1

General Chemistry 1
Second Quarter – Week 7 & 8
Lesson: Organic Compounds: Different Functional Groups;Structural Isomerism;
Reactions of Simple Organic Compounds;Formation and Structure of
polymers;Structure of proteins, nucleic acid, lipids and carbohydrates; and Some
preparations of selected organic compounds

At the end of this lesson the learners shall:

1. Describe the different functional groups
(STEM_GC11OC-IIg-j-87)
2. Describe structural isomerism; give examples
(STEM_GC11OC-IIg-j-89)
3. Describe some simple reactions of organic compounds: combustion of organic fuels, addition,
condensation, and saponification of fats
(STEM_GC11OC-IIg-j-90)
4. Describe the formation and structure of polymers
(STEM_GC11OC-IIg-j-91)
5.Explain the properties of some polymers in terms of their structure
(STEM_GC11OC-IIg-j-93)
6.Describe the structure of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates, and relate them to
their function
(STEM_GC11OC-IIg-j-95)
7. Describe the preparation of selected organic compound and their properties
(STEM_GC11OC-IIg-j-97)

Learning Objectives:
1. Define Organic Compounds
2. Describe the different functional groups
3. Explain simple reactions of organic compounds: combustion of organic fuels, addition,
condensation, and saponification of fats.
4. Illustrate the formation and structure of polymers
5. Explain the properties of some polymers in terms of their structure
6. Understand the structure of proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, and carbohydrates, and relate them
to their function
7. Illustrate the preparation of selected organic compound and their properties

Organic Compounds
Organic chemistry constituents a large part of your everyday life. The food you eat, the fuel that
cars use, and the alcohol that you use to disinfect objects, to name a few, are amde up of
organic compounds. Even your body is mostly made up of organic compounds. Organic
Compoundsare compounds generally made up of carbon (C) atoms except carbides,
carbonates, cyanides, and oxides of carbons (e.g., CO and CO2).

The Carbon Atom

THE SPECIAL NATURE OF CARBON
About 200 year ago, organic chemistry was defined as the study of compounds produced by
living things like plants and animals. Organic compounds needed a ‘life force’ to be produced.
Compounds that were from nonliving things like rocks were referred to as inorganic. All these
changed in 1828 with the experiment of Friedrich Wöhler. In his laboratory, Wöhler synthesized
urea (an organic compound) from ammonium cyanate (an inorganic compound). This marked a
turning point in organic chemistry. It dispelled the belief that organic compounds could only be
formed by nature.The electron configuration of carbon is 1s2 2s2 2p2. Carbon completes its octet
by sharing electrons and not by forming ions. It shares its electrons with other carbon atoms
forming single, double, and triple bonds. It also shares its electrons and readily forms bonds
with atoms of other elements like O, H, N, and the halogens.

1|P a g e
2

The small radius of carbon allows it to approach another carbon atom closely, giving rise to short
and strong covalent bonds and stable compounds. Because the sp or sp2 hybridized orbitals can
approach each other closely, the unhybridized p orbitals containing unpaired electrons can form
pi bonds resulting in stronger bonds.
Carbon can form four covalent bonds. This allows it to form chains (straight, branched or cyclic)
in endless arrays.
Carbon can form millions of different compounds. To date, over 20 million organic compounds,
both synthetic and natural, are known compared with only about 100,000 inorganic compounds.
Carbon can form more compounds than any other element in the periodic table.
ORGANIC COMPUNDS: HYDROCARBON
A major group of organic compounds is the hydrocarbons. Hydrocarbons are made up of only
carbon and hydrogen atoms. Hydrocarbons are further classified into aliphatic hydrocarbons
(those that do not contain a benzene ring) and aromatic hydrocarbons (those that contain a
benzene ring).

ORGANIC COMPOUNDS: FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

Organic compounds may also be classified according to the functional groups they contain. A
functional group is a group of atoms that is largely responsible for the chemical behavior of the
parent molecule. Compounds containing the same functional groups undergo similar reactions.
COMMON FUNCTIONAL GROUPS

2|P a g e
3

ISOMERISM
Compounds with similar molecular formulas but with different structures are isomers. Isomers
can be classified into two: structural isomers and streoisomers.

In organic chemistry, isomers are molecules with the same molecular formula (i.e. the same
number of atoms of each element), but different structural or spatial arrangements of the atoms
within the molecule. The reason there are such a colossal number of organic compounds – more
than 10 million – is in part down to isomerism. This graphic looks at the 5 main types of
isomerism in organic molecules, with a more detailed explanation of each given below, as well as
the reason why isomerism is important in our day-to-day lives.
STRUCTURAL ISOMERISM
Isomers can be split into two broad groups – structural (or constitutional) isomers, and
stereoisomers. We’ll consider structural isomers first, which can be split again into three main
subgroups: chain isomers, position isomers, and functional group isomers. Structural isomerism
can quickly get quite out of hand in terms of the number of possible isomers; butane (four
carbons) has two possible isomers, decane (ten carbons) has seventy-five, and a simple
hydrocarbon containing 40 carbon atoms has an estimated 62,000,000,000 structural isomers.
Chain Isomers
Chain isomers are molecules with the same molecular formula, but different arrangements of the
carbon ‘skeleton’. Organic molecules are based on chains of carbon atoms, and for many
molecules this chain can be arranged differently: either as one, continuous chain, or as a chain
with multiple side groups of carbons branching off. The name of the molecule can be changed to
reflect this, but we’ll save the naming of molecules for another post. Obviously, there’s often
more than one way of branching off groups of carbons from the main chain, which leads to the
large numbers of possible isomers as the number of carbons in the molecule increases.
Position Isomers
Position isomers are based on the movement of a ‘functional group’ in the molecule. A functional
group in organic chemistry is the part of a molecule that gives it its reactivity. There are a range
of different functional groups, the more common of which were summarised in a previous post
here. Nothing else about the molecule changes, simply where the functional group in it is, and
the name simply alters slightly to indicate whereabouts in the molecule it is located.
Functional Isomers
Also referred to as functional group isomers, these are isomers where the molecular formula
remains the same, but the type of functional group in the atom is changed. This is possible by
rearranging the atoms within the molecule so that they’re bonded together in different ways. As
an example, a standard straight-chain alkane (containing only carbon and hydrogen atoms) can
have a functional group isomer that is a cycloalkane, which is simply the carbons bonded
together in such a way that they form a ring. Different functional group isomers are possible for
different functional groups.

3|P a g e
4

Example
There are two ways of writing the structure of butane: n-butane (where n stands for normal)
and isobutene. These are called structural isomers. Structural isomers are molecules that
have the same molecular formula but different structures. Alkanes are described as having
straight chains (such as n-butane) or branched chains (such as isobutane).

Another example, the formula C5H12. It has three structural formulas as shown below

Neopentane

STEREOISOMERISM

There are two main types of stereoisomerism – geometric isomerism, and optical isomerism.
These, as the difference in name suggests, aren’t to do with any large scale rearrangements of
the structure of molecules; instead, they involve different arrangements of parts of the molecule
in space. They’re a little more complicated to think about than the structural isomers, so let’s
have a look at each of them in turn.

Stereoisomers are isomers that differ in spatial arrangement of atoms, rather than order of
atomic connectivity. One of their most interesting type of isomer is the mirror-
image stereoisomers, a non-superimposable set of two molecules that are mirror image of one
another.
Geometric Isomers
Geometric isomerism is actually a term that is ‘strongly discouraged’ by IUPAC (the International
Union of Pure & Applied Chemistry), who prefer ‘cis-trans’, or ‘E-Z’ in the specific case of
alkenes. However, ‘geometric isomerism’ is still consistently used in many A Level courses to
refer to both, so for that reason I’ve used that name here.
This type of isomerism most frequently involves carbon carbon double bonds (shown by two
lines joining each carbon instead of one). Rotation of these bonds is restricted, compared to
single bonds, which can rotate freely. This means that, if there are two different atoms, or
groups of atoms, attached to each carbon of the carbon carbon double bond, they can be
arranged in different ways to give different molecules. These atoms or groups can be given
‘priorities’, with atoms with higher atomic numbers given higher priorities. If the highest priority
groups for each carbon are on the same side of the molecule, that molecule is denoted as the
‘cis’ or ‘Z’ isomer. If they’re on opposite sites, it’s denoted as the ‘trans’ or ‘E’ isomer.

4|P a g e
5

The two different nomenclatures are a little confusing – cis/trans is now less commonly used,
with E/Z instead being favoured. E stands for ‘entgegen’ (‘opposite’ in german) whilst Z stands
for ‘zusammen’ (‘together’ in german). The letter is simply added in brackets at the start of the
molecule’s name in order to indicate which isomer it is.

Optical Isomers
Optical isomers are so named due to their effect on plane-polarised light, about which you can
read more here, and come in pairs. They usually (although not always) contain a chiral centre –
this is a carbon atom, with four different atoms (or groups of atoms) attached to it. These atoms
or groups can be arranged differently around the central carbon, in such a way that the molecule
can’t be rotated to make the two arrangements align. Since one arrangement can’t line up to
look exactly like the other, we refer to them as ‘non-superimposable mirror images’ – one of the
isomers is the mirror image of the other. Think of it like your hands – you can’t exactly
superimpose one hand on top of the other, because your thumbs will stick out in opposite
directions.
These can be allocated an identifying letter, in much the same way as with geometric isomerism.
The groups around the carbon are given priorities, then the lowest priority group is oriented
pointing away. Looking at the remaining groups, if they decrease in priority going in an anti-
clockwise direction, it’s the S isomer (from the Latin ‘sinister’, meaning ‘left’). If they decrease in
priority going in a clockwise direction, it’s the R isomer (from the Latin ‘rectus’, meaning ‘right’).
Again, this letter is simply added in front of the isomer’s name in order to indicate which one it
is.

There are other ways in which optical isomerism can be exhibited, but this is the simplest.

The Importance of Isomerism

As previously mentioned, isomers of the same molecule have the potential to have different
physical or chemical properties. These differences can have some important implications.
Let’s look particularly at the case of optical isomerism. The two possible isomers can also be
referred to as ‘enantiomers’ of each other. A prime, and well cited example of enantiomers with
differing properties is that of the compound ‘carvone’. In its (R) form, it is found in mint leaves,
and is the principle contributor to the aroma. However, in its S form, it is found in caraway
seeds, and has a very different smell.
There can also be less benign differences. By far the most well known example here is that of
thalidomide. This drug was prescribed in the 1950s and 60s to treat morning sickness in
pregnant women; however, unknown then was that the (S) enantiomer could be transformed in
the body into compounds that caused deformities in embryos. The two enantiomers also
interconvert in the body, meaning that even if just the (R) enantiomer could be isolated, it would
still produce the same effects. This emphasised the importance of testing all of the optical
isomers of drugs for effects, and is part of the reason why present-day pharmaceuticals have to
go through years of rigorous tests, to ensure that they are safe.

5|P a g e
6

6|P a g e
7

Reactions of Organic Compounds

Combustion Reaction

Don’t try this at home! This performer isn’t really eating fire, but he
still puts on an impressive show. You know that fire is dangerous. It’s
hot, it can burn you, and it can easily get out of control. But do you
know what fire is? Fire is the result of a chemical reaction. Whenever
something burns, a type of reaction called a combustion
reaction occurs.
A combustion reaction occurs when a substance reacts quickly with
oxygen (O2). For example, in the Figure below, charcoal is combining
with oxygen. Combustion is commonly called burning, and the
substance that burns is usually referred to as fuel. The products of a
complete combustion reaction include carbon dioxide (CO2)
and water vapor (H2O). The reaction typically gives off heat and light
as well. The general equation for a complete combustion reaction is:
Fuel + O2 → CO2 + H2O

Combustion of Hydrocarbons
The fuel that burns in a combustion reaction contains compounds called hydrocarbons.
Hydrocarbons are compounds that contain only carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). The charcoal
pictured in the Figure above consists of hydrocarbons. So do fossil fuels such as natural gas.
Natural gas is a fuel that is commonly used in home furnaces and gas stoves. The main
component of natural gas is the hydrocarbon called methane (CH4). You can see a methane
flame in the Figure below. The combustion of methane is represented by the equation:
CH4 + 2O2 → CO2 + 2H2O

Review
1. What is a combustion reaction?
2. Write the general equation for a combustion reaction.
3. When iron rusts, it slowly combines with oxygen to form iron oxide. Is rusting a
combustion reaction?

7|P a g e
8

Addition Reaction

What is this yellow stuff?

There is big debate these days about using butter or margarine
on your toast (or pancakes or muffin). Margarine is less
expensive than butter and is lower in fat and cholesterol.
Margarine is made from animal or vegetable fats using
hydrogenation to reduce the double bonds in the fatty acids.
Hydrogen gas is bubbled through the liquid oil and reacts with
the carbon-carbon double bonds present in the long-chain fatty
acids. The product is less likely to spoil than butter.

An addition reaction is a reaction in which an atom or molecule is added to an unsaturated

molecule, making a single product. An addition reaction can be thought of as adding a molecule
across the double or triple bond of an alkene or alkyne. Addition reactions are useful ways to
introduce a new functional group into an organic molecule.
One type of addition reaction is called hydrogenation. Hydrogenation is a reaction that occurs
when molecular hydrogen is added to an alkene to produce an alkane. The reaction is typically
performed with the use of a platinum catalyst. Ethene reacts with hydrogen to form ethane.

Alkyl halides can be produced from an alkene by the addition of either the elemental halogen or
the hydrogen halide. When the reactant is the halogen, the product is a disubstituted alkyl halide
as in the addition of bromine to ethene.

The addition of bromine to an unknown organic compound is indeed a test for saturation in the
compound. Bromine has a distinctive brownish-orange color, while most bromoalkanes are
colorless. When bromine is slowly added to the compound, the orange color will fade if it
undergoes the addition reaction to the hydrocarbon. If the orange color remains, then the
original compound was already saturated and no reaction occurred.
A monosubstituted alkyl halide can be produced by the addition of a hydrogen halide to an
alkene. Shown below is the formation of chloroethane.

A hydration reaction is a reaction in which water is added to an alkene. Hydration reactions

can take place when the alkene and water are heated to near 100°C in the presence of a
strong acid, which acts as a catalyst. Shown below is the hydration of ethene to produce
ethanol.

Under modest reaction conditions, benzene resists addition reactions because adding a molecule
across a double bond in a benzene ring disrupts the ring of delocalized electrons. This greatly
destabilizes the molecule. However, under conditions of high temperature and pressure, and
with an appropriate catalyst, benzene will slowly react with three molecules of hydrogen to
produce cyclohexane.

Review
1. What type of compound is needed for an addition reaction?
2. Name the compound formed in the reaction of CH3CH2CH=CH2 and HCl.
3. What is the product of a hydration reaction?

8|P a g e
9

Condensation Reaction

A new way to lubricate machinery?

Vegetable oils are being explored for a variety of uses in which they could
replace petroleum products. One such application is in the field of lubricants.
Every moving part in machinery (such as engine pistons) needs lubrication to
decrease friction and prolong the life of the equipment. Petroleum products
serve this purpose now, but are not good for the environment. New techniques
for making specialized esters from vegetable oil are being explored that will
make the compounds more stable and more useful as lubricants.
A condensation reaction is a reaction in which two molecules combine to form
a single molecule. A small molecule, often water, is usually removed during
a condensation reaction. Amino acids are important biological molecules that
have an amine functional group on one end of the molecule and a
carboxylic acid functional group on the other end. When two amino acids
combine in a condensation reaction, a covalent bond forms between the amine
nitrogen of one amino acid and the carboxyl carbon of the second amino acid. A
molecule of water is then removed as a second product.

This reaction forms a molecule called a dipeptide and the carbon-nitrogen covalent bond is called a
peptide bond. When repeated numerous times, a lengthy molecule called a protein is eventually produced.
Esterification
An esterification is a condensation reaction in which an ester is formed from an alcohol and a
carboxylic acid. Esterification is a subcategory of condensation reactions because a water molecule is
produced in the reaction. The reaction is catalyzed by a strong acid, usually sulfuric acid. When the
carboxylic acid butanoic acid is heated with an excess of methanol and a few drops of sulfuric acid, the
ester methyl butanoate is produced. Methyl butanoate has the scent of pineapples. The reaction is shown
below with both molecular and structural formulas.

The esterification reaction is reversible. When an ester is heated in the presence of a

strong base such as sodium hydroxide, the ester breaks down. The products are an alcohol and
the conjugate base of the carboxylic acid as a salt.

The sodium hydroxide is not acting as a catalyst, but is consumed in the reaction.

9|P a g e
10

Saponification

Everyday, you use soap when taking a bath and detergent when washing your dirty clothes.
Soaps and detergents are produced through the process of saponification. The term came from
the Greek word saponis that means “soap”. Saponification is a base-promoted hydrolysis of
ester linkages present in fats and oils.

Saponification describes the alkaline hydrolysis reaction of an ester. The term saponification
originally described the hydrolysis of long-chain esters called fatty acid esters to produce soap
molecules, which are the salts of fatty acids. One such soap molecule is sodium stearate, formed
from the hydrolysis of ethyl stearate.

Soap is a salt or a derivative of a fatty acid. It contains a carboxylic group ( )

That considered hydrophilic (attracted to water) and a long hydrocarbon
chain that hydrophobic (repelled by water). Whenever there is a grease,
soap molecules will surround the grease, while the hydrophillic head is oriented away from the
grease. Once micelles are formed you see when you take a bath is the emulsion.

Review
1. What is a condensation reaction?
2. What are the starting materials for an esterification reaction?
3. How can an ester be saponified?

10 | P a g e
11

Formation and Structure of Polymers

Polymers are large molecular compounds made up of many repeating units called monomers.
They can be natural or synthetic. They are sometimes called macromolecules because of their
high molar masses. The word polymer comes from the Greek “poly” (meaning many) and “mer”
(meaning part or segment). Therefore a polymer means many parts. Polymers are generally
classified as synthetic or natural. Natural polymers occur in nature. Synthetic polymers are
manmade and synthesized in the laboratory.

Formation of Polymers
How are polymers made? The chemical reaction by which the monomers are linked together to
form polymers is called polymerization. There are several types of polymerization reactions.
The basic types are the addition polymerization and the condensation polymerization
reactions.

Polyethylene is an example of a homopolymer. This is a type of polymer where there is only

one type of monomer.

11 | P a g e
12

Other examples of monomers used to produce polymers are shown in the table below:

In the examples given above, ethylene (CH2 = CH2) and tetrafluoroethylene (CF2 = CF2) are
symmetric monomers (the carbons have the same substituents) while vinyl chloride, styrene,
and propene are asymmetric monomers (the carbons in the monomer have different
substituents). The examples (polyethylene, polystyrene, polypropylene, and Teflon) are
synthetic polymers.

12 | P a g e
13

Polymer Arrangements and Structures

Polymers can be arranged in a number of ways. The arrangement of the polymer chains
affects their properties such as whether they are stiff or rigid, crystalline or amorphous.. For
asymmetric monomers. A linear polymer is a one where the arrangement of atoms is like that
of a long chain. This long chain is often referred to as the backbone. Atoms or small groups of
atoms attached to the long chain are called pendant atoms.

The long chains are not stiff; they are flexible. They twist and bend and wrap around one
another . They become entangled like strands of spaghetti especially in the solid state. This
makes the polymer strong. When polymers are dissolved in solvents, the chains move very
slowly compared to small molecules. This is due to the entanglement of the long chain strands.
Thus, polymers dissolved in solvents can be more viscous than the pure solven. The
arrangement of the pendant atoms or pendant groups attached to the backbone gives different
properties to the polymer. Three distinct arrangements are observed: syndiotactic, isotactic,
or atactic.
The isotactic arrangement is where all the pendant groups or substituents (represented by R — )
are on the same side of the polymer chain. They pack efficiently resulting in polymers with high
melting point, high crystallinity, and superior mechanical strength. A syndiotactic polymer chain
is one where the substituent group alternates from left to right of the asymmetric carbons. They
pack less efficiently than isotactic chains. In atactic polymers, the substituents occur randomly.
Therefore, they do not pack well. These polymers are rubbery, not crystalline, and relatively
weak.
Industrial synthesis is capable of producing pure syndiotactic or only isotactic polymers through
the use of special catalysts. Depending on synthesis conditions, the chains can also be
branched. Branched chain polymers are more flexible and less dense than straight chained
polymers. For example, high density polyethylene (HDPE) polymers are used for firm plastic
bottles and containers while low density polyethylene (LDPE) are used for plastic food bags and
plastic wraps.

13 | P a g e
14

Sometimes, the polymer chains are cross-linked as in the case of vulcanized rubber. Rubber is a
natural organic polymer formed by the addition of the monomer isoprene. In vulcanized rubber,
the polymer strands of isoprene are crossed linked or bridged by short sulfur chains. The cross-
linked polymers can be visualized by the following diagram:

14 | P a g e
15

PLASTICS AND POLYMERS

What is the meaning of plastic? Are all polymers plastic? Are all plastic polymers? The word
‘plastic’ comes from the Greek ‘plastikos’ meaning ‘to mold’. Generally, plastics refer to
synthetic polymers. Plastics are polymers but not all polymers are plastic.
Plastics are classified into two types: thermoplastics and thermosets.
Thermoplastics are those that keep their plastic properties: they melt when heated and harden
when cooled. On the other hand, thermosets are permanently “set” once they are formed. They
cannot be melted or reshaped; if enough heat is added, they will crack or become charred.
Thermoplastic materials are made of long linear polymer chains that are weakly bonded to each
other. When heated, the bonds are easily broken and the polymer chains easily glide past each
other. Therefore, they are readily remolded. On the other hand, thermosets are made up of
linear chains that are cross-linked to one another preventing the material from being melted and
reformed.

Activity: Self Check

1. Identify the type of polymerization reaction in each of the following: an Addition reaction or
a Condensation reaction

2. For each of the following, draw three linked monomer units of the polymer’s structure:

15 | P a g e
16

Biomolecules
Biomolecules are molecules produced by living organisms or are compounds that occur
naturally in plants and animals. They could be large macromolecules or smaller molecules such
as primary or secondary metabolites: Macromolecules: Proteins, Nucleic acids, Lipids and
Carbohydrates.

Proteins

16 | P a g e
17

17 | P a g e
18

Self Check
Proteins are organic molecules that form muscles, transport O2 (hemoglobin), and act as
hormones and enzymes. Most importantly, proteins determine how our bodies look and function.
Their building block is the amino acid. Proteins are made of amino acids combined through a
dehydration link called a peptide bond. When groups of amino acids are joined together, a
protein is formed.

What are 2 of the functions of proteins?

a._______________________________________________
b._______________________________________________

What is the building block of proteins? ____________________________________________

What is the name of the bond that joins amino acids? ________________________________

18 | P a g e
19

Nucleic Acids

Self Check
The fourth class of organic molecules is the nucleic acids. This class involves the genetic
materials, DNA and RNA. DNA is the blueprint of life because it contains instructions on how to
make proteins in the body. Each individual’s DNA is unique, which means that each individual
has a unique set of proteins. That is why each of us looks and behaves differently. RNA is a copy
of DNA. Because DNA can’t leave the cell’s nucleus, and because proteins are constructed
outside of the nucleus in the cytoplasm, the RNA is necessary to carry the instructions from DNA
to the cytoplasm where the protein is made.

What are the two types of nucleic acids? a. ________________________________________

b.________________________________________

What is the role of DNA?_________________________________________________________

How does the role of RNA differ from that of DNA?_____________________________________

19 | P a g e
20

Lipids
Lipids are a class of naturally occurring organic compounds distinguished by their solubility in an
organic solvent (and not in water). Lipids are hydrophobic, nonpolar, and made up mostly of
hydrocarbon chains. Some of the more important lipids are: triglycerides (fats), saturated and
unsaturated fatty acids, waxes, phospholipids, and steroids. Some of these are further
discussed below.

Self Check
Lipids are a class of organic molecules which includes fats and oils, and has the function of long-
term storage of energy in the body. The building block of lipids is the fatty acid, which is a chain
of carbons with hydrogen attached to each side. Saturated fats have two carbons attached to
each carbon (except the one at the end). Saturated fats are unhealthy fats like butter and
Crisco. Unsaturated fats are missing at least one hydrogen and are kinked in shape. The
unsaturated fats are healthy, and include oils.

What is the building block of lipids? _______________________________________________

List the 2 examples of lipids. a. __________________________________

b.___________________________________

Describe the structure of a fatty acid_______________________________________________

What is a saturated fatty acid?

____________________________________________________________________________

20 | P a g e
21

Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are compounds made up of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. They are also known
as saccharides. They have the general formula Cx (H2O)y. Carbohydrates function as the
energy source of the body.
A simple general classification of carbohydrates is according to the number of sugar units
(saccharides) present in the molecule: monosaccharides, disaccharides, and
polysaccharides.

21 | P a g e
22

Self Check

Carbohydrates are the most common organic molecule because they

make up most plant matter. They are made from carbon, hydrogen
and oxygen. Their building block a single sugar called a
monosaccharide. Sugars (monosaccharides) consist of carbon rings.
When two monosaccharides, or sugars, combine, they form a
disaccharide (di = two). When more than two monosaccharides join
together, a polysaccharide (poly = many) is formed.

What are the elements contained in carbohydrates?____________________________________

What is the building block of carbohydrates? _________________________________________

What is a monosaccharide? _______________________________________________________

What is a disaccharide? __________________________________________________________

How does a polysaccharide differ from a disaccharide?__________________________________

22 | P a g e
23

LESSON ASSESSMENT

Multiple Choice: Choose the best answer. Copy and Answer in your Activity Notebook.
1. A large molecule that consists of many repeating units is called a
A. Monomer D. Polyethylene
B. Polymer E. Polystyrene
C. Polypeptide
2. Each unit that comes together to form a polymer is called a ___.
A. Monomer D. Amino acid
B. Copolymer E. Ethylene
C. Thermoset
3. The reactions in which polymers are produced are called _____ reactions.
A. Synthesis D. Single displacement
B. Polymerization E. Oxidation
C. Decomposition
4. Which of the following is a requirement for monomers to be able to undergo addition
polymerization?
A. The presence of an oxygen atom
B. The presence of a lone pair
C. The presence of a carbon to carbon double bond
D. The presence of a nitrogen atom
E. The presence of an electronegative atom
5. In a ____________ reaction for the synthesis of a polymer, a small molecule is removed from
the reacting materials and produced as a by product.
A. Elimination D. Condensation
B. Substitution E. Oxidation
C. Addition
6. An example of a natural polymer is
A. Nylon D. Rubber
B. Dacron E. Lucite
C. Polyethylene
7. When asymmetric alkenes polymerize (such as chloroethene to produce PVC), the pendant
group like chlorine can be arranged in different ways. An arrangement in which the –Cl groups
are arranged on the same side of the polymer chain is called a(n) ___________ arrangement.
A. Atactic D. Sporadic
B. Isotactic E. Random
C. Syndiotactic
8. What elements make up a carbohydrate?
A. hydrogen, calcium, oxygen
B. hydrogen, carbon, oxygen
C. carbon, potassium, oxygen
D. carbon, magnesium, hydrogen
E. nitrogen, carbon, oxygen
9. _________ is known as “animal starch”.
A. Glucose D. Glycogen
B. Cellulose E. Lactose
C. Fructose
10. ____________ is the monosaccharide found in starch.
A. Glucose D. Lactose
B. Fructose E. Amylose
C. Maltose

Prepared by:

Mrs. Rea P. Kinkito

Instructor
09161427580
reapadulagakinkito@gmail.com

23 | P a g e