Some of these functional groups can contain a charge. These functional groups also vary in terms of reactivity due to the variation in the carbon chain length and the bonds between the constituent carbon atoms. The carbon and hydrogen bonds are always single. The bonding between the carbon atoms can be single, double, or triple. This type of functional group contains only hydrogen and carbon as constituent elements. For instance, formic acid (H-COOH) and acetic acid (CH 3 -COOH) show similar reactions in a chemical environment they behave like organic acids due to the presence of the carboxyl (-COOH) group.įunctional groups can be classified in the following ways. These characteristics will vary from one functional group to the other.Įven if a chemical compound is different from another one but has the same functional group, it will show the same chemical behavior. For example, an alcohol group (-OH) defines a particular set of characteristics of the compounds that have it as a constituent. In organic chemistry, there are many such functional groups. When we define a functional group, we imply a group of atoms of the same or different elements forming a chemically-active section of a compound and creating a class of new compounds. In fact, a moiety can identify a compound and introduce it into a particular genre or classification of similar compounds. These moieties or sections can be found in different molecules. In this article, we will study these functional groups and how they are classified.Ī group of atoms forming a component of a molecule that accounts for a particular function or chemical behavior is called a functional group. It is a group of atoms attached to a branch of other atoms that signify its organic nature. One such feature that defines and classifies an organic compound is called functional groups. Each time you click, it will create a randomized set of 5 questions for the level you chose.Organic chemistry is a universe of its own where different organic compounds are defined considering their structural features. Have you gained enough confidence? Want to see where you stand? I’ve put together a pool of questions to test your skills in identifying the functional groups. Once you got the names of the 13 functional groups down and roughly know how the groups look like, check out the next 3 videos where we’ll go through 3 examples for each of these groups. I walk through the 13 functional groups in this video. Amide is also a nitrogen-containing compound, except for there’s a carbonyl (C=O) group right next to the nitrogen. Same thing in the third pair – amine and amide. What’s the difference? It’s that C=O group again. Ether has C-O-C group, while ester has a C=O-O-C group. Let’s look at the second pair – ether and ester. What’s the difference? It’s that C=O group. Alcohol has a hydroxyl (OH) group while carboxylic acid has a carboxyl (COOH) group. First pair – alcohol and carboxylic acid. Once you get these two columns down, the middle column compounds are similar to the third column, with the difference of missing a carbonyl (C=O) group. Reason being when carbonyl (C=O) group meets hydroxyl (OH) group, they merge to become carboxyl (COOH) group (see below). Carboxylic acid consists of a carbo xyl (COOH) group, not carbo nyl (C=O) group. The carbonyl compounds in this group are aldehyde, ketone, ester and amide. The third column (purple box) consists of compounds containing carbonyl (C=O) and carboxyl (COOH) group. Remove one hydrogen and replace with a halogen (fluorine, chlorine, bromine and iodine), and you get alkyl halide (see the image below). Meaning, it was made from a hydrocarbon, specifically alkane. The fifth member, alkyl halide, is actually a hydrocarbon derivative. The first 4 members are alkane, alkene, alkyne and arene. The first column (pink column) consists of hydrocarbons compounds which are made of only carbons and hydrogens. See the image on top of this post? I’ve strategically placed the 13 groups in a manner where we can easily group them and recall when needed. Thirteen?!!! Yea, thirteen! Don’t worry, it’ll be easier to remember them if you group them in a manner that makes sense. Do you dread having to remember all the functional groups? If you are in an introductory chemistry course, chances are high that you need to know these 13 functional groups.