The Chemistry of Carbon

Do Now: Please Copy (Ignore what is on handout):

Quiz Thursday 10/6Topics:

Special Properties of Water

Polarity & Hydrogen Bonding in Water

Solutions

pH and buffers

Carbon

• What is it?

• Where do we find it?

• Why is it so important?

• How is it unique?

Carbon: Element of Life

• Plants and other autotrophs build their own carbon-based food out of CO2 in the air.

• Animals and other heterotrophs break down carbon-based food for energy

Carbon is Important!

• Natural Gas, Gasoline, Crude Oil, and other fuels are all carbon compounds

• All plastics

• The molecules organisms are made of, like sugars, fats, proteins, and even DNA.

• Too many to list!!!

Carbon forms many types of bonds

• Carbon has 4 valence electrons, so it usually makes 4 covalent bonds.

• Most atoms make less (O-2, H-1, N-3)

•Organic Compound: a compound that contains 2 or more carbon atoms.

Carbon can form different structures…

• Chains

• Branched Chains

• Rings

…and form single, double, & even triple bonds.

Functional Groups give carbon molecules even more diversity.

•A functional group is a group of atoms that give the molecule they are a part of certain chemical characteristics.

Carbon Polymers – Essential to Life!

• MONOMER

• POLYMER

In Summary…• Organic compounds contain more than 1

carbon atom

• Carbon is REQUIRED by ALL living things – other than water, it is in almost every other chemical your body is made of.

• Because carbon can make 4 covalent bonds, and bond with many other elements, carbon can make many different types of chemicals.

• Many organic compounds are polymers: long chains of repeating subunits

Read all about it! (Homework)

• Read pp. 52-54

• NOT last section “Energy Currency”

• Answer 1-3

Life in Deep Space?

• The article you have discusses recent discoveries of carbon compounds in space.

• Read the article on your own

• 4 roles to play in each group: Questioner, Passage Master, Word Wizard, or Artful Artist

Polymer Formation and Break-down