Organic Chemistry Essays - Chemistry, Organic Chemistry,

Organic Chemistry Organic compounds are covalently bonded compounds containing carbon, excluding carbonates and oxides. Carbon atoms are unique because of their ability to bond by catenation, which is forming long chains and rings from the covalent binding of an element to itself. Besides bonding with itself, carbon atoms are able to bind to elements with similar electronegativities. Organic compounds consist of carbon and these other elements. Hydrocarbons are the simplest organic compounds, composed of only carbon and hydrogen. Saturated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons in which each carbon atom in the molecule forms four single covalent bonds with other atoms. Hydrocarbons that contain only single bonds are alkanes. The boiling point for alkanes increases with increasing molecular mass. The carbon-hydrogen bonds of alkanes are nonpolar and the only forces of attraction between nonpolar molecules are weak intermolecular forces. Methane, ethane, propane, and butane are all gases at room temperature. Pentane, octane, and decane are all liquids at room temperature. Heptadecane and eicosane are solids are room temperature. Cycloalkanes are alkanes in which the carbon atoms are arranged in a ring, or cyclic, structure. In fractional distillation, components of a mixture are separated on the basis of boiling point, by condensation of vapor in a fractionating column. The octane rating of a fuel is a measure of its burning efficiency and its antiknock properties. The octane rating scale is based on mixtures of 2,2,4-trimethylpentane, isooctane. Pure 2,2,4-trimethypentane is very resistant to knocking and is assigned an octane number of 100. Pure heptane has an octane number of 0 and burns with a lot of knocking. Increasing the percentage of branched-chain alkanes in gasoline is one way to increase octane rating. Unsaturated hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons in which not all carbon atoms have four single covalent bonds. Alkenes are hydrocarbons that contain double covalent bonds. Alkenes are nonpolar and show trends in properties similar to those of alkanes in boiling points and physical states. -farnesene has 15 carbon atoms and 4 double bonds. It is solid at room temperature and atmospheric pressure. It is found in the natural wax covering of apples. Ethene is the hydrocarbon commercially produced in the greatest quantity in the United States. It is used in the synthesis of many plastics and commercially important alcohols. Ethene is also an important plant hormone. Hydrocarbons with triple covalent bonds are alkynes. This triple bond requires that the simplest alkyne has two carbon atoms. Alkynes, as with other hydrocarbons, exhibit the same trends in boiling points and physical state and are nonpolar. The smallest alkyne, ethyne, is a gas. The combustion of ethyne when it is mixed with pure oxygen produces the intense heat of welding torches. The common name of ethyne is acetylene, and these welding torches are commonly called oxyacetylene torches. Aromatic hydrocarbons are hydrocarbons with six-membered carbon rings and delocalized electrons. Benzene is the primary aromatic hydrocarbon. Benzene rings are chemically very stable, a property that can be explained by the concept of delocalized electrons. Therefore, aromatic hydrocarbons are less reactive than alkenes and alkynes are. Benzene, in the past, was used as a nonpolar solvent because of this stability. However, benzene is both a poison and a carcinogen. It is nonpolar and has limited solubility in water. Another aromatic hydrocarbon, 3,4-benzpyrene, is found in coal tar, tar from cigarette smoke, and soot in heavily polluted urban areas. Shown from studies, this compound is capable of causing cancer. Alcohols are organic compounds that contain one or more hydroxyl groups. The general formula for a class of organic compounds consists of the functional group and the letter R, which stands for the rest of the molecule. The general formula for alcohols is R-OH. Formulas for some alcohols and alkanes are listed below Methanol Butane Ethanol Ethane 1-Propanol Propane Alcohols are sometimes used today as alternative fuels and as octane enhancers in fuel for automobiles. Ethanol is combined with gasoline, for example, in a one-to-nine ratio to produce gasohol. All simple alcohols are poisonous to some extent. When ethanol is consumed, it is broken down by the enzyme alcohol dehydrogenase. Other simple alcohols are attacked by alcohol dehydrogenase more slowly, making these alcohols more toxic then ethanol. For example, methanol, or wood alcohol, is converted to formaldehyde and formic acid, both of which are toxic. Toxic

What does the election mean essays

What does the election mean essays America decided to have President George W. Bush for four more years, choosing him to keep the country on a conservative way and stay the course in Iraq. The election was close, but the results appeared clearer than four years ago. I am not saying that the president should change his ideas and beliefs; but he represents all of the people, and not all of them believe in his idea of religion and government together, or in his unilateralist use of the military power of the United States. Even members of his own party have questioned him the deficits he has run up. The TV program Meet the Press showed us the opinion of Karl Rove Senior Adviser of The President, Senator-Elect Barack Obama D- Illinois, Maureen Dowd and William safire from The New York times about the 2004 presidential election. The topics spoken during this conversation were Iraq, war, taxes, gay marriage, abortion and Republican and Democratic beliefs. Each one of the guests gave different points of view about these topics. The main idea that I got from this program was to understand that the 2 candidates have different beliefs or ideas but all of them oriented to the same direction the well-being of the country. Here are the principal ideas from the program: In this election there were more women and Hispanics voting for President Bush. President Bush is the 4th president to win a reelection. The tax system in USA is very complicated that it needs to be changed. One of the mistakes that Senator Kerry did during his campaign was to focus a lot on talking about President Bush instead of talking about his proposals for the future. President Bush is against Gay marriage but He agrees with visits in the hospitals and inheritances if you are gay. President Bush will keep accepting women in political positions. To achieve success Republican and Democrats need to work together. ...

Three Case Studies on Terrorism Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Three Case Studies on Terrorism - Essay Example Basically, their objective during that time is to destabilize Italy through vehemence. Because the said group (red brigades) was adhering on the political beliefs of Marx and Lenin, they strongly rely on the fact that they could change the government system as well as structure through revolution, thus, it inevitably result to chaos and riots. During their early year of existence, they already damaged factory equipment and in their third year, they had done lots of felonious acts like robberies and kidnappings. In 1974, the terrorist group had already done high profiles of crimes like kidnapping and bank robberies which is sort out to be their source of living. This are the ways which they find means in acquiring their money for survival, though allegedly, they rarely kill person unless politically motivated, then, they just used other person as an instrument to gain money. One of their declared goal is to assault the heart of the state which is the State Imperalista delle Mutinazion ali (SIMS) because their perceived their state as an imperial assemblage of multinational corporations. Because of this advocacy, they showed their protest though violent acts that could threaten the state’s security during the next years like the kidnapping of the NATO deputy chief of staff at Southern European land force, James Dozier and the assassination of Marco Biagi, an economic adviser. According to Martin (2003), the Red Brigade an approximate 14,000 number of violent acts with a total of 75 murders because of political reasons. Looking at the facts gathered, one of the reasons primarily why this group was established is because of an ideological influence of Marx and Lenin. As we have notice what was mentioned above, one of the founders belong to the department of sociology wherein political theories concerning state and society was prominent. This could be a factor that shaped the mind of Curcio and the other students to form groups that could change their society and it can be achieved faster through revolutions and violent actions. Thus, as Crenshaw (1981) state â€Å"individual psychopathological is often blamed to be the malefactor† (380). This could be a big and strong factor that could contribute to a social change through organization that can also attract other people. The mind-set of the leaders was already shaped by the circumstances and external influence that they perceived to be right and that would be the Marx and Lenin perspectives. For me, I do not personally disagree with someone who wants to adhere to certain ideas and perspectives, what may be somehow erroneous for this group is the exaggeration in the interpretation of violence. Though they rarely kill person, still, the other means employed to obtain their objective could not be also right. Like for instance, cases on drug trafficking, how could this group relate drugs on changing the political system that Italy had and also, to eradicate the Imperial Corporation t hat is believed to be the main component of their societal and political structure? Also, their high profile of crimes seems to be ambivalent with their main goals. As Crenshaw also identifies in his book ‘The Causes of Terrorism’ the phrase: â€Å"If we focus on terrorism directed against governments for purposes of political change, we are considering the premeditated use or threat of symbolic, low-level