Chemistry Vocabulary. Chapter 25
Allotrope –form of an element that has a bonding pattern or arrangement different from other forms of the
same element
Diamond-allotrope of carbon in which ever carbon atom is bonded to four other carbon atoms in a
tetrahedral pattern
Graphite- allotrope of carbon in which carbon atoms are arranged in sheets or layers
Amorphous carbon- allotrope of carbon in which the atoms have no predictable arrangement
Organic chemistry- study of organic compounds, which in general are compounds containing carbon
Hydrocarbon- organic molecule containing only carbon and hydrogen
Fossil fuel- fuel consisting of compressed, decomposed remains of ancient plants and a animals, typically
made of hydrocarbons
Molecular formula- chemical formula that indicates the numbers of each atom in a molecular compound
Structural formula- formula that indicates how the atoms in a molecule are bonded to each other
Condensed structural formula- condensed version of a structural formula that does not include dashes to
represent all the bonds in a molecule.
Alkane- hydrocarbon molecule with only single bonds
General formula- formula that represents a large class of compounds and uses variables, rather than
numbers, as subscripts
Saturated hydrocarbon- carbon chain that is filled to capacity with hydrogen atoms, an alkane or
cycloalkane
Branched alkane- alkane molecule with at least one branch carbon
Branch carbon- carbon atom that is bonded to more than two other carbon atoms in a hydrocarbon
Parent chain- longest continuous chain of carbon atoms in an organic molecule
Conformation- stucture of an organic molecule that differs from another structure by only one or more
bond rotations
Structural isomer- molecule that has the same molecular formula as another molecule, but that has atoms
bonded in a different order
Cyclic hydrocarbon- hydrocarbon with a carbon ring
Cycloalkane- cyclic hydrocarbon with only single bonds
Unsaturated hydrocarbon- hydrocarbon molecule that is not filled to capacity multiple bonds between
carbon atoms
Alkene- unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains at least one double bond
Alkyne- unsaturated hydrocarbon that contains at least one triple bond
Benzene- C6H6 , stable cyclic hydrocarbon that exists as a hybrid of two resonance forms
Aromatic compound- organic compound that typically contains the characteristic benzene ring
Polymer- large organic molecule consisting of small repeating units called monomers
Monomer- small molecule that joins with other similar molecules to make to make a polymer, repeating
unit of a polymer
Biodegradable- ability of a compound to decompose naturally over time
Nonbiodegradable- inability of a coumound to decompose naturally over time