Overview of Organic Compounds

Carbon Compounds Overview

• Organic compounds contain carbon bonded to hydrogen and oxygen, or are inorganic.
• The chemistry of carbon is the chemistry of life.
• There are 11 million carbon compounds.
• Key elements in organic compounds are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sometimes sulfur.

Categories of Organic Molecules

• Lipids: Fats, Oils, Steroids, and Waxes.
• Carbohydrates: Glucose, Fructose, Starch, and Cellulose.
• Proteins: Enzymes, Structure, Movement, and Protection.
• Nucleic Acids: (DNA/RNA)

Monomers of Organic Compounds

• Carbohydrates: Monomer - Monosaccharide.
• Lipids: Monomer - Glycerol and Fatty Acids.
• Proteins: Monomer - Amino Acid.
• Nucleic Acids: Monomer - Nucleotide (5 carbon sugar, phosphate group, nitrogenous base).

Organic Compound Composition

• Carbohydrates: Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen (H:O in a 2:1 ratio).
• Lipids: Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxygen (H:O not in a 2:1 ratio).
• Proteins: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, and Nitrogen (sometimes Sulfur).
• Nucleic Acids: Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen and Phosphorus.

Carbon Bonding

• Carbon has four valence electrons and needs eight to be stable, readily forms four bonds with other atoms.
• Carbon can form straight chains, branched chains, or rings.
• Isomers—compounds with the same molecular formula but different structures. More C atoms in a formula, more isomers

Hydrocarbons

• Hydrocarbons—only carbon and hydrogen.
• Simple organic compounds.
• Derived from crude oil (petroleum).
• Uses vary by number of atoms (1-4 atoms are gases, 5-7 are low-boiling liquids, 6-18 are liquids, 12-24 are liquids, and 18-50 and 50+ are high-boiling liquids and solids).

Types of Carbon Bonds

• Single bond
• Double bond
• Triple bond

Naming Carbon Compounds

• Organic prefixes—indicate the number of carbon atoms in the hydrocarbon chain. Prefixes for 1-4 carbons are historically rooted (methane, ethane, propane, butane).
• Prefixes for 5 carbons and up are derived from the Greek language.
• -ane ending for alkanes.
• -ene ending for alkenes (double bond).
• -yne ending for alkynes (triple bond).

Aliphatic Hydrocarbons

• Aliphatic hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons without aromatic rings
• Saturated hydrocarbons contain only single bonds.
• Alkanes have each carbon bonded to 4 atoms.
• Only contain single bonds
• Skeleton: C-C
• Formula: C_n H_{2n+2}

Unsaturated Hydrocarbons

• Contains at least one double or triple bond.
• Alkenes: double bonds, C=C, Formula: CnH2n.
• Alkynes: triple bonds, C≡C, Formula: CnH2n−2.

Structural Isomers

• Isomers with atoms bonded together in different orders.

Physical Properties of Structural Isomers

• Melting and boiling points and density at 20°C can differ based on the structure

Large Carbon Molecules

• Polymers—giant molecules formed by monomer subunits.
• Macromolecules—large polymers.
• Polymerization—process of linking monomers to form polymers.

Biological Reactions

• Water, the most important inorganic compound, plays a key role in two major biological reactions.
• Hydrolysis—breaking down polymers by adding a water molecule.
• Dehydration Synthesis—building up large molecules by removing a water molecule.

Energy Currency: ATP

• Energy necessary for processes is available in the form of compounds like ATP (adenosine triphosphate).
• ATP has three phosphate groups linked by high-energy bonds.
• Breaking a high-energy bond in ATP releases the energy for cellular processes.

Molecules Of Life

• The essential organic compounds are composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen in different ratios.

Carbohydrates

• Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen with a 2:1 ratio of H to O.
• Monosaccharides—simple sugars (glucose, fructose, galactose, ribose, deoxyribose).
• Disaccharides—double sugars(sucrose, lactose, maltose).
• Polysaccharides—complex carbohydrates (starch, glycogen, cellulose).
• Glycosidic bonds join monosaccharides in carbohydrates.

Lipids

• Composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen (not a 2 to 1 ratio of hydrogen to oxygen).
• Do not dissolve in water
• Functions: energy storage, membrane components, insulation, hormones
• Fatty acids are unbranched carbon chains with a carboxyl group (acid) on one end.
• Saturated fatty acids: All single bonds
• Unsaturated fatty acids: One or more double bonds.
• Triglycerides: Three fatty acids attached to a glycerol molecule (formed by dehydration).
• Phospholipids: Form cell membranes, have a hydrophilic (water-loving) head and hydrophobic (water-fearing) tails.
• Waxes: Fatty acids attached to an alcohol, highly waterproof.

Proteins

• Composed of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
• Monomer: amino acid (20 different kinds)
• Peptide bonds link amino acids to form polypeptide chains.
• Protein structure levels
  • Primary: amino acid sequence
  • Secondary: α-helix and β-pleated sheet
  • Tertiary: 3D structure
  • Quaternary: multiple polypeptide chains
• Protein function depends on the shape.
• Enzyme - a type of protein that speeds up chemical reactions.

Nucleic Acids

• Composed of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, and phosphorus.
• Monomer: nucleotide
  • Phosphate groups
  • 5-carbon sugar (deoxyribose or ribose)
  • Nitrogenous base (adenine, guanine, cytosine, thymine, or uracil)
• Polynucleotide—formed by linking nucleotides together to create DNA or RNA.

Explore the fascinating world of organic compounds that contain carbon. This quiz covers the categories of organic molecules, including carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, as well as their monomers and composition. Test your knowledge and understanding of the essential building blocks of life.