Introduction to Organic Chemistry

Organic chemistry is the study of the chemistry of compounds of carbon. However, certain compounds of carbon such as the oxides, trioxocarbonate(iv) and
the cyano salts are excluded from this definition.

Characteristics of Organic Compounds

1. Organic compounds are mostly covalent in nature
2. Most organic compounds are non-polar compounds
3. They have high melting and boiling points

Terms in Organic Chemistry

• Homologous series
• Alkyl groups
• Functional groups