CH 222 Chapter Guides

Chapter Guide Three: Overview | Resources | Practice

  Overview of Chapter Guide Three

Carbon is critical for life. Proteins, DNA, sugars, fats - all of these have carbon. The reason carbon is included is due to its flexibility (it can exist in a variety of geometries) and its relatively quick reactivity (reactions occur readily, something critical for life processes). To understand the magnitude of carbon, we will study several of the chemical families which include carbon. In addition, we shall explore some of the typical reactions that carbon undergoes while in some of the families. Polymers will also be explored.

Chapter 20 introduces us to the concept of chemical families which have a characteristic functional group in common. Some of the classes of families we will become familiar with include alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, aromatic compounds, ketones, aldehydes, alcohols, carboxylic acids, amines, amides, and many more. We shall also explore several typical organic reactions which utilize some of these families. Finally, we shall briefly explore the world of polymers, one of the most important of the chemical industries.

For a complete list of important concepts, see the Chapter 20 Study Guide.

  Resources for Chapter Guide Three

For this module, you should read Chapter 20 in your textbook. Be aware that we will deviate in our coverage of the material in the text somewhat, focusing more on the chemical families that comprise carbon (and thereby giving you a better grasp of the essential basis of organic chemistry.) Be sure to use the Organic Chemistry Nomenclature Guide while studying this chapter.

The Chapter Twenty lecture notes which accompany this lesson will be helpful to you when going through this section. These are Web versions of the lecture notes I use in my "normal" CH 222 class and should let you see what is important to me in this chapter. You can also view the Lecture Notes in presentation software: Keynote, PowerPoint

The following screencasts might prove useful to you as you study this chapter.

A variety of handouts are available from Chapter Twenty. Feel free to explore all of them or just the ones which give you difficulty.

Once you have mastered the concepts listed above, check out the Chapter Twenty Concept Guide for a series of worked problems relating to this chapter. They will help you to ensure the mastery of the knowledge from this chapter.

Finally, test yourself (and get extra-credit in the bargain!) on the following chemistry concepts. If you get 9 out of 10 correct (or some multiple thereof), submit the information to me to receive extra credit.

  1. Recognizing Organic Fragments
  2. Basic Organic Nomenclature

  Practice the Concepts of Chapter Guide Three

Please complete problem set #3 to further explore organic chemistry. Problem set #3 covers several questions from Chapter 20 and it can be found here. We will discuss problems like these during recitation, so come prepared to ask and answer questions.

You can gain additional experience by exploring the self-quizzes available for organic chemistry nomenclature. Self quiz #1 contains two pages, the first of which is the quiz and the second has the answers. Self quiz #2 can be found here, and the answers on a separate page. Here is another self quiz. There are even some organic chemistry flash cards available for you to use (and optionally print) to help you prepare for this section's material.

For additional practice, try completing practice problem set #3 (with answers included at the end) and/or the non-assigned problems in Chapter 20. Answers to many of those problems are listed in the back of your textbook.

If you need assistance on these problems, you have several options. You can visit the AVID / Learning Success Center located above the MHCC library on the Mt. Hood Community College campus; they have tutors available to help you with your chemistry homework. You can also contact me if you have any questions.

Test your mastery of the subject matter by trying the self quiz for Chapter 20. This is an ungraded test that you can use to gauge your comfort level with these concepts. You might also find this Organic Chemistry self quiz helpful as you study the organic chemistry portions of this section. This sample Quiz #3 (answers) (which was given during a previous year's CH 222 class) will help you understand the kind of questions that will be asked on the quiz.

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