Carbon Compounds: Introduction

40 lessons, pages 861–900.

  1. Why Carbon Is Special — Millions of compounds from one element
  2. Carbon's Electron Arrangement and Valency — Four outer electrons and four covalent bonds
  3. What Is Catenation? — Atoms of one element bonding to each other in chains
  4. Why Carbon Catenates So Well — Strong C–C bonds compared with Si–Si and N–N
  5. Chains, Branches and Rings — The three basic shapes of carbon skeletons
  6. Single, Double and Triple Carbon Bonds — Multiple bonding and bond strength and length
  7. Tetrahedral Carbon: Shape in Three Dimensions — The 109.5° bond angle and zig-zag chains
  8. Organic Chemistry: Definitions and Scope — Carbon compounds, living things and exceptions like CO₂
  9. Representing Organic Molecules — Molecular, structural, displayed and skeletal formulae
  10. Building Models of Carbon Molecules — Ball-and-stick and space-filling models in 3D
  11. What Is a Hydrocarbon? — Compounds of carbon and hydrogen only
  12. Homologous Series — Families with a general formula and gradual trends
  13. The Alkanes: Saturated Hydrocarbons — General formula CₙH₂ₙ₊₂ and the first members
  14. Naming Alkanes — Meth-, eth-, prop-, but- and the -ane ending
  15. Physical Properties of Alkanes — Boiling point trends and intermolecular forces
  16. The Alkenes: Unsaturated Hydrocarbons — The C=C double bond and general formula CₙH₂ₙ
  17. Naming Alkenes — Ethene, propene, butene and double-bond position
  18. Saturated versus Unsaturated — Testing with bromine water and why the colour fades
  19. Addition Reactions of Alkenes — Hydrogen, halogens and water adding across C=C
  20. The Alkynes: A First Look — The C≡C triple bond and ethyne
  21. Isomerism: Same Formula, Different Structure — Structural isomers of butane and pentane
  22. Branched Alkanes and Their Names — Methyl side chains and the longest-chain rule
  23. Cyclic Hydrocarbons — Cyclohexane and ring structures
  24. Benzene and Aromatic Rings: An Introduction — A special six-carbon ring
  25. Crude Oil: A Mixture of Hydrocarbons — Origin of crude oil and natural gas
  26. Fractional Distillation of Crude Oil — Separating fractions by boiling range
  27. Cracking: Making Smaller, More Useful Molecules — Supply, demand and producing alkenes
  28. What Is Combustion? — Fuels reacting with oxygen to release energy
  29. Complete Combustion of Hydrocarbons — Carbon dioxide and water as products
  30. Balancing Combustion Equations — Carbon first, hydrogen second, oxygen last
  31. Incomplete Combustion — Limited oxygen, carbon monoxide and soot
  32. Carbon Monoxide: The Silent Hazard — Why CO is toxic and how detectors protect us
  33. Combustion as an Exothermic Reaction — Bond breaking, bond making and energy released
  34. Comparing Fuels — Energy per gram, flame colour and cleanliness
  35. Combustion and the Carbon Cycle — Fossil fuels, carbon dioxide and climate
  36. Pollutants from Burning Fuels — Sulfur dioxide, nitrogen oxides and particulates
  37. Cleaner Fuels and Alternatives — Hydrogen, biofuels and reducing emissions
  38. Fire Safety and the Fire Triangle — Fuel, oxygen and heat, and how fires are put out
  39. Carbon Compounds in Everyday Life — Fuels, plastics, medicines and food
  40. Carbon Compounds: Unit Review — Catenation, hydrocarbons and combustion together