Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry for Environmental Systems

Abstract

Abstract The principles of organic chemistry needed to understand the behavior of organic contaminants in aquatic environments are presented in this chapter, starting with a description of the nature of chemical bonds in carbon compounds and a summary of the major categories of aliphatic and aromatic organic compounds. The common functional groups that affect the physical, chemical, and biological behavior of organic compounds are described. Rules are given for naming compounds based on their structural features, and ways of drawing structures of organic compounds are described. The nature and significance of stereoisomers and optical isomers are explained as background for describing the nature of biomolecules—the building blocks of organisms that control carbon cycling in aquatic environments. Situations where organic compounds are relevant to processes covered in Part III of the book are briefly described, along with important properties used to predict the behavior and environmental fate of organic compounds.