Organic chemistry is most commonly and simply defined as the chemistry of carbon compounds. Carbon is not an abundant element in the universe, or even the solar system; but it is an essential element of life. Indeed, four elements: carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen and oxygen make up most of the matter found in living organisms. Trace elements such as sulfur, phosphorous, sodium, potassium and iron to name a few, also play an important role in the chemistry of life; but it is the unique properties of carbon that permits the immense diversity of compounds associated with life. From simple single-carbon compounds such as methane and carbon dioxide to the more complex structures found in vitamins, hormones and enzymes, and ultimately to very large macromolecules like DNA, carbon is the underlying essential structural component.

      Since the birth of organic chemistry over two hundred years ago, chemists have worked to unravel the structural complexities of these compounds. Today, all the facts and principles they have learned are consolidated in our texts and journals. Industrial applications have led to the manufacture of medicinal agents (drugs), synthetic fibers, plastics, dyes, pesticides and a host of other useful materials. Clearly, organic chemistry has touched all our lives. The study of organic chemistry is both fascinating and relevant, due in large part to the widespread distribution of both natural and synthetic organic chemicals.

Organic Chemistry .... The chemistry of carbon compounds.

Achiral .... Refers to an object that is identical to its mirror image (i.e. an object that is not chiral).

Alkanes .... A class of relatively unreactive hydrocarbons having the general formula C_nH_2n+2.

Alkenes .... Hydrocarbons incorporating a carbon-carbon double bond (general formula C_nH_2n).

Alkynes .... Hydrocarbons incorporating a carbon-carbon triple bond (general formula C_nH_2n-2).

Aromatic Compounds.... Compounds incorporating a benzene ring

Asymmetry .... The absence of symmetry elements.

Asymmetric Carbon .... A tetra-coordinate carbon atom (sp³) bearing four different substituent atoms or groups.

Bond Configuration .... Tetrahedral (four bonding partners), Trigonal (three bonding partners), Linear (two partners)

Bond-dissociation Energy .... The amount of energy needed to break a covalent bond to produce two radical fragments.

Brønsted Acid .... A species (compound or ion) that donates a proton (hydrogen ion) to a base.

Brønsted Base .... A species (compound or ion) that can accept a proton from an acid.

Calorie .... The amount of heat energy needed to raise the temperature of 1g water by 1 °C.

Carbanion .... A carbon anion. Often a trivalent, negatively charged carbon atom, (R₃C:^(-) .

Carbene .... A neutral reactive species incorporating a divalent carbon atom with only six electrons in its valence shell.

Carbocation .... A carbon cation. Often a trivalent, positively charged carbon atom, (R₃C⁽⁺⁾ .

Chiral .... Refers to an object which is not identical with its mirror image (eg right and left hands).

Chiral Center .... A focus of chirality, such as an asymmetric carbon atom (a carbon bonded to four different substituent atoms or groups).

Configuration ... The three-dimensional arrangement of the atoms of a molecule.

Conformations ... Different spatial orientations of the atoms of a molecule that result from rotations or twisting about single bonds.

Constitutional Isomers.... Isomers differing in the manner in which atoms are connected or bonded together.

Covalent Bonding .... The attractive force that exists between atoms which share pairs of valence shell electrons.

Diastereomers .... Stereoisomers that are not enantiomers. Diastereomers may be chiral or achiral.

Electrophile ... A species (compound or ion) that bonds to a free valence shell electron pair in a nucleophile (or Lewis base).

Enantiomers .... A pair of stereoisomers structurally related as a chiral object and its non-identical mirror image.

Endothermic .... A term used to describe a chemical reaction that absorbs heat energy.

Exothermic .... A term used to describe a chemical reaction that releases heat energy.

Isomer .... One of two or more different compounds having the same molecular formula.

Meso Compound .... An achiral (optically inactive) diastereomer of chiral stereoisomers.

Molecular Formula .... A formula showing the numbers of different atoms that make up a molecule of a compound.

Nucleophile ... A species (compound or ion) that has a free valence shell electron pair, which may bond to an electrophile (or Lewis acid).

Optical Activity .... The ability of certain substances to rotate the plane of polarization of plane polarized light.

Racemic Mixture .... A mixture consisting of equal parts of the enantiomers of a chiral compound.

Racemization .... A process which results in the conversion of a one enantiomer of a chiral compound into a 50:50 mixture of the two enantiomers.

Regiospecific .... A term describing a reaction that proceeds predominantly to one of two or more constitutionally isomeric products.

Resolution .... A process by which a racemic mixture is separated into its two pure enantiomers.

Resonance .... A procedure for describing and evaluating the covalent bonding in molecules or ions that cannot be adequately described by a single Kekule structure.

Stereogenic Center .... A focus of stereoisomerism. All chiral centers are stereogenic centers, but a stereogenic center may also be achiral.

Stereoisomers .... Isomers having the same constitution but differing in the spatial arrangement (configuration) of their atoms.

Stereospecific .... A term describing a reaction that proceeds predominantly to a single stereoisomeric product out of two or more possible stereoisomers.

Stoichiometry .... The quantitative relationship of chemical composition in chemical reactions, resulting from the conservation of mass, atoms and electrons.

Structural Formula .... A formula showing the bonding arrangement (constitution) of the atoms of a molecule.

Tautomers .... Rapidly interconverting constitutional isomers.