BIOCHEM EXAM
What does organic mean? - ANSWER: science of carbon based molecules and their
transformations
Why study organic chemistry? - ANSWER: has many applications (healthcare,
engineering, fabrics), used in modern fields and technology (biotechnology,
bioengineering), critical thinking
What are other branches of chemistry than organic chemisty? - ANSWER: biochemistry,
physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry
What is an isomer? - ANSWER: compounds with the same molecular formula but
different structure
T/F organic molecules are only natural molecules - ANSWER: F
T/F all carbon containing compounds are organic - ANSWER: F
What are some examples of substances that contain carbon that are inorganic? -
ANSWER: diamond, graphite, buckyballs, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, etc
What are the three pure forms (allotropes) of elemental carbon? - ANSWER: diamond,
graphite, and buckyballs
What are organometallics? - ANSWER: organic carbon attached to a metal
In general, what are the four properties of organic compounds? - ANSWER: 1.
molecular
2. covalent
3. form chains and/or rings of carbon
4. amorphous
What are the four types of molecules that make up all living things? - ANSWER: 1.
carbohydrates
2. proteins
3. lipids
4. nucleic acids
Why does carbon bond so easily? - ANSWER: It bonds covalently, which minimizes the
energy needed to link atoms together with carbon. It can bond with itself
, What are some ways to represent chemical identity? - ANSWER: symbols, dots for
electrons, dashes for pairs of electrons, molecular formulas, dash representation, bond
line representation
What are some problems with using symbols in chemistry? - ANSWER: They are never
complete; some information is always missing
What are the two ways of representing reality in chemistry? - ANSWER: 1. linguistic
(word language)
2. iconic (symbolic language)
What is the rule of four in chemistry? - ANSWER: In group 4A, there are always 4 bonds
around an atom
List the first 10 items of the homologous series of alkanes - ANSWER: 1. methane
2. ethane
3. propane
4. butane
5. pentane
6. hexane
7. heptane
8. octane
9. nonane
10. decane
What is the largest subdiscipline of chemistry? - ANSWER: organic chemistry
T/F most chemical compounds are organic - ANSWER: T
What is a functional group? - ANSWER: persistent set of atoms uniquely connected or
arranged having characteristic physical, chemical, and spectroscopic properties;
combinations of carbon and other elements
T/F carbon single bonds are not generally considered to be functional groups -
ANSWER: T
What is generally the reactive site of organic molecules? - ANSWER: functional groups
What are the 5 uses of functional groups? - ANSWER: 1. identifying
2. categorizing
3. organizing
4. naming
5. predicting structural, physical, spectroscopic, and chemical properties of organic
molecules
What does organic mean? - ANSWER: science of carbon based molecules and their
transformations
Why study organic chemistry? - ANSWER: has many applications (healthcare,
engineering, fabrics), used in modern fields and technology (biotechnology,
bioengineering), critical thinking
What are other branches of chemistry than organic chemisty? - ANSWER: biochemistry,
physical chemistry, inorganic chemistry
What is an isomer? - ANSWER: compounds with the same molecular formula but
different structure
T/F organic molecules are only natural molecules - ANSWER: F
T/F all carbon containing compounds are organic - ANSWER: F
What are some examples of substances that contain carbon that are inorganic? -
ANSWER: diamond, graphite, buckyballs, carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, etc
What are the three pure forms (allotropes) of elemental carbon? - ANSWER: diamond,
graphite, and buckyballs
What are organometallics? - ANSWER: organic carbon attached to a metal
In general, what are the four properties of organic compounds? - ANSWER: 1.
molecular
2. covalent
3. form chains and/or rings of carbon
4. amorphous
What are the four types of molecules that make up all living things? - ANSWER: 1.
carbohydrates
2. proteins
3. lipids
4. nucleic acids
Why does carbon bond so easily? - ANSWER: It bonds covalently, which minimizes the
energy needed to link atoms together with carbon. It can bond with itself
, What are some ways to represent chemical identity? - ANSWER: symbols, dots for
electrons, dashes for pairs of electrons, molecular formulas, dash representation, bond
line representation
What are some problems with using symbols in chemistry? - ANSWER: They are never
complete; some information is always missing
What are the two ways of representing reality in chemistry? - ANSWER: 1. linguistic
(word language)
2. iconic (symbolic language)
What is the rule of four in chemistry? - ANSWER: In group 4A, there are always 4 bonds
around an atom
List the first 10 items of the homologous series of alkanes - ANSWER: 1. methane
2. ethane
3. propane
4. butane
5. pentane
6. hexane
7. heptane
8. octane
9. nonane
10. decane
What is the largest subdiscipline of chemistry? - ANSWER: organic chemistry
T/F most chemical compounds are organic - ANSWER: T
What is a functional group? - ANSWER: persistent set of atoms uniquely connected or
arranged having characteristic physical, chemical, and spectroscopic properties;
combinations of carbon and other elements
T/F carbon single bonds are not generally considered to be functional groups -
ANSWER: T
What is generally the reactive site of organic molecules? - ANSWER: functional groups
What are the 5 uses of functional groups? - ANSWER: 1. identifying
2. categorizing
3. organizing
4. naming
5. predicting structural, physical, spectroscopic, and chemical properties of organic
molecules
