Functional Groups Flashcards

Functional Groups Overview

• Functional groups are specific groups of atoms within molecules that have distinctive chemical properties and determine the reactivity of compounds.

Alkyl Halide

• Composed of a halogen atom 'X' attached to an sp3 hybridized carbon.
• Classified as primary (1°), secondary (2°), or tertiary (3°) based on the number of carbons linked to the carbon with a halogen.
• Derives from alkanes by replacing hydrogen with a halogen, using naming conventions that change "-ine" to "-o".

Ether

• Defined as R-O-R, where oxygen is bonded to two carbons (R-groups).
• Classified into symmetric (identical groups) and asymmetric (different groups) ethers.
• Naming involves recognizing the longest carbon chain and treating the O-R fragment as a substituent, appending "-oxy" to the parent alkane name.

Carboxylic Acid

• Contains a carboxyl group (COOH) featuring a carbonyl (C=O) and hydroxyl (OH) group.
• Exhibits unique chemical properties due to the presence of the carboxyl functional group.

Alcohol

• Characterized by the general structure ROH with a hydroxy group (OH) attached to an sp3 hybridized carbon.
• Classified as primary (1°), secondary (2°), or tertiary (3°), similar to alkyl halides.
• Naming convention replaces "-e" in the hydrocarbon with "-ol".

Ketone

• Features a carbonyl group (C=O) with two alkyl groups (R) attached, having structures of R2C=O or RCOR'.

Ester

• Derived from the reaction of a carboxylic acid and an alcohol, characterized by the replacement of the acidic OH with an OR group.
• Contains a carbonyl group but lacks acidic hydrogen, giving it distinct properties compared to carboxylic acids and ethers.

Carbonyl

• Consists of a carbon-oxygen double bond (C=O).
• The polar character of the bond renders the carbonyl carbon electrophilic, making it reactive in various chemical reactions.

Aldehyde

• Contains a formyl group (R-CHO), which is a carbonyl attached to a hydrogen and an R group.
• Serves as a vital functional group with implications in organic synthesis.

Amine

• Compounds formed by the replacement of one or more hydrogens in ammonia by alkyl groups.
• Classified as primary (1°), secondary (2°), or tertiary (3°) based on the number of carbon substituents on the nitrogen.
• Named by changing the hydrocarbon suffix from "-e" to "amine".

Amide

• Represents organic compounds featuring a carbonyl bond to nitrogen (C=O-N).
• Formed from reactions between carboxylic acids and amines, playing a key role in biological systems.

Alkene

• An aliphatic hydrocarbon characterized by a carbon-carbon double bond.
• Naming involves changing the suffix from "-ane" to "-ene".

Alkyne

• Another aliphatic hydrocarbon distinguished by a carbon-carbon triple bond.

Aromatic

• Refers to compounds containing benzene (C6H6), a cyclic hydrocarbon known for its stability and distinct reactivity due to resonance.

Rules for Naming Functional Groups

• Identify the longest continuous chain containing the functional group as the parent hydrocarbon.
• Number the chain to assign the functional group the lowest possible number; no number is needed if the group is on a ring.
• If a functional group and substituent coexist, the functional group gets priority in numbering.
• When numbering results in identical positions, ensure substituents receive the next lowest possible numbers.
• List multiple substituents in alphabetical order to adhere to systematic naming conventions.