Organic Chemistry

Organic chemistry is the branch of chemistry dealing with carbon-based molecules. Organic chemistry is the study of carbon, its compounds, and the properties of it. Physical properties of organic compounds of interest include quantitative and qualitative both features. Quantitative information includes boiling point, melting point, and index of refraction. Qualitative properties include solubility, odor, and color.

Melting and boiling properties:

Organic compounds characteristically melt and boil. The melting and boiling points correlate with the polarity of the molecules and molecular weight of them. Some organic compounds, especially symmetrical ones, sublime, which means that they evaporate without melting.

Solubility:

Neutral organic compounds tend to be hydrophobic, which means that they are less soluble in water than in the organic solvents. Organic compounds dissolve in organic solvents. Solvents can be either pure substances like  ethyl alcohol or ether , or mixtures, like the various petroleum ethers and white spirits, or the range of mixed or pure aromatic solvents obtained from petroleum or tar fractions by physical separation or by chemical conversion. Solubility in different solvents depends upon the type of solvent and on the functional groups if present.

Solid state properties:

The various specialized properties are thermo-mechanical and electro-mechanical like piezoelectricity, electrical conductivity, and electro-optical properties.

Nomenclature:

The names of organic compounds are either systematic, following logically from the set of rules, or nonsystematic, following various traditions. Systematic nomenclature is predetermined by recommendations from IUPAC. Systematic nomenclature starts with the name for a parent structure within the molecule of interest. This parent name is then modified by suffixes, prefixes, and numbers to unambiguously convey the structure. Therefore, IUPAC recommendations are closely followed for the simple compounds, but not the complex molecules. To use the systematic naming, one should know the structures and names of the parent structures. Parent structures include unsubstituted heterocycles, hydrocarbons, and monofunctionalized derivatives. Nonsystematic nomenclature is simpler and definite, at least to organic chemists. Nonsystematic names do not indicate the structure of the compound. Nonsystematic names are common for compound molecules, which includes most natural products.