Functional group
In organic chemistry, a functional group is a piece of a molecule that helps determine how it reacts with other chemicals. Having specific functional groups is what defines a family of organic chemicals.[1]
Functional groups are usually specific arrangements of specific atoms, but can also be grouped into families with similar structures and reactinos (like methyl −CH3 and ethyl −CH2CH3 both being in the alkyl family).[2]
Molecules can have more than one functional group and belong to multiple families. Some families, like amino acids, are defined by having multiple functional groups. A molecule with two functional groups is bifunctional, and a molecule with more is polyfunctional.[3]
Examples
[change | change source]- Alkyl
- Alkene
- Alkyne
- Alcohol
- Aldehyde (Like in Formaldehyde)
- Carboxylic acid (Like in Acetic acid)
- Ester
- Ether
- Ketone
- Amine
- Amide
References
[change | change source]- ↑ International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. "functional group". Compendium of Chemical Terminology Internet edition.
- ↑ John C. McMurray (2023-09-20). "Alkyl groups". Organic Chemistry, a Tenth Edition. Houston, TX: OpenStax.
- ↑ International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry. "bifunctional catalysis". Compendium of Chemical Terminology Internet edition.
