Organic Chemistry Overview

Organic Chemistry

Definition: Study of carbon-containing compounds, primarily focusing on their structure, properties, reactions, and synthesis.
Key Concepts:
- Hydrocarbons: Simplest organic molecules; can be aliphatic (chains) or aromatic (rings).
- Functional Groups: Specific groups of atoms that determine the chemical reactivity (e.g., -OH, -COOH, -NH2).
- Isomerism:
  - Structural Isomers: Different connections (e.g., butane and isobutane).
  - Stereoisomers: Same connectivity, different spatial arrangement (e.g., cis vs. trans isomers).
- Reactions:
  - Addition Reactions: Adding atoms to double or triple bonds.
  - Substitution Reactions: One atom/group replaced by another.
  - Elimination Reactions: Removing atoms/groups to form double/triple bonds.
Key Classes of Compounds:
- Alkanes: Saturated hydrocarbons (single bonds).
- Alkenes: Unsaturated hydrocarbons (at least one double bond).
- Alkynes: Unsaturated hydrocarbons (at least one triple bond).
- Aromatic Compounds: Contain benzene rings.

Inorganic Chemistry

Definition: Study of inorganic compounds, which typically do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds.
Key Concepts:
- Coordination Chemistry: Study of coordination compounds, where metal ions bond with ligands.
- Periodic Table: Organization of elements based on atomic number; understanding trends (e.g., electronegativity, ionization energy) is crucial.
- Acids and Bases:
  - Arrhenius Theory: Acids produce H⁺, bases produce OH⁻ in water.
  - Brønsted-Lowry Theory: Acids donate protons, bases accept protons.
- Redox Reactions: Involves the transfer of electrons; oxidation (loss of electrons) and reduction (gain of electrons).
Types of Inorganic Compounds:
- Salts: Formed by the reaction of acids and bases.
- Oxides: Compounds formed by the reaction of an element with oxygen.
- Metalloids and Metals: Elements with distinct properties that can include conductivity and malleability.

Organic Chemistry

Focuses on the study of carbon-containing compounds, specifically their structure, properties, reactions, and synthesis.
Hydrocarbons are the simplest type of organic molecule, composed solely of carbon and hydrogen.
- Aliphatic hydrocarbons form chains, while aromatic hydrocarbons form rings.
Functional groups are specific groups of atoms that determine the chemical reactivity of a molecule and represent a specific chemical characteristic.
- Examples include the hydroxyl group (-OH), carboxyl group (-COOH), and amino group (-NH2).
Isomerism refers to the existence of multiple molecules with the same molecular formula but different structural arrangements.
- Structural isomers have different connectivities of their atoms.
- Stereoisomers have the same connections but differ in their spatial arrangement.
- Cis and trans isomers are examples of stereoisomers with different spatial orientations around a double bond.
Reactions are categorized based on the changes occurring within molecules:
- Addition reactions involve adding atoms to molecules with double or triple bonds.
- Substitution reactions involve replacing an atom or functional group in a molecule with another.
- Elimination reactions involve removing atoms or groups from a molecule to form double or triple bonds.
Key Classes of Compounds:
- Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons (contain only single bonds)
- Alkenes are unsaturated hydrocarbons with at least one double bond.
- Alkynes are unsaturated hydrocarbons with at least one triple bond.
- Aromatic compounds contain benzene rings, a specific type of ring structure with alternating single and double bonds that contribute to its unique stability.

Inorganic Chemistry

Consists of the study of inorganic compounds, typically lacking carbon-hydrogen bonds.
Coordination Chemistry investigates coordination compounds, which involve metal ions bonding with ligands (molecules or ions that donate electrons).
Periodic Table organizes chemical elements based on their atomic number.
- Understanding periodic trends like electronegativity and ionization energy is crucial for predicting and explaining the behavior of elements and compounds.
Acids and Bases are defined according to different theories:
- Arrhenius theory defines acids as compounds that produce H⁺ ions in water, while bases produce OH⁻ ions.
- Brønsted-Lowry theory defines acids as proton donors and bases as proton acceptors.
Redox Reactions involve the transfer of electrons.
- Oxidation refers to the loss of electrons, while reduction refers to the gain of electrons.
Types of Inorganic Compounds:
- Salts are formed from the reaction of acids and bases.
- Oxides are compounds formed by the reaction of an element with oxygen.
- Metalloids and Metals are elements with distinct properties, including conductivity and malleability.