Untitled Quiz

Carbon and Molecular Diversity of Life

• Cells are composed mostly of water (70-95%) and carbon-based compounds.
• Carbon is essential for forming large, complex, and diverse molecules in living organisms.
• Proteins, DNA, carbohydrates, and other crucial molecules are carbon-based.

Organic Chemistry

• Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds.
• Organic compounds range from simple to complex molecules.
• Most organic compounds also contain hydrogen atoms.
• A crucial experiment disproved vitalism. Vitalism proposed that organic compounds can only be produced by organisms, but chemists proved otherwise.

Carbon's Properties

• Carbon has four valence electrons, allowing it to form four covalent bonds with various other atoms. This ability is called tetravalence, enabling the formation of large and complex molecules.
• Carbon atoms in a molecule often have a tetrahedral shape, and when two carbon atoms are joined with a double bond—the shape becomes flat.

The Shapes of Three Simple Organic Molecules:

• Methane: CH₄, tetrahedral shape.
• Ethane: C₂H₆, straight chain.
• Ethene (ethylene): C₂H₄, double bond, flat shape.

Covalent Compatibility

• Carbon's electron configuration enables covalent bonds with diverse elements.
• The valences of carbon and its frequent partners (hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen) form the "building code" of living molecules.

Major Elements of Organic Molecules

• Elements like Hydrogen (valence=1), Oxygen (valence=2), Nitrogen (valence=3), and Carbon (valence=4) are crucial in organic molecules.

Carbon Dioxide and Urea

• Carbon atoms can bond to atoms other than hydrogen, for example in carbon dioxide (CO₂) and urea (CO(NH₂))₂.

Molecular Diversity

• Carbon chains form the skeletons of most organic molecules.
• The length and shape of carbon chains vary, contributing to diversity in organic molecules. (Branches, double bonds, and rings are examples of structural variation).

Isomers

• Isomers are compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures and properties.
• Types of isomers include:
  • Structural isomers: Different covalent arrangements of atoms.
  • Geometric isomers: Same covalent arrangements but differences in spatial arrangement.
  • Enantiomers: Mirror images of each other.

Pharmaceutical Importance of Enantiomers

• Different effects of enantiomers are important in pharmaceuticals. Two enantiomers of a drug can trigger varied responses in the body.
• Organisms are sensitive to slight variations in molecular structures.

Chemical Groups

• Functional groups are components of organic molecules often involved in chemical reactions.
• The number and arrangement of functional groups determine a molecule's properties.

Seven Functional Groups

• Seven major groups—hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, amino, sulfhydryl, phosphate, and methyl—are key in biological processes.
• Properties of each group are discussed (acidity, polarity, base properties, cross-linking).

ATP

• Adenosine triphosphate (ATP) is the primary energy-transferring molecule.
• ATP consists of adenosine attached to three phosphate groups.
• ATP's release of energy is critical for cellular processes. Conversion of ATP to ADP and inorganic phosphate releases energy.