Organic Chemistry : Identifying Other Organic Compounds

Study concepts, example questions & explanations for Organic Chemistry

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Example Questions

Example Question #51 : Organic Functional Groups And Molecules

Which of the following is an appropriate solvent for synthesizing Grignard reagents?

Possible Answers:

Correct answer:

Explanation:

Grignard reagents are very strong bases, and therefore can be spoiled by protons. Grignard reagents are so basic in fact that any protic solvent will render them useless. Dimethyl ether is the only non-protic solvent, and is therefore the correct answer. 

Example Question #52 : Organic Functional Groups And Molecules

What is the functional group present in the following molecule known as?

Ether

Possible Answers:

Aldehyde

Ether

Carboxylic acid

Ester

Ketone

Correct answer:

Ether

Explanation:

Ether

The molecule pictured above is known as an ether because it contains an oxygen atom within the sequence of a carbon chain. (An oxygen atom bonded to two carbons in a carbon chain).

Therefore the correct answer is ether. All other answer choices are carbonyls, meaning that they contain a carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen atom. 

Example Question #13 : Identifying Other Organic Compounds

I.Screen shot 2015 12 17 at 9.41.22 pm

 

II. Screen shot 2015 12 17 at 9.11.02 pm

III. Screen shot 2015 12 17 at 9.41.18 pm

 

IV. Screen shot 2015 12 17 at 9.41.13 pm

Which option gives the order of decreasing acidity of the molecules provided?

Possible Answers:

I>III>II>IV

III>IV>II>I

IV>III>I>II

IV>II>III>I

Correct answer:

IV>III>I>II

Explanation:

IV>III>I>II

The most acidic compound is option IV because it contains a carboxylic acid group which is the most acidic organic functional group. Phenols are weak acids. Alcohols in solution are slightly less acidic than water and therefore are slightly basic. 

Example Question #53 : Organic Functional Groups And Molecules

What is the IUPAC name for the compound shown?

Img 1327

Possible Answers:

1-Cyclopentane

Cyclopentane

Cyclopentene

1-Cyclopentene

Correct answer:

Cyclopentene

Explanation:

The molecule's longest carbon chain has 5 carbons (thus, "pent"), and the one double bond makes it an alkENE (thus "pentene"). The longest chain is a ring structure (thus "cyclopentene"). Because the IUPAC rules automatically assign the location of the first double bond to carbons 1 and 2, there is no need for a number locand.

Example Question #54 : Organic Functional Groups And Molecules

What is the IUPAC name for the compound shown?

Img 1328

Possible Answers:

1,2-Butadiene

Butadiene

1,3-Butene

1,3-Butadiene

Correct answer:

1,3-Butadiene

Explanation:

The molecule's longest carbon chain has 4 carbons (thus, "but"), and the presence of two double bonds makes it an alkENE, more specifically, a diene (thus "butadiene"). Because there is more than one way in which the double bonds can be arranged (between C1-C2 and C2-C3, or between C1-C2 and C3-C4), it's important to place locants indicating the lower-numbered carbon in each double bond.

Example Question #55 : Organic Functional Groups And Molecules

What is the IUPAC name of the molecule shown?

Img 1324

Possible Answers:

Methylcyclohexane

Methylcycloheptane

1-Methylcyclohexane

1-Methylcycloheptane

Correct answer:

Methylcyclohexane

Explanation:

The molecule's longest carbon chain has 6 carbons (thus, "hex-"), and the lack of double bonds makes it an alkane (thus "hexane"). The longest chain is a ring structure (thus "cyclohexane"), and the one branching group is a carbon chain consisting of one carbon and no double bonds (a "methyl" group). Because there are no other functional groups on the molecule there is no need to put a number before the location of the methyl group (thus "methylcyclohexane").

Example Question #61 : Organic Functional Groups

What is the IUPAC name for the molecule shown?

Img 1325

Possible Answers:

3-Bromopropane

2-Bromopropane

2-Bromopentane

3-Bromopentane

Correct answer:

3-Bromopentane

Explanation:

The molecule's longest carbon chain has 5 carbons (thus, "pent"), and the lack of double bonds makes it an alkane (thus "pentane"). The one functional group is a bromine atom attached to carbon number 3 (whether read from left to right or right to left, the bromine is always on carbon number 3). Thus, the molecule is named "3-bromopentane."

Example Question #61 : Organic Functional Groups And Molecules

What is the IUPAC name for the molecule shown below?

Img 1331

Possible Answers:

E-3-methyl-3-pentene

E-3-methyl-2-pentene

Z-3-methyl-2-pentene

Z-3-methyl-3-pentene

Correct answer:

Z-3-methyl-2-pentene

Explanation:

The molecule's longest carbon chain has 5 carbons (thus, "pent-"), and the carbon-carbon double bond makes it an alkENE (thus "pentene"). The location of the double bond must be specified, and numbering the carbon chain to give the double bond the lowest numbers possible mean that it is numbered from right to left, putting the double bond between carbon 2 and carbon 3. This will put the methyl group on carbon 3. 

Regarding stereochemistry, on carbon 2, the higher priority substituent is the methyl group. On carbon 3, the ethyl group is the higher priority. The higher priority substituents are on the same side of the double bond, and therefore the stereochemistry designation is "Z."

Example Question #61 : Organic Functional Groups

What is the IUPAC name for the molecule shown?

Img 1332

Possible Answers:

2-Methyl-1-hydroxycyclohexane

2-Methylcyclohexanol

2-Hydroxy-1-methylcyclohexane

1-Methyl-2-cyclohexanol

Correct answer:

2-Methylcyclohexanol

Explanation:

The molecule's longest carbon chain has 6 carbons (thus, "hex-"), and the lack of carbon-carbon double bonds makes it an alkANE (thus "hexan-"). The presence of a hydroxyl group makes this molecule an alcohol (thus "hexanol"). The longest carbon chain is a ring structure (thus "cyclohexanol"), and the location of the alcohol group is assumed to be carbon 1 because it's the highest priority functional group on the molecule. The only other substituent is a methyl group, and numbering the carbon chain starting from the one containing the alcohol group and moving toward the methyl group puts the methyl group on carbon 2. Thus "2-methylcyclohexanol."

Example Question #61 : Organic Functional Groups And Molecules

What is the IUPAC name for the compound shown?

Img 1335

Possible Answers:

Heptatriene

1,3,5-Hexene

1,3,5-Hexatriene

Hexatriene

Correct answer:

1,3,5-Hexatriene

Explanation:

The molecule's longest carbon chain has 6 carbons (thus, "hex-"), and the presence of three double bonds makes it an alkENE, more specifically, a triene (thus "hexatriene"). Because there is more than one way in which the double bonds can be arranged it's important to place locants indicating the lower-numbered carbon in each double bond (1, 3, and 5 in this case).

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