Topic 1 - Organic compounds

WHAT IS ORGANIC CHEMISTRY

• organic= the study of the chemistry of the element carbon. 
• All the polymers that we use are organic chemicals.
• All living things are complex mixtures of organic chemicals.

• Carbon needs to bond to something that gives it four extra electrons, such as hydrogen, because it cannot lose that large amount of electrons.

• Because no ions are involved, covalent compounds cannot conduct electricity.

SOURCES OF ORGANIC CHEMICALS

• Oil and coal are the chief sources of organic chemicals.

• Right at the top is the fraction that contains products that are gases at normal temperatures. It contains alkanes with 1 to 4 carbon atoms, which includes major fuels such as methane, propane and butane.
• The next fraction contains compounds with 5 to 10 carbon atoms per molecule, and these are liquids which boil between 40 and 180°C. The major use for this fraction is as a fuel for internal combustion engines. Naphtha, a major source of chemicals, is also obtained from this fraction.
• The kerosene fraction contains compounds C11 to C12, and the boiling range is…