SPM Form 5: Carbon compounds (Checklist)

• Organic compounds: Carbon-containing compounds that can be obtained from living things.
• Inorganic compounds: Non-carbon-containing compounds that can be obtained from non-living things.
• Hydrocarbons: Compounds that contain only carbon and hydrogen. In a saturated hydrocarbon, all the bonds are single bonds. Alkane is another name for a saturated hydrocarbon. Unsaturated hydrocarbons are a hydrocarbon that contains one or more double or triple bonds are an unsaturated hydrocarbon. There are three types of unsaturated hydrocarbons alkenes, alkynes, and aromatic hydrocarbons.
• Alkanes: Hydrocarbons having the general formula C_nH_2n+2, where n = 1, 2
• Alkenes: Hydrocarbons that contain one or more carbon-carbon double bonds. They have the general formula C_nH_2n.      
• Alcohol: An organic compound containing the hydroxyl group -OH.
• Aldehydes: Compounds with a carbonyl functional group and the general formula RCHO, where R is an H atom, an alkyl, or an aromatic group.       
• Carboxylic acids: Acids that contain the carboxyl group -COOH.
• Esters: Compounds that have the general formula R’COOR, where R’ can be H or an alkyl group or an aromatic group and R is an alkyl group or an aromatic group.
• Homologous series: A series of compounds in which each member differs from the next by a specific number and kind of atoms.
• Esterification: A reaction between an alcohol and a carboxylic acid in the presence of concentrated sulphuric acid as a catalyst through boiling to produce an ester and water. e.g. reaction of ethanol, C₂H₅OH with ethanoic acid, CH₃COOH in the presence of concentrated sulphuric acid, H₂SO₄ produces ethyl ethanoate, CH₃COOC₂H₅ which is an ester with a pleasant fragrant smell.
• Fats: Solid triester of glycerol and mostly saturated fatty acids.
• Vulcanization of rubber:  A process whereby rubber is reacted with sulphur to enable the formation of cross-linkages by sulphur atoms between the rubber molecules through covalent bonds. Rubber can be vulcanized by dipping natural rubber sheets into disulphur dichloride solution in methylbenzene. Vulcanized rubber is hard whereas unvulcanized rubber is soft. Vulcanized rubber is more elastic than unvulcanized rubber.
• Coagulation of latex: A process of converting liquid latex to solid natural rubber by adding an acid. Coagulation of latex occurs rapidly when an acid is added to the latex. Latex does not coagulate when an alkali is added to the latex. Alkaline solutions contain hydroxide ions which neutralize the acid produced by bacteria. Hence, it prevents the latex from coagulating.