BRAINCAKEFunctional Groups
A functional group is an atom or group of atoms in a molecule that is responsible for the characteristic chemical reactions of that molecule.
The rest of the molecule is usually an unreactive hydrocarbon chain, so compounds with the same functional group react in similar ways, whatever the length of their chain. Ethanol and propan-1-ol, for example, both contain -OH and undergo the same reactions.
Common functional groups:
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More in Introduction to Organic Chemistry
- Hydrocarbons
- Saturated and Unsaturated Hydrocarbons
- Cyclic Compounds
- Types of Formulae
- Homologous Series
- Naming Organic Compounds
- Practice Question - 1
- Practice Question - 2
All 13 lessons in Introduction to Organic Chemistry · All Edexcel AS-level Chemistry topics