http://www.ck12.org Chapter 25. Organic Chemistry
25.1 Hydrocarbons – The Backbone of Organic
Chemistry
Lesson Objectives
- Describe the bonding characteristics of carbon.
- Differentiate between saturated and unsaturated hydrocarbons.
- Draw and name structures for simple hydrocarbons.
Lesson Vocabulary
- organic chemistry: A field of chemistry which studies the structure and reactivity and nearly all carbon-
containing compounds. - hydrocarbon: Molecules that contain only carbon and hydrogen atoms.
- alkane: Hydrocarbons in which all carbons are connected by single bonds.
- alkene: A compound in which a C=C double bond is present.
- alkyne: A compound in which a C≡C triple bond is present.
- saturated: Hydrocarbons which contain no multiple bonds.
- unsaturated: Hydrocarbons which contain at least one double or triple bond.
Check Your Understanding
Recalling Prior Knowledge
- How many covalent bonds does each carbon atom in a molecule usually make?
- How can the hybridization of a given carbon atom be determined?
Introduction
Before the 19th century, scientists had believed that the chemical processes occurring in living systems were funda-
mentally different from those that could be observed in a test tube. They classified chemistry into two categories:
organic and inorganic. Organic processes were thought to take place only in living systems, while inorganic
processes occurred in material that was not living. A "vital force" was believed to be necessary for organic reactions
to occur. This way of thinking was challenged in 1828 by the German chemist Friedrich Wöhler when he synthesized
an organic compound (urea, found in urine) from an inorganic precursor (ammonium cyanate):
Since then, the distinction between organic and inorganic compounds and reactions has blurred. Currently, the field
oforganic chemistrystudies the structure and reactivity of nearly all carbon-containing compounds. Over twenty
million organic compounds are known, ranging from very simple molecules to complex proteins.