In our world, we are heavily dependant on organic compounds. Some examples(out of millions) include: DNA(we wouldn't be here without it), petroleum products: gas and plastics (if we didn't have it, at least it would save us from worrying about rising gas prices), and alkaloid crystalline compounds like caffeine(what would people look like in the morning?).
SO WHAT ARE ORGANIC COMPOUNDS?
They are compounds that contain carbon. Organic chemistry is the study of these compounds.
CARBON: Think of a carbon atom like a person. He/she will be extremely friendly; they can each form 4 single bonds, or 2 double bonds, or 1 triple bond.
Reminder:
Single bond: bond between 2 electrons(shared)
Double bond: bond between 4 electrons(shared)
Triple bond: bond between 6 electrons(shared)
Carbon atoms are very versatile. They form groups with all sorts of elements. There are so many possible compounds that they can form. They even have a whole branch of chemistry dedicated to them! Some of the common groups they form are amines, alkyls, alkenes, esters, ethers, carboxylic acids, ketones, aldehydes, and alcohols.
alkyl (used in detergent production)
ether (aerosol spray propellant)
To learn more about carbon and how it causes global warming, watch this video.
General Characteristics
Carbon forms mostly non-polar compounds(charges are equally shared). It does not form ions.
As well most carbon compounds have low solubility in water. This means that they do not easily dissolve in water. As the number of carbon atoms in a molecule increases, the compound's water solubility quickly decreases.
They are also non-electrolytes. They do not conduct electricity well when dissolved in water.
For more information, click on this link.
Organic compounds generally have low melting and boiling points. This is because the atoms are only attracted by the weakest form of intermolecular bonds. The bonds can be broken without using huge amounts of energy (in comparison to compounds formed with other types of bonds)
To see a fun video of what's to come this unit, watch the video below.
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