Week 5: Different Functional Groups

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).

A. Aliphatic compound - is an organic compound containing carbon and hydrogen joined together in

straight chains, branched chains, or non-aromatic rings. Open-chain compounds that contain no rings

are aliphatic, whether they contain single, double, or triple bonds. In other words, they may be

saturated or unsaturated.
1. ALKANES- Alkanes have the general formula CnH2n+2 where n=1, 2, 3…. Alkanes only have single

bonds. They are referred to as saturated hydrocarbons because they contain the maximum number of

hydrogen atoms that can bond to the carbon atoms present; that is, they are saturated with hydrogen

atoms. In naming alkanes, the –ane suffix (ending) is used. The name of the parent compound is

determined by the number of carbon atoms in the longest chain.

Prefixes Used in Examples of Straight-chain

Naming Hydrocarbons Alkanes

Example Cycloalkanes (also called naphthenes) are chemicals with

1. Determine the formula for butane, an alkane with 4
one or more hydrogen rings to which carbon atoms are
carbon atoms. General formula: CnH2n+2 attached according to the formula CnH2n. Cycloalkanes
•Since butane has 4 carbons, so n=4. with a single ring are named analogously to their normal
•Using the general formula substitute the n values to get
alkane counterpart of the same carbon count:
the molecular formula. cyclopropane, cyclobutane, cyclopentane, cyclohexane,
etc. The larger cycloalkanes, with greater than 20 carbon
Molecular Formula: CnH2n+2->C4H2(4)+2 = C4H10
atoms are typically called
cycloparaffins.
•The structure of butane can be written by stringing 4

carbon atoms in a row, Examples of Simple Cycloalkanes

•And then adding enough hydrogen atoms to give each

carbon atom 4 bonds.

NOTE. Remember in alkanes you can only see chained of

carbon (C-C) and saturated with hydrogen atoms (C-H).

2. ALKENES
Alkenes are hydrocarbons that contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond. They are also
called olefins. Their formula is CnH2n where n = 2, 3…. Alkenes are classified as unsaturated
hydrocarbons as opposed to the alkanes which are saturated hydrocarbons. In naming alkenes,
the –ene suffix (ending) is used. Take note that the parent chain in an alkene is C=C.
Examples of Straight-chain Example
1. Determine the structural formula of
Step 3: Draw additional single bonds in every

Alkenes carbon atoms.

pentene, an alkene with a molecular
| || ||
formula of C5H10. General Formula: CnH2n C=C-C-C-C

|
| |||
Step 1: Draw all the carbons in a straight line.
C C C C C Step 4: Lastly, write the hydrogen atoms.
Step 2: Draw on double bonds to connect the

first two carbon atoms and a single bond to

connect the remaining carbon atoms.

C=C-C-C-C

B. Aromatic hydrocarbons
- are a class of hydrocarbons whose molecules contain a ring

Note that in butene, there are two molecules: one with the
double bond in the first carbon, and the other with the of six carbon atoms (benzyl ring) attached.
double bond in the second carbon. The numbers in the
names refer to the lowest numbered carbon atoms in the Its simplest member is benzene,

The benzene structure

chain that is part of the CC double bond.
C6H6, with the following

resonance structures:
is often written as:
3. ALKYNES
≡
Alkynes contain at least one C C bond. They have

the general formula CnH2n-2 where n = 2, 3,…In

naming alkynes, the –yne suffix (ending) is used. The

name of the parent compound is determined by the

number of carbon atoms in the longest chain. Like the

Organic compounds may also be classified according to the functional groups

alkenes, the names of alkynes indicate the position of

they contain. A functional group is a group of atoms that is largely responsible for

the carbon-carbon triple bond. Examples are ethyne,

the chemical behavior of the parent molecule. Compounds containing the same

propyne, and butyne. Take note in alkynes it contain

functional groups undergo similar reactions.
≡
C C in its structure.
Organic molecules vary greatly in size and when focusing on functional groups,

we want to direct our attention to the atoms involved in the functional group.

As a result, the abbreviation R is used in some examples. The letter R is used in

molecular structures to represent the “Rest of the molecule”. It consists of a group

of carbon and hydrogen atoms of any size. It is used as an abbreviation since a

group of carbon and hydrogen atoms does not affect the functionality of the

compound. In some molecules, you will see R, R’, or R’’ which indicates that the R

groups in the molecule can be different from one another. For example, R might

be –CH2CH3while R’ is –CH2CH2CH2CH3.
 Methanol is the simplest alcohol. It is highly toxic
Common Functional Groups and causes blindness. Ethyl alcohol is a common
solvent and starting material for various
commercial uses. It is produced commercially by
the addition reaction of ethylene with water at high
pressure and temperature. It is also produced from
the fermentation of sugar. An isomer, isopropyl
alcohol, is commonly called rubbing alcohol.
Ethylene glycol is used as an antifreeze. The
functional group of alcohol is hydroxyl group (-
OH).

The functional group in aldehydes and ketones is the

carbonyl group. A common aldehyde is
formaldehyde. An aqueous solution of formaldehyde
is used in the laboratory to preserve animal
Chain Isomers Functional
specimens.Group
A commonIsomers
ketone is acetone, which is
mainly used as solvent for organic compounds and

as nail polish remover. Alcohols can be oxidized to

produce aldehydes and ketones.

Esters are used in flavoring and perfumery owing to their characteristic smells. The smell of many fruits come
from esters such as those given in the motivation section. This is an ester group.

Another organic compound derived from the carboxylic acids is amide. In which –COOH is the

functional group in carboxylic acids and in amide -OH part of that group is replaced by an -NH2 group called
amide group.

Positional
In addition, Isomers
the very small amines like methylamine and ethylamine smell very similar to

ammonia - although if you compared them side by side, the amine smells are slightly more complex.

As the amines get bigger, they tend to smell more "fishy", or they smell of decay. Amines belong to

the functional group of amino.

Week 5 Performance Task

Read the instructions on page 64 of the Learning

Activity Sheet for Chemistry 1.

 Week 5: Structural Isomerism

What are Structural Isomers?

Structural isomers are molecules with the same

molecular formula, but their atoms have different

arrangements or bonds.

Butane and isobutane have the same number of

carbon (C) atoms and hydrogen (H) atoms, so

shows how the atoms are arranged. So we can say

that butane and isobutane are structural isomers.

Different types of Structural Isomers

Chain Isomers Functional Group Isomers
Chain isomers are made up of two or more carbon or
Functional group isomers have the same molecular formula,
other compounds with the same molecular formula but
but different functional groups on the chain. For instance,
different atomic arrangements, or branches. ethyl alcohol and dimethyl ether have the same molecular
formula, but different functional groups, which are circled in
For example, pentane, which has a molecular formula of
blue.

C5 H12, has three different chain isomers.

Ethyl Dimethyl

Positional Isomers Geometric Isomers of Alkenes

Positional isomers are constitutional isomers that have the same carbon skeleton and the
The placement of substituents is crucial to the properties of the
same functional groups but differ from each other in the location of the functional groups

on or in the carbon. molecules and alkenes exhibit geometric isomers. In the cis isomer,
Example : 1-Butene (3) and 2-butene (4) are constitutional isomers two particular atoms or group of atoms are adjacent to each other
(same side of the double bond). In the trans isomer, the two groups
are across from each other. The cis and trans isomers exhibit
distinctly different chemical and physical properties.

They have the same functional group, an alkene group. The difference between 1 and
2 is in the location of the alkene group in the carbon chain. In 3, the alkene group is
terminal; in 4, it is internal. Thus, 3 and 4 are positional isomers.