General Principles

Aims

The aims of the first chapter of this book arc to provide the foun- dations for functional group chemistry. By the end of this chapter you should be able to understand:

  • The relationship between bonding and structure of organic compounds
  • The oxidative and substitutive relationship between functional groups
  • The relationship between electronegativity differences and the reactivity of functional groups
  • The reactivity of nucleophilic, electrophilic and radical reagents
  • The role of acids and bases in the catalysis of organic reactions
  • The influence of electronic and steric factors on reactivity
  • The kinetic and thermodynamic control of reaction products

1.1 The Structure of Functional Groups

A funtional group is a chemically reactive group of atoms within a molecule. Each functional group has its characteristic reactivity, which may be modified by its position within the molecule or by the presence of other neighbouring functional groups.

When these ideas are extended to butane, there are three about the central C-C bond which need to be considered. Not only are there the extremes of the staggered (1.16) and eclipsed conformations (1.17), in which the methyl group interactions are at a minimum and a maximum respectively, but there is also a gauche conformation (1.18) which is intermediate between these.

When the carbon chain is constrained in a cyclohexane ring, there are two extreme conformations known as the boat(1.19) and chair (1.20) forms. The former is destabilized by eclipsed interactions whilst in the latter the interactions are gauche. This conformation is more stable.

Drag the Correct answers to boxes

  • Electrophile (bromonium ion)
    • nucleophile (cyanide ion)
      • nucleophile (cyanide ion)
        • nucleo-phile (acetylide ion)
          • nucleophile (bromide ion)
            • electrophile (nitronium ion)
              • nucleophile (amide ion)
                • electrophile (acylium ion)
                  • Electrophile (bromonium ion)
                  • nucleophile (bromide ion)
                  • nucleophile (cyanide ion)
                  • electrophile (nitronium ion)
                  • nucleophile (nitrite ion)
                  • nucleophile (amide ion)
                  • nucleo-phile (acetylide ion)
                  • electrophile (acylium ion)

                  PROBLEMS

                  1.3 Name of the following compounds:

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                  In organic chemistry, functional groups are specific groups of atoms or bonds within molecules that are responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of those molecules.