What This Document Is
This is an online laboratory exercise (Lab 9) for Chamberlain University’s CHEM 120 course, Introduction to General, Organic & Biological Chemistry with Lab. The lab focuses on foundational concepts in organic chemistry, specifically exploring hydrocarbons and functional groups. It utilizes a virtual modeling resource to allow students to visualize and build molecular structures.
Why This Document Matters
This lab is crucial for students needing a visual and interactive understanding of organic molecule structure. It’s designed for students early in their organic chemistry studies who need to build a strong foundation in recognizing and constructing basic hydrocarbon frameworks and the impact of functional groups on molecular properties. It’s typically used as a preparatory step before more complex organic chemistry topics are introduced.
Common Limitations or Challenges
This lab exercise provides a *virtual* experience. It does not replace the hands-on experience of physical molecular modeling kits or actual laboratory work. While it builds visualization skills, it doesn’t cover reaction mechanisms or detailed spectroscopic analysis. Students will still need to apply these concepts in further coursework and labs.
What This Document Provides
This lab document includes three explorations:
* **Building Hydrocarbon Models:** Instructions to construct and represent propane, butane, isobutane, isopentane, ethylene, propyne, ethane, benzene, and cyclohexene using a virtual resource. It requires students to provide both extended structural formulas (images) and condensed structural formulas.
* **Identification of Functional Groups:** Activities to build models of compounds containing alcohol, ketone, carboxylic acid, aldehyde, and ester functional groups. It also includes a table to identify functional groups and names from given condensed structural formulas.
* **Hydrocarbons with Functional Groups:** Exercises to build models of difluoromethane, trichloromethane, propanol, ethanoic acid, phenol, propanal, dimethyl ether, hexanoic acid, and ethylamine. It also includes a final section asking students to relate functional groups to biomolecules and real-world applications.
