1. The Chemistry of Carbon
Do Now: 10/7
OBJECTIVES: 1. Describe the number and types of bonds carbon atoms make.
Explain what crucial role carbon plays in living systems.
Define organic compound, functional group, monomer, and polymer
Distinguish alkanes, alkenes, and alkynes.
TASK:
1. What do buffers do? How?

2. Carbon What is it? Where do we find it? Why is it so important?
How is it unique?
Carbon

3. Carbon: Element of Life
Plants and other autotrophs build their own carbon-based food out of CO2 in the air.
Animals and other heterotrophs break down carbon-based food for energy

4. Carbon is Important!
Natural Gas, Gasoline, Crude Oil, and other fuels are all carbon compounds
All plastics, and many advanced materials (i.e. nanostructures)
The molecules organisms are made of, like sugars, fats, proteins, and even DNA.
Too many to list!!!

5. Carbon – A closer Look Atomic Number: 6 Atomic Mass: 12.01
Most common (~99%) isotope: 12C
13C is non-radioactive
14C is radioactive and used for carbon dating.
Electron configuration: 2-4
Carbon is one of the few elements known since antiquity. It’s name comes from the Latin carbo meaning coal.

6. Carbon forms many types of bonds
Organic Compound: a compound that contains 2 or more carbon atoms.
Carbon has 4 valence electrons, so it usually makes 4 covalent bonds.
Most atoms make less (O-2, H-1, N-3)

7. Carbon can form different structures…
Chains
Rings
Branched Chains
A hydrocarbon is an organic chemical that contains only carbon and hydrogen.

8. …and form single, double, & even triple bonds.

9. Alkanes, Alkenes, and Alkynes
There are three major types of carbon compounds:
Alkanes contain only C-C single bonds.
Alkenes contain one or more C=C double bonds.
Alkynes contain one or more CΞC triple bonds

10. Functional Groups give carbon molecules even more diversity.
A functional group is a group of atoms that give the molecule they are a part of certain chemical characteristics.

11. Carbon Polymers – Essential to Life!
MONOMER
POLYMER

12. In Summary… Organic compounds contain more than 1 carbon atom
Carbon is REQUIRED by ALL living things – other than water, it is in almost every other chemical your body is made of.
Because carbon can make 4 covalent bonds, and bond with many other elements, carbon can make many different types of chemicals.
Many organic compounds are polymers: long chains of repeating subunits