Functional Groups In Organic Chemistry

A functional group is what we call specific groupings of certain atoms within molecules that have their own characteristic properties. Here are some of the most commonly encountered functional groups. Note that “R” is a placeholder for a generic carbon substituent. A second group of slightly less commonly encountered functional groups are here. This is by no means an exhaustive list, but it’s at least a good start. In the beginning of the course, being presented with a list of 20-25 functional groups to remember might seem like a lot. And it probably is! The good news is that you’ve already learned a lot of functional group names without trying too hard. Do these names sound familiar? Propane.  Tylenol. Ibuprophen.  Testosterone. Dopamine. Learning functional groups will be a matter of connecting those names to general structures. Another good way to get to know functional groups is to think about the relative electronegativities of the elements in each group. That will help you unders

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• James Lin