Functional Groups:

Alkyl Halide

R — X

Production:

Reactions 1 – 4 all detail it.

Nomenclature:

Halogen becomes prefix, longest carbon chain is name. For example, bromomethane

Properties:

Polarity and solubility are lowered.

Alcohol

 

Production:

Range of methods, mostly involving oxidation.

Nomenclature:

Suffix used is ‘ol’, for instance pentanol. ‘diol’ used for two, etc.

Properties:

Weak bronstead Acid, pKa above 8 particularly in the case of phenol.

Carboxylic Acid

 

Production:

Range of methods such as oxidative cleavage, such as addition reaction 10. 

Nomenclature:

Suffix used is ‘oic acid’. For example, Methanoic Acid.

Properties:

Increased polarity depending on pH, in turn increased solubility depending on pH.

Weak Bronstead acid, it will donote a proton but has a pKa above 5.

Ester

 

Production:

Acid + Alcohol (can be amino based) = Ester

CH₃COOH + ROH <=> CH₃COOR + H₂O,

Nomenclature:

Properties:

Polarity increases, in turn solubility increases.

Not a Bronstead Acid/Base, it cannot denote or accept a proton.

Aldehydes

 

Production:

Reacting a primary alcohol with an oxidising agent.

Reaction 10, oxidative cleavage.

Nomenclature:

Suffix used is ‘ol’, for instance pentanol. ‘diol’ used for two, etc.

Properties:

Weak bronstead Acid, pKa above 8 particularly in the case of phenol.

Ethers

 

 

Production:

Intermolecular Dehydration of alcohols - requires two alcohols to react with each other in conditions with high temps and acidic catalyst.

The treatment of a parent alcohol with a strong base to form an alkoxide anion, which is followed by addition of an appropriate aliphatic compound bearing a suitable leaving group (R-X).

Electrophilic addition:

R₂C=CR₂ + R-OH → R₂CH-C(-O-R)-R₂

Mercury trifluoroacetate (Hg(OCOCF₃)₂) is common catalyst for above reaction.

Nomenclature:

Ethers are generally named where the first part of the chain is part of an oxy group, and the second part after the oxygen named as standard.

For instance:

C-C-O-C-C would be ethoxyethane whereas C-O-C-C would be methoxyethane.

Properties:

Polarity and hence solubility increase.

Ketone

Production:

Oxidation of secondary alcohols.

Reaction 10, oxidative cleavage.

Nomenclature:

Suffix used is ‘one’, for instance pentanol. ‘dione’ used for two, etc.

Properties:

Polarity and hence solubility increase.

Amines

Only one has to be an R group.

Production:

• Quaternary ammonium salts upon treatment with strong base, called Hofmann Elimination
• Reduction of nitriles, amides and nitro compounds.

Nomenclature:

• the prefix "N-" shows substitution on the nitrogen atom
• as prefix: "amino-"
• as suffix: "-amine"

Properties:

Polarity and solubility increase depending on pH.

Weak Bronstead base, meaning it attracts a proton.

Amides

 

Production:

Carboxylic acid + an amine

Nomenclature:

·  Other examples: propan-1-amide, N,N-dimethylpropanamide

Properties:

Increased polarity depending on pH, in turn increased solubility depending on pH.

Weak Bronstead acid, it will donote a proton but has a pKa above 5.

Nitriles

Production:

Dehydration and substitution.

Nomenclature:

?

Properties:

Polarity and solubility increase when group is added.

Nitro

Production:

Nitromethane adds to aldehydes in 1,2-addition in the nitroaldol reaction.

Nomenclature:

Include nitro in the name, for instance ‘nitromethane’. In the instance of two nitro groups, named ‘dinitro’

Properties:

Polarity and solubility increase when group is added.