at least 1 double bond
H H H H
I I I I
H - C - C = C - C – H or H – C = C – C – C - H
I I I I I I I
H H H H H H H
C4H8

7. Carbon Ξ Carbon Triple Bond:
Alkynes: have general formula of CnH2n-2
Example: Butyne has 4 carbons and at least 1 triple bond
H H H H
I I I I
H - C - C Ξ C - C – H or H – C ΞC – C – C - H
I I I I
H H H H
C4H6
General Properties/Characteristics:
Alkanes (paraffins or saturated HC): relatively stable to chemical
reactions. Low molecular weight alkanes are gases or
liquids, high MW are solids.
Alkenes (olefins ): unsaturated HC because they don’t have the
maximum number of atoms each carbon is able to
accommodate; physical properties are closely
related to those of the corresponding alkanes
Alkynes (unsaturated HC): physical properties similar to those
of alkanes and alkenes

8. IUPAC System of Nomenclature
IUPAC (International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry – used for naming complex hydrocarbons)
When a hydrogen atom is removed from an alkane, the resulting group is called alkyl group or alkyl substituent. See Table 12.2 (page 472) for common alkyl substituents.
Rules for naming an alkane (pages )
Example: CH3 - CH2 – CH - CH2- CH3 I
CH3
3-methyl pentane
Methyl (one carbon)

9. IUPAC SYSTEM (cont.)
Rules for naming alkenes (1 double bond), dienes (2 double bonds), tienes (3 double bonds) & “cyclos”
Examples: CH3CH = CHCH2CH pentene
CH2 = CH – CH = CH , 3 - butadiene
Rules for naming alkynes (pages )
Examples: CH3CH2C Ξ CCH2CH hexyne
CH Ξ CCH propyne

10. Aromatic Hydrocarbons
Regarded as compounds whose molecules are composed of one or more special rings of carbon atoms
Benzene – simplest aromatic hydrocarbon
C6H6
Other common aromatic compounds:
Toluene (or methylbenzene)
Xylene
1,4 dimethyl benzene
(para-xylene)
1,3 dimethylbenzene
(meta-xylene)
1, 2 dimethylbenzene
(ortho-xylene)
Organic Chemistry Graphics retrieved from

11. Polynuclear Aromatic Hydrocarbons (PAHs)
Two or more mutually-fused benzene rings per molecule (when a pair of carbon atoms is shared and the bond between them)
Examples:
Naphthalene (C10H8): colorless solid having odor of mothballs; poses chronic respiratory hazard to humans; exposure is llinked with onset of cancerous growths.
Anthracene (C14H10): component of coal-tar.
Organic Chemistry Graphics retrieved from

12. Functional Groups
In a hydrocarbon, one or more hydrogen atoms may be substituted with
another atom or group of atoms. This atom or group of atoms is called the functional group, and this group determines many of an organic compound’s characteristic chemical properties. It identifies an organic compound as alcohol, ether, aldehyde, etc.
There are over 100 functional groups; some of the important ones are covered in the book and listed in Table 13.1.
Let us take some examples:
Functional group: hydroxyl (-OH)
Class of organic compound: alcohol
General formula: R-CH2-OH
Functional group: oxy (-O-)
Class of organic compound: ether
General formula: R-O-R’
where: R and R’ are arbitrary alkyl or aryl substituent

13. Alcohols
Organic compounds derived by substituting one or more hydrogen atoms in hydrocarbon molecule with hydroxy group (-OH)
General chemical formula of simple alcohol is R-OH
Examples: H I
Methyl alcohol H – C – O – H or CH3OH
(methanol) I H
OH CH3
I / 6
3,5 dimethyl 3-hexanol CH3 CH2 C CH2 CH
I \
CH CH3
methyl
methyl

14. Ethers Organic compounds that are highly volatile, flammable liquids
Produce organic peroxides by reacting with atmospheric oxygen catalyzed by light
Highly reactive, potentially explosive
General formula is R-O-R’
Example:
Diethyl ether CH3CH2 - O - CH2CH3
(ethyl) (ethyl)

15. Aldehydes and Ketones Both contain the carbonyl group C = O\
Both contain the carbonyl group C = O /
Aldehydes - have carbonyl group located at end of chain of carbon atoms O II
R – C – H
Ketone - has carbonyl group located at nonterminal position
within chain O
R – C – R’
Examples of aldehyde: formaldehyde or methanal (CH2O);
acetaldehyde or ethanal (CH3CHO;
2-propenal or acrolein (CH2=CHCHO)
Examples of ketone: acetone or 2-propanone (CH3COCH3)
methyl ethyl ketone or 2-butanone
(CH3COCH2CH3)

16. Organic Acids
Organic compounds containing the carboxyl group (-COOH), so they are also called carboxylic acids. They are weak acids, inherently corrosive, and water-soluble with characteristic odors.
General formula is R – COOH
In the IUPAC nomenclature, the suffix – oic acid is used to designate carboxylic acids; but when the functional group (-COOH) is connected to a cyclic structure, - carboxylic acid becomes the appropriate suffix.
Examples:
Methanoic acid (or formic acid): H COOH
Ethanoic acid (or acetic acid): CH3 COOH
Propanoic acid (or propionic acid): CH3CH2 COOH
connected to cyclic structure:
2- hydroxybenzene carboxylic acid (or salicylic):
o-HOC6H4 COOH

17. Peroxo-Organic Compounds
Organic hydroperoxides, organic peroxides
Many compounds unstable
Used to induce polymerization, process essential to production of plastics
Meyer (2014)
Meyer (2014) Chemistry of Hazardous Materials. (6th ed). NJ: Pearson

18. More details and other common hazardous organic chemicals are in the textbook.
Reference
Meyer, E. (2014). Chemistry of Hazardous Materials. (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Organic chemistry graphics retrieved from