The Study of Organic Chemistry
In common parlance ‘organic’
means a food produced without the use of man-made fertilizers,
pesticides, and herbicides.
In chemistry, ‘organic’ means a
carbon containing compound whose behavior and characteristics
are a direct result of the versatility of the carbon atom.
4-hydroxy-2,5-dimethyl-3(2H)-furanone
(HDMF) is an example of an organic compound. Sodium chloride is
an example of an inorganic compound. But so are carbon monoxide,
carbon dioxide, and sodium carbonate.
Of the known chemical compounds,
the ratio of organic to inorganic is over a hundred to one.*
*This estimate
is based on figures given in Chemistry, 9th
Edition, by Raymond Chang (2007).
We wouldn’t be
here without carbon.
Why is the
organic chemistry discipline important?
Our modern lifestyle would not
be possible without the advances made possible by the study of
organic chemistry.
“. . . organic compounds
are all around us. They are central to the economic
growth of the U.S., in industries such as the rubber,
plastics, fuel, pharmaceutical, cosmetics, detergent,
coatings, dyestuffs, and agrichemical industries. The
very foundations of biochemistry, biotechnology, and
medicine are built on organic compounds and their role
in life processes. Most all of the modern, high tech
materials are composed, at least in part, of organic
compounds. Clearly, organic chemistry is critically
important to our high standard of living.”*
*ACS, “Careers in Chemistry: Organic Chemistry” accessed from
http://portal.acs.org/portal/acs/corg/content?_nfpb=true&_pageLabel=PP_ARTICLEMAIN&node_id=1188&content_id=CTP_003397&use_sec=true&sec_url_var=region1&__uuid=00275de7-6d23-4b12-b2cf-3611a7720772
Why is the
organic chemistry discipline important?
In these times of economic
uncertainty, the organic chemistry discipline may become even
more important to us as individuals.
The American Chemical Society
holds a weekly teleconference, ACS Careers Industry Forum. The
February 12 session will be “Anticipating the Future: 2015 and
Beyond” presented by Dr. William F. Carroll, Jr. See
http://acscareers.wordpress.com/industry-forum/
for details including his PowerPoint presentation.
Topics from CHEM 1411/1412 that
are important for our understanding of organic chemistry
include:
·
Periodic law and its foundation, quantum theory;
·
Bond theory, especially molecular geometry;
·
Concepts of polarity and solubility;
·
Fundamentals of chemical reaction types such as oxidation
and acid/base theories;
·
The characteristics of chemical reactions:
thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, and chemical equilibrium.
Preview of
Coming Attractions:
Carbon and its partner
in crime hydrogen are non-metals; their outer shells are
half-filled; and they have
modest electronegativities.
The net result is that
carbon-carbon bond is strong, long enough to form rings, and the
single, double, and triple bond varieties are all stable. The
carbon-hydrogen bond is strong, non-polar, and amphoteric.
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