What is Organic Chemistry?
Organic chemistry is the chemistry of carbon and its compounds.
The Importance of Organic Chemistry
Living beings are made up of organic molecules, proteins, nucleic acids, sugars, and fats. All of them are compounds whose main base is carbon. Organic products are present in all aspects of our life: the clothes we wear, soaps, shampoos, deodorants, medicines, perfumes, kitchen utensils, food, etc.
Sustainable Development and Organic Chemistry
Organic products have improved our quality and life expectancy. We can mention a family of compounds that have almost saved all our lives, antibiotics. In certain cases, their discharges have seriously contaminated the environment, causing injuries, diseases, and even death to human beings. Drugs like Thalidomide, spills like that in Bhopal, India highlight the most negative part of the chemical industry.
How are Molecules Constructed?
The most important part of organic chemistry is the synthesis of molecules. Compounds containing carbon were originally called organic because it was believed they existed only in living beings. However, it was soon seen that organic compounds could be prepared in the laboratory from substances containing carbon from inorganic compounds. In 1828, Friedrech Wöhler managed to convert lead cyanate into urea by treatment with aqueous ammonia. Thus, an inorganic salt became a product belonging to living beings (organic). To this day, more than ten million organic compounds have been synthesized.
Functional Groups in Organic Chemistry
This website starts with the study of alkanes, the simplest compounds in organic chemistry, formed only by carbon and hydrogen. Their nomenclature, physical properties, and reactivity are described. Then, cycloalkanes, especially cyclohexane, are studied. In the topic of stereochemistry, the different spatial forms that compounds can adopt and the relationships between them are considered. We continue the study of organic chemistry with two basic reactions: substitution and elimination, which are the basis for obtaining many organic compounds. From this point, the main types of organic compounds are described, classified according to their reactivity: alkenes, alkynes, alcohols, ethers, aldehydes, ketones, benzene, carboxylic acids, acyl halides, anhydrides, esters, nitriles, amides, amines........
Biographies in Organic Chemistry
In this section, you will find biographies of scientists who contributed most to the development of organic chemistry, Victor Grignard, George Wittig, Diels - Alder, Friedel - Crafts.
Molecular Models
Developing spatial vision is very important in organic chemistry to be able to imagine the spatial shape of a molecule drawn in the plane. Molecular models, like the one included on this cover, allow visualizing the molecule in space, rotating it, clicking on an atom, and identifying it in the browser's status bar. Right-clicking on the molecule displays a menu with multiple options.
Important Organic Compounds
There are many organic compounds with great influence on our lives: cholesterol, nicotine, caffeine, etc. At this point, the properties and applications of these organic molecules are described, as well as their molecular models.