1. Carbon Chemistry

2. What’s so special about Carbon?
Fourth most abundant element in the universe.
Essential to life on earth.
Many different forms… carbon dioxide (CO2), limestone (CaCO3), wood, plastic, diamonds, and graphite.

3. Carbon – The Element of Life
Unique atomic structure… form covalent bonds with up to four other atoms.
Elements with either less or more than 4 valence electrons can only form a maximum of 3 covalent bonds, this is why 4 is a magic number and why carbon is special.
Lightest element (and therefore the smallest) with four valence electrons

4. Carbon Structures
Chains
Rings
Branches

5. Carbon Bonds
Single
Double
Tripple

6. Inorganic Compounds
Inorganic compounds are those compounds that were never part of a living organism
Examples: Carbon dioxide and Carbon monoxide
The line between inorganic and organic carbon compounds is becoming less and less important to scientists as many non-living compounds are derived from once living organisms.

7. Organic Compounds
Organic compounds are those compounds found in any organism that is living or was once living.
Chemically… Organic compound – any compound that contains the elements carbon and hydrogen.
They include carbohydrates such as glucose, fructose, and sucrose
And hydrocarbons such as methane and hexane

8. Carbohydrates Monosaccharides- One unit (Simple Sugar)
Disaccharides- Two units (Simple Sugar)
Glucose- stored in our body
Fructose- sugar in fruit
Sucrose- one glucose +
one fructose = table sugar

9. Carbohydrates Polysaccharides- Many units (Complex Carbs)
Starch- a long chain of glucose- found in plants
Similarly, Glycogen is glucose stored in animals and humans. Cellulose is glucose chains linked together and forms strong plant fibers.

10. Hydrocarbons Pure hydrocarbons- only Carbon + Hydrogen
Isomers of Octane- often added to gasoline to stop the “knock” in the engine

11. Properties of Hydrocarbons
Hydrocarbons are the simplest organic compounds, made up of only two elements
-- they have low melting and boiling points
-- hydrocarbons are flammable and tend to burn in combustion reactions
-- hydrocarbons mix poorly with water (they are nonpolar)
-- hydrocarbons are used for many of our fuels such as heating oil, diesel fuel, gasoline, coal and
methane.

12. Prefix
# Carbons
Name
Formula
Structure
Meth 1
Methane
CH4
Eth 2
Ethane
C2H6
Prop 3
Propane
C3H8
But 4
Butane
C4H10
Pent 5
Pentane
C5H12
Hex 6
Hexane
C6H14
Hept 7
Heptane
C7H16
Oct 8
Octane
C8H18
Non 9
Nonane
C9H20

13. Now let’s build!