CHEM 341 Chapter Notes - Chapter 0: Aids, Vanilloids, Capsaicin
Document Summary
Organic chemistry is the chemistry of compounds that contain the element carbon: organic compounds: compounds in living things. Organic chemicals affect virtually every facet of our lives, and for this reason, it is important and useful to know something about them. Naturally occurring: compounds that can be isolated directly from natural source. Synthetic: they are produced by chemists in the laboratory. Some representative organic molecules (three simple organic compounds): methane: the simplest of all organic compounds, contain one carbon atom, and is a hydrocarbon (contains only carbon and hydrogen) Product of the anaerobic decomposition of organic matter by bacteria: ethanol: the alcohol present in beer, wine, and other alcoholic beverages, is formed by fermentation of sugar. Possibly the oldest example of organic synthesis. The ethanol produced in the lab is identical to the ethanol produced by fermentation: trichlorofluoromethane: a member of a class of molecules called chlorofluorocarbons (cfcs), which contain one or two carbon atoms and several halogens.
