Organic Chemistry Trivia

1. How many distinct groups must a carbon have to be chiral?

From Quiz Organic Chem I Stereochemistry

Answer: Four

That one was, I hope, elementary. (See what I did there?) No carbon can have more than four bonds, and an uncharged carbon will never have fewer than two distinct groups (i.e. a triple bond and a single bond). For a carbon to be defined as chiral, it must have four distinct groups (e.g., a methyl, an ethyl, a fluorine and a hydroxyl).

From Quiz The Wonderful World of Isomers

Answer: isomerization

An isomerization is simply the process of an atom forming an isomer. Many isomerization reactions are considered to be rearrangement reactions.

From Quiz FUNctional Groups!

Answer: Alkene

A double bond consists of both a pi bond and a sigma bond, which makes it particularly strong. The pi electrons can act as a nucleophile, making alkenes more reactive than alkanes.

From Quiz Molecules of Life

Answer: Carbon

Carbon atoms have a number of unusual properties that give them the chemical flexibility to form the variety of molecules needed to create life. Their valency of four means that they can combine with a large range of other elements; their capacity for joining with other carbon atoms to form larger molecules allows a multiplicity of molecular forms. Life on earth is based on carbon compounds, although it has been speculated that other elements, particularly silicon, could form the basis of life under different conditions. The other elements that form the building blocks of living organisms are hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur and phosphorus (although a type of bacterium which uses arsenic instead of phosphorus was discovered in 2010, making all such assertions subject to challenge).

From Quiz Organic Functional Groups and Classifications

Answer: alkanes

Alkanes are saturated hydrocarbons and are the simplest hydrocarbon species. The carbons in alkanes have four single bonds. Methane, propane, butane and hexane are alkanes.

From Quiz Organic Chemistry 101

Answer: benzene

Benzene, also known as benzol, is the most common aromatic hydrocarbon. It can be extracted from crude oil or synthesized from acetylene. It is the base ingredient for hundreds of drugs and synthetic materials.

From Quiz The Chemistry of Benzene

Answer: Kekulé

The structure was later named after Herr Kekulé, a German organic chemist. Kekulé suggested that benzene consisted of alternating single and double carbon to carbon bonds. As such this suggested that the molecule was a triene (an alkene with three double bonds), but, this was where everything started to go wrong. If it was an alkene, benzene would undergo electrophilic addition, but, it doesn't. The dejected organic chemists would have to go back to the drawing board to try to break the benzene code!

From Quiz Infrared Spectroscopy

Answer: Molecular vibration

The infrared radiation in an infrared spectrometer will result in molecular vibration because it is a low-energy radiation (the radiation with the greatest energy is gamma rays while the lowest is radio waves). On the other hand, X-rays will result in molecular ionization. This is the fundamental principle that is used in mass spectrometer machines. Molecular vibration needs the least energy, followed by molecular rotation and movement (transition). Molecular ionization requires the most energy.

From Quiz Mass Spectrometry

Answer: J.J. Thomson

Joseph John Thomson was a British physicist. He also discovered the electron, which is one of the subatomic particles in an atom. He won the 1906 Nobel Prize in Physics for this discovery. He was the first person to measure the mass-to-charge ratio (m/z) of an electron.

From Quiz Hydrocarbons

Answer: C3H8

Propane is an alkane, or a hydrocarbon that is composed of only single bonds. The prefix prop- refers to three, and a propane molecule therefore has three atoms of carbon. Because the number of hydrogen atoms is equal to the sum of 2 and twice the number of carbon atoms, there are 8 hydrogen atoms in propane. 3(2) + 2 = 8

From Quiz Alkanes

Answer: Methane

Methane is the simplest alkane, consisting of a single carbon atom surrounded by 4 hydrogen atoms, giving it a chemical formula of CH4. It has a molecular mass of 16 and because of this low molecular mass, it exists as a gas at room temperature.

From Quiz Chemistry Lesson(1)

Answer: CnH2n+2

CnH2n is the general formula for alkenes. CnH2n+1OH is the general formula for alcohol.

From Quiz Organic Chemistry for Beginners

Answer: Catenation

Carbon atoms are tetravalent, which means it has 4 electrons in its outermost shell. Hence, the property of catenation is observed in carbon atoms, leading to a large number of possibilities for bond formation, as a result of which there are so many, many, different types of organic compounds. Other tetravalent elements are silicon and germanium. The word 'catenation' is derived from the Latin word 'catenare', which means 'to connect in a series' or 'to link'.

From Quiz The Very Edible Organic Chemistry Quiz

Answer: caffeine

Caffeine belongs to a class of organic compounds called alkaloids (as does nicotine). Caffeine is a powerful stimulant of the central nervous system. It is usually present in coffee in the amount of 100-150 mg per cup (of course in decaf, there is virtually none!). Like many alkaloids, caffeine acts as a poison in large quantities. The lethal dose of caffeine for adults is estimated at about 10 g, so unless you drink about 70-100 cups of coffee a day, you should be safe!

From Quiz Common Names of Organic Molecules II

Answer: eugenol

Eugenol is the major component of clove oil. Clove oil is a mild local anaesthetic and used to be used by dentists to rub onto the teeth of people suffering from toothache. Its most common use now is in the perfume/fragrance industry.

From Quiz Organic Chemistry

Answer: CnH(2n+2)

Alkanes are known as 'saturated' hydrocarbons. The word 'hydrocarbon' is derived from the two elements that make up alkanes - hydrogen and carbon. Alkanes are known as saturated because they contain only carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen single bonds and thus contain the maximum number of hydrogens per carbon.

From Quiz Organic Chem I Stereochemistry

Answer: Entgegen, Zusammen

From the German. Entgegen is a trans isomer, zusammen a cis. Remember "Z Zame Zide!" A zwitterion is a neutral molecule with a positively charged region and a negatively charged region that cancel each other out. Zymurgic means being related to the process of fermentation. Elastomeric means having the qualities of an elastomer, which is a polymer that is both viscous and elastic. Zeolitic means related to zeolites, which are microporous, aluminosilicate minerals.

From Quiz The Wonderful World of Isomers

Answer: constitutional isomers and stereoisomers

Constitutional isomers, also known as structural isomers, are unique molecules which have a similar molecular structure but the atoms or functional groups are joined together in different ways. Stereoisomers, also known as spatial isomers, are unique molecules in which the atoms or functional groups have similar bond structure but have different geometrical positioning in three dimensional space.

From Quiz FUNctional Groups!

Answer: Alcohol

Consumable alcoholic drinks contain ethanol, while other alcohols like methanol and isopropyl alcohol are used in many common household products.

From Quiz Molecules of Life

Answer: Hydrogen

Methane, CH4, is the smallest member of the organic family called the alkanes. These molecules consist of chains (or branched chains) of carbon atoms joined on to each other, with hydrogen atoms bonding to the unused valence electrons. Their general formula is C(n)H(2n+2). Cycloalkanes have a ring shape, and therefore two less hydrogen atoms than the alkane with the same number of carbon atoms. Systematic names for the members of the alkane family describe the number of carbon atoms in the longest chain of carbon atoms, then have extra information to describe how any branches are attached to this chain.

From Quiz Organic Functional Groups and Classifications

Answer: alkenes

Alkenes have the formula CnH2n. Ethylene and propylene are two common alkenes.

From Quiz Yours Truly, An Inanimate Carbon Rod

Answer: Diamond and graphite

Carbon is tetravalent, meaning that it forms four chemical bonds. That's why the field of organic chemistry is so large: carbon's interactions with other elements encompasses a wide variety of compounds. However, when carbon is chemically bonded only to iself, in the form of its allotropes, there are only three major structures that it can take on. Diamond is formed when carbon bonds to form tetrahedra and hexagonal rings. The structure is very sturdy and stable, which is why diamond is so hard. In graphite, each carbon atom uses only three valence electrons, which forms a less sturdy arrangement. The result is a more brittle compound that can conduct electricity, because the loose valence electrons can carry current along the plane of the molecule.

From Quiz Organic Chemistry 101

Answer: Ni

Without a metal catalyst, hydrogenation would require very high temperatures. The best catalysts for this type of reaction are platinum, palladium and rhodium but nickel is a much cheaper alternative (although less efficient).

From Quiz Alkenes

Answer: carbon-carbon double covalent bond

There is a double bond between any two carbon atoms.

From Quiz Mass Spectrometry

Answer: Cations

An electron will collide with a molecule, M. The resulting species are two electrons and the molecular/parent ion, M+. This M+ species is formed after one of its electrons is lost to the surrounding. It can be regarded as a cation radical before it is further ionized into a cation and a radical. A radical is a neutral species, as opposed to a positively charged cation.

From Quiz Hydrocarbons

Answer: Water and carbon dioxide.

The complete combustion will always yield water and carbon dioxide. The following equation explains this: CnHx + O2 --> CO2 + H2O If you want to argue that combustion can form carbon monoxide and water, you are correct. However the question was COMPLETE combustion, which will yield carbon dioxide.

From Quiz Alkanes

Answer: Cn H2n+2

Wikipedia defines a homologous series as, 'a series of organic compounds with similar chemical properties, members of which differ by a constant relative molecular mass.' For alkanes, the mass of each one differs by 14. This is because of the general formula, Cn H2n+2. For example, in methane, where n=1, the formula CH4 is produced. In ethane, where n=2, the formula C2H6 is found. Cn Hn exists for benzene, C6H6 but not for a homologous series. Cn H2n exists for the homologous series of alkenes. Cn H2n-2 exists for the homologous series of alkynes.

From Quiz Food for Thought

Answer: Lipids

Carbohydrates contribute 4 calories per gram, as do sugars since they are carbohydrates, and water contributes 0 calories per gram.

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