Review the key concepts, formulae, and examples before starting your quiz.
🔑Concepts
Homologous Series: A family of organic compounds with the same functional group, the same general formula, and similar chemical properties. Members differ by a unit.
IUPAC Nomenclature: A systematic method of naming organic compounds. The prefix indicates the number of carbon atoms: (Meth-), (Eth-), (Prop-), (But-), (Pent-), (Hex-).
Functional Groups: Specific groups of atoms responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of a molecule, such as the hydroxyl group () in alcohols or the carboxyl group () in carboxylic acids.
Saturated vs. Unsaturated: Saturated hydrocarbons (alkanes) contain only single bonds. Unsaturated hydrocarbons (alkenes) contain at least one double bond.
Structural Formulae: Can be represented as 'displayed' (showing all atoms and bonds), 'condensed' (e.g., ), or 'skeletal' (lines representing carbon-carbon bonds).
Isomerism: Compounds with the same molecular formula but different structural arrangements, such as But-1-ene and But-2-ene.
📐Formulae
💡Examples
Problem 1:
Provide the IUPAC name for the molecule with the condensed structural formula .
Solution:
Butan-1-ol
Explanation:
The molecule has a chain of 4 carbons (prefix 'But-'). It is saturated (suffix '-an-') and contains a hydroxyl functional group () on the first carbon (suffix '-1-ol').
Problem 2:
Identify the name of the alkene with the molecular formula .
Solution:
Propene
Explanation:
The molecule follows the general formula where . Three carbons correspond to the prefix 'Prop-'. Since it is an alkene, the name is Propene.
Problem 3:
What is the name of the ester formed from the reaction between ethanol () and propanoic acid ()?
Solution:
Ethyl propanoate ()
Explanation:
In naming esters, the 'alkyl' part comes from the alcohol (ethanol ethyl) and the 'alkanoate' part comes from the carboxylic acid (propanoic acid propanoate).