1. Introduction to Organic Chemistry

2. What are organic compounds?
All organic compounds contain the element carbon. Most organic compounds also contain hydrogen.
Organic compounds that contain only hydrogen and carbon are called hydrocarbons.
Most natural substances are organic compounds.
Plastics and many medicines are also organic compounds.
Not all carbon-containing compounds are organic.
For example, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and carbonates are not organic compounds.
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3. Homologous Series There are millions of possible organic compounds.
Chemists group related organic compounds into families or homologous series.
A homologous series is a family of organic compounds with the same functional group and similar chemical properties.
Examples of homologous series are the alkanes and the alkenes
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4. What is a functional group?
A functional group is an atom or a group of atoms that gives a molecule its characteristic properties.
Organic compounds in the same homologous series have similar chemical properties because they have the same functional group.
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5. Homologous Series - Alkanes
Alkanes do not have any functional groups.
There are only C – C and C – H bonds.
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6. Homologous Series - Alkenes
The functional group of alkenes is the carbon-carbon double bond.
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7. What are the general characteristics of a homologous series?
Organic compounds in the same homologous series have the following properties in common:
They have the same functional group.
They have similar chemical properties.
There is a gradual change in their physical properties.
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8. Naming Organic Compounds
The name of an organic compound is divided into 2 parts:
a) 1st part (prefix) tells us the number of carbon atoms in each molecule.
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9. Naming Organic Compounds
The name of an organic compound is divided into 2 parts:
b) The 2nd part (suffix) of the name tells us the homologous series of the compound.
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10. Naming Organic Compounds
Propene is an alkene with 3 carbon atoms per molecule.
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