The study of carbon-containing compounds

- Organic
-Inorganic
why is it so important?
Think about how organic compounds affect our daily life:
PROTEIN
C
OH
O
OH
C
O
OH
OCOCH
3
(CH
3
CO
2
)O
H
2
SO
4
More than 5,000,000 known organic
compounds compared to only about
200,000 to 300,000 known inorganic
compounds.

General properties are different from
inorganic compounds (ionic salts
etc.)
Organic
compounds
Covalent bonding
Low melting
points
Mainly insoluble
in water
Mainly soluble in
organic solvents
(e.g., gasoline)
Almost all burn
Slower reactions
Inorganic
compounds
Ionic bonding
High melting
points
Mainly soluble in
water
Mainly insoluble in
organic solvents
Very few burn
Very fast reactions

A covalent bond involves sharing
of a pair of electrons between
two atoms
Each atom contributes one
electron for sharing
The shared electrons are
localised between the two
atomic nuclei
Example

H + H H H


H H can be represented as HH




A carbon atom forms four bonds

Carbon atoms form stable bonds with
other carbon atoms (i.e., the CC
covalent bond is strong)

Can form chains and even networks.
Examples: diamond and graphite

A carbon atom forms four bonds
Graphite Diamond
Examples: diamond and graphite
Carbon atoms also form stable
bonds with other atoms (i.e., C
H, CO, CN, CCl etc. bonds
are strong).

Many combinations and
arrangements are possible

Extracted from
crude oil
Separated
according to size
for various
purposes
Source of energy,
plastics, solvents,
raw materials, etc.
C
H
H C
H
O
H
H
H
C
OH
O
OH
C
O
OH
OCOCH
3
(CH
3
CO
2
)O
H
2
SO
4
C
F
Cl Cl
Cl
CFCl
3

Main structure: carbon backbone
Each carbon must have 4 covalent
bonds (i.e., share an electron with a
neighbouring atom)
building blocks attached to each
other by covalent bonds
Functional groups with specific
properties

Ester
Alkene C=C
Alcohol OH
Halogen groups Cl, Br
Amine NH
2
Carboxylic acid COOH
Amide CONH
etc.


C O C
O
C
H
H
H
H
H
H
Methylacetate
Synthesised when a carboxylic acid
and an alcohol react
R C
O
O H
R O H
C O
O
R R H
2
O
Structure

Flavour
Banana
Orange
Pineapple
Apple
Raspberry
CH
3
COOCH
2
CH
2
CH(CH
3
)
2
CH
3
COO(CH
2
)
7
CH
3
CH
2
(CH
2
)
2
COOCH
2
CH
3
CH
3
(CH
2
)
2
COOCH
3
HCOOCH
2
CH(CH
3
)
2
Responsible for many flavours
and fragrances.
Generally sweet and pleasant
smells.
Aspirin, an analgesic (painkiller)
Ethyl acetate, a solvent
Polyesters
---Clothing
---Used to make synthetic arteries
for heart surgery
---Bio-absorbable staples for surgery

THANK YOU