Skip to main content

Organic Chemistry Questions and Short Answers

Identify the Organic Compound with Molecular Formula C8H16O2- Aldehydes, Ketones and Carboxylic Acids

An Organic Compound 'A' molecular formula C8H16O2 was hydrolyzed with dilute H2SO4 to give a carboxylic acid 'B' and an alcohol 'C.' Oxidation of 'C' with chromic acid also produced 'B.' On dehydration 'C' gives 1-but-ene. Write the equations for the reaction involved.

1) The first step is find out the Degree of Unsaturation (the number of double bonds or the presence of a ring) in the compound. 

The formula is, 

How to determine the hybridization of C in CH4?

If only valence shells participate in bonding reactions, then Carbon should only form two bonds using its two unpaired electrons. However, Carbon forms four bonds, as seen in CH4, CH3X, H2C=O, and O=C=O molecules. This discrepancy between the number of valence electrons of an atom and the number of bonds it forms (valency) is explained by the hybridization concept, an extension of the Valence Bond (VB) Theory.

What is the priority order in polyfunctional compounds while assigning nomenclature?

IUPAC, an international body engaged in developing standards for naming chemical elements and compounds, has laid several rules known as 'IUPAC rules' to identify a molecule by its parent alkane chain and the functional group. It has assigned various suffixes to identify organic chemistry's commonly seen functional groups.

Why is Bi(V) a stronger oxidant/oxidizing agent than Sb (V)?

Bi (V) represents the +5-oxidation state of Bismuth (Bi). It means Bi has lost 5 electrons from its valence shell. Bi, therefore, wants to gain the lost electrons and is called an oxidizing agent. The process of electron uptake is a reduction reaction.

Bi (V) is a stronger oxidizing agent than Sb (V) and, therefore, will pick up the electrons faster than Sb (V). Due to the electron uptake, it will then go from a +5-oxidation state to a +3-oxidation state. Bi is now less by only three electrons due to the two-electron gain.

Why do only covalently bonded molecules show Isomerism?

Around the early 1800s, scientists began to notice the presence of isomerism in all types of compounds; however, at the time, it was referred to using different names.

The term allotrope was used to describe different varieties of an element that existed in different physical forms, such as diamond or graphite for carbon or monoclinic or rhombic for sulfur. Polymorphism was used to explain compounds that occurred in more than one crystalline form, like aragonite and calcite, both crystalline forms of calcium carbonate.

What are the requirements of van der Waals force?

The van der Waal forces of interactions are weak intermolecular forces. For the atoms or molecules show these interactions only under certain conditions -

1) Distance- van der Waal forces mainly depend on the distance between the associated molecules. These forces become very weak if the distance between the molecules or atoms is greater. These forces are relatively stronger if the atoms or molecules are grouped closely.

Why Hydrogen bonds are stronger than dipole-dipole interactions?

Dipole-dipole interactions occur in polar molecules where the difference in electronegativity between the combining atoms creates positive and negative dipoles. These opposite poles align and result in electrostatic attraction throughout the polar medium. So, naturally, the strength of the interaction would depend on the magnitude of the charges and their distance, explained by the Coulombic law. So, the higher the magnitude of the charges and the lesser the distance between them, the stronger the dipole-dipole attractive interaction.

What is a metallic bond and how does it form?

A metallic bond is a chemical bond seen in metals consisting of tightly bound metal atoms of the same type. 

Metals are large atoms that do not firmly hold their outermost valence electrons and easily lose them. Once the electrons are lost, the metal atoms become positively charged, called kernels. The position of these kernels is fixed to avoid repulsions and is part of the solid structure.