Organic Compounds and Plants8SCIENCE: Wed. Feb. 2/

Thurs. Feb. 3

Why learn about plants?• Plants produce oxygen for humans and other

organisms to breathe• Plants are important because they are producers

– Make their own food and are a food source for other consumers and all other links in the food chainE.g. produce sugars (carbohydrates) to eat, a rabbit eats the grass and gets energy from these carbohydrates, and fox eats rabbit to gain that energy!

Organic compounds• Plants make an organic compound,

for energy, called carbohydrates– All organisms (living things) obtain

their energy from carbohydrates

• Organic compounds are compounds that contain carbon (C )– Reminder: compounds are combinations of elements from the

periodic table

• Carbohydrates are one type of organic compound that contains only C, H and O

Organic compounds: Hydrocarbons

• One type of organic compound is the hydrocarbon

• What elements make up this compound?– Carbon (C ) and hydrogen (H )

• You already know many types:– Propane gas (cooking)– Butane (lighters)

2 TYPES OF HYDROCARBONS

• There are 2 types:• Saturated

• Unsaturated

HYDROCARBONS• SATURATED • UNSATURATED

• What is the difference?– Saturated hydrocarbons have

all of their C atoms connected to an H atom

– Unsaturated hydrocarbons still have space for more H atoms