What Are the Properties of Organic Molecules?
Organic chemistry deals with carbon compounds. Although some inorganic molecules contain carbon, organic molecules are characterized by carbon atoms bonded to other carbon atoms. There are so many ways that chains of carbon atoms can bond with other elements, that we have not begun to study them all.
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Why "Organic"?
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When complex carbon compounds were first studied, it was thought (erroneously) that they were produced only by living systems. Thus they were called "organic."
Carbon Bonds
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Carbon is stable when bonded to other atoms through four electron pairs. A single bond is one pair of electrons, a double bond includes two pairs and a triple bond three pairs. In general, the boiling points of organic compounds increase as the number of carbon atoms increases.
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Alkanes
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Alkanes contain only carbon-carbon single bonds and carbon-hydrogen single bonds. Alkanes are nonpolar, not very reactive (although they are flammable), insoluble in water and less dense than water.
Alkenes
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Alkenes contain at least one carbon-carbon double bond and carbon-hydrogen single bonds. Alkenes are nonpolar, flammable, insoluble in water and less dense than water. They are more reactive than alkanes because of the presence of the double bond.
Alkynes
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Alkynes posses at least one carbon-carbon triple bond. They are weakly polar to nonpolar, highly flammable, insoluble in water and less dense than water. The reactivity of most alkynes is similar to that of analogous alkenes.
Aromatics
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Aromatic compounds (arenes) consist of one or more six-carbon rings. There are only enough electrons available to form the equivalent of three single and three double bonds, but the electrons are delocalized and tend to be equally shared by all the carbon atoms. Arenes burn with a sooty flame, are nonpolar, insoluble in water and resistant to addition reactions, although they are labile to substitution reactions.
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