Chemistry 114
Introduction to Organic Chemistry

Class discussion of nursing & chemistry


Why should nursing students have to take chemistry?

Scripture references - Gen. 2:7; Psalm 103:13-18

Earthkeeping, p. 230
"Put another way, having a soul depends upon having a mind, and having a mind depends upon having a body. The person is body, mind, and soul...The implications of such a view for the human relationship to the natural world are profound. For, if it is correct, we see that the human is embedded in nature, and shares characteristics with stones, trees, fish, and dogs. But humans also transcend nature: they have capacities which all else lacks. Humans are fully dust, and fully soul; they are soulish dust."

Implications - providing health-care to human beings requires that we understand human beings and part of that understanding is the biology and chemistry. Understanding chemistry is part of understanding the "dustiness" of a human being.

Uniqueness of carbon (14.2)


Intermediate electronegativity ~2.5 enables it to make covalent bonds with most other elements.
Makes 4 bonds including bonds to itself and thus can form long chains.
"The number of known molecules based on carbon exceeds all other known molecules of all other elements."

Representing Molecules (p. 399, Fig. 15.5)

Structural formula
Perspective formula
Line formula
Condensed formula
Stick model
Ball and stick model
Space filling model


Functional groups (14.3)


Def. a particular combination and arrangement of atoms with distinctive physical and chemical properties. Organic chemistry is systematized by classifying molecules according to their functional groups. [Memorize these!]

Hydrocarbons
alkanes (all single bonds, saturated)
alkenes (at least one double bond, unsaturated)
alkynes (at least one triple bond, unsaturated)
[alkyl group]
Other functional groups (Table 14.2)
alcohol (R-OH) [hydroxyl group]
thiol or thioalcohol (R-SH)
ether (R-O-R')
aldehyde (R-CHO) [C=O carbonyl]
ketone (R-CO-R'
carboxylic acid (R-COOH) [carboxyl group]
ester (R-CO-OR')
amine (R-NH2) [amino group]
amide (R-CO-NR')