Organic Chemistry

Master the elements of organic chemistry by learning this vocabulary list. Review chemical bonds, acids and bases, molecular structure, functional groups, and more.
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Full list of words from this list:

words only definitions & notes
  1. addition reaction
    a chemical reaction in which one molecule is added to another
  2. alcohol
    a volatile compound made by distillation
  3. aldehyde
    any of a class of highly reactive chemical compounds
  4. alkane
    a series of non-aromatic saturated hydrocarbons with the general formula CnH(2n+2)
  5. alkene
    any unsaturated aliphatic hydrocarbon
  6. alkyne
    a colorless flammable gas used chiefly in welding and in organic synthesis
  7. amide
    any organic compound containing the group -CONH2
  8. amine
    a compound derived from ammonia by replacing hydrogen atoms by univalent hydrocarbon radicals
  9. amino acid
    organic compounds containing an amino group and acid group
  10. aromatic hydrocarbon
    a hydrocarbon that contains one or more benzene rings that are characteristic of the benzene series of organic compounds
  11. asymmetrical
    characterized by an imbalance in spatial arrangement
  12. benzene
    a colorless liquid hydrocarbon
  13. butane
    a flammable alkane that occurs in natural gas
  14. combustion
    a reaction of a substance with oxygen to give heat and light
  15. covalent bond
    a chemical bond that involves sharing a pair of electrons between atoms in a molecule
  16. cracking
    the process whereby heavy molecules of naphtha or petroleum are broken down into hydrocarbons of lower molecular weight (especially in the oil-refining process)
  17. distillation
    purifying a liquid by boiling it and condensing its vapors
  18. double bond
    a covalent bond in which two pairs of electrons are shared between two atoms
  19. element
    a substance that cannot be separated into simpler substances
  20. ester
    formed by reaction between an acid and an alcohol with elimination of water
  21. ethane
    a colorless odorless alkane gas used as fuel
  22. ether
    compound with an oxygen atom linking two hydrocarbon groups
  23. fermentation
    breaking down an organic substance, as sugar into alcohol
  24. fractional distillation
    fractionation of a liquid by distillation
  25. group
    atoms bound together as a unit forming part of a molecule
  26. halide
    a salt of any halogen acid
  27. hydrocarbon
    an organic compound containing only carbon and hydrogen
  28. inorganic
    relating or belonging to the class of compounds not having a carbon basis
  29. inorganic compound
    any compound that does not contain carbon
  30. ion
    a particle that is electrically charged positive or negative
  31. ionic bond
    a chemical bond between oppositely charged ions
  32. isomer
    a compound that exists in forms having different arrangements of atoms but the same molecular weight
  33. ketone
    any of a class of organic compounds having a carbonyl group linked to a carbon atom in each of two hydrocarbon radicals
  34. methane
    a colorless, odorless gas used as a fuel
  35. molecular formula
    a chemical formula based on analysis and molecular weight
  36. molecule
    the simplest structural unit of an element or compound
  37. monomer
    a simple compound whose molecules can join together to form polymers
  38. nonpolar
    not ionic
  39. organic
    relating to chemical compounds having a carbon basis
  40. organic compound
    any compound of carbon and another element or a radical
  41. phenol
    any of a class of weakly acidic organic compounds
  42. polar
    having a pair of equal and opposite charges
  43. polymer
    a naturally occurring or synthetic compound
  44. polymerization
    a chemical process that combines several monomers to form a polymer or polymeric compound
  45. propane
    colorless gas found in natural gas and petroleum
  46. saponification
    a chemical reaction in which an ester is heated with an alkali (especially the alkaline hydrolysis of a fat or oil to make soap)
  47. saturated
    having all available valence bonds filled
  48. structural formula
    an expanded molecular formula showing the arrangement of atoms within the molecule
  49. symmetrical
    exhibiting equivalence or correspondence among constituents
  50. tetrahedron
    any polyhedron having four plane faces
  51. toluene
    a colorless flammable liquid obtained from petroleum or coal tar; used as a solvent for gums and lacquers and in high-octane fuels
  52. valence electron
    an electron in the outer shell of an atom which can combine with other atoms to form molecules
Created on Mon Jan 30 21:42:02 EST 2017 (updated Wed Apr 19 14:14:51 EDT 2017)

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