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# Functional group

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In organic chemistry functional groups are submolecular structural motifs, characterized by specific elemental composition and connectivity, that confer reactivity upon the molecule that contains them.

Common functional groups include:

     Term                 Formula                           prefix                            suffix

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

     amine                R-NH2                              amino-                            -amine

     carboxylic acid      R-C(=O)OH                          hydrocarboxy-                     -oic acid

     alcohol              R-OH                               hydroxy-                          -ol

     aldehyde?             R-C(=O)H                                                             -al

     ketone?               R-C(=O)-R'                         keto-                             -one

     ester                R-C(=O)O-R'                        named according to the parent alcohol and acid, respectively:  alkyl alkanoate

     ether                R-O-R'                             named according to the parent alcohols, respectively:  alkylalkylether

     amide                R-C(=O)N(-H)-R'                    name according to the parent amine and acid, respectively:  alkyl alkanamide

     alkene?               R-CH=CH-R'                         convert the part substituting for alk in the name of the alkane into the alk of the word alkene:  ethane/ethene, propane/propene, butane/butene, etc.

     alkyne?               R-CC-R'                          convert the part substituting for alk in the name of the alkane into the alk of the word alkyne:  ethane/ethyne, propane/propyne, butane/butyne, etc.

     phosphodiester?       R-OP(=O)2O-R'

Combining the names of functional groups with the names of the parent alkanes generates a powerful systematic nomenclature? for naming organic compounds.

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Last edited August 13, 2001 11:25 am (diff)
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