organic-chemistrylisted

# Organic Chemistry Organic chemistry is the study of carbon-containing compounds and their reactions. Carbon's ability to form four stable covalent bonds, catenate (bond to itself in chains and rings), and hybridize in three ways (sp3, sp2, sp) generates an essentially infinite diversity of molecular architectures. This skill covers hydrocarbon families, functional groups, nomenclature, reaction mechanisms, polymers, and the biochemistry of life's molecules. **Agent affinity:** pauling (bonding/molecular chemistry, primary for mechanisms and structure), franklin (materials/applied chemistry, for polymer and materials topics) **Concept IDs:** chem-polymers, chem-biochemistry-basics ## Why Carbon is Special | Property | Consequence | |---|---| | 4 valence electrons, forms 4 bonds | Tetrahedral (sp3), trigonal planar (sp2), or linear (sp) geometries | | Similar electronegativity to H, O, N | Forms stable covalent bonds with life's key elements | | Strong C-C bonds (347 kJ/mol) | Chains of hundreds to millions of carbons are stable | | Multiple bond capability (C=C, C-triple-C) | Rigidity, planarity, and reactivity variation | Over 20 million organic compounds are known — dwarfing all inorganic compounds combined. ## Hydrocarbon Families | Family | General formula | Bonding | Hybridization | Saturation | |---|---|---|---|---| | Alkanes | CnH(2n+2) | All single bonds | sp3 | Saturated | | Cycloalkanes | CnH(2n) | All single bonds, ring | sp3 | Saturated | | Alkenes | CnH(