For the AP Exam, students should be able to identify the functional groups on sight, and one or two examples of each.
A functional group is a portion of a molecule that is a recognizable/classified group of bound atoms. In organic chemistry it is very common to see molecules comprised mainly of a carbon backbone with functional groups attached to the chain.
The functional group gives the molecule its properties, regardless of what molecule contains it; they are centers of chemical reactivity. The functional groups within a molecule need to be identified when naming.
7232496165 | *Hydroxyl | ![]() | 0 | |
7232496167 | *Ketone | ![]() | 1 | |
7232496169 | *Aldehyde | ![]() | 2 | |
7334486526 | *Carboxyl | ![]() | 3 | |
7325301305 | *Sulfhydrl | ![]() | 4 | |
7232496173 | *Phosphate | ![]() | 5 | |
7232496171 | *Amino | ![]() | 6 | |
7232496176 | *Methyl | ![]() | 7 | |
7232496166 | Hydroxyl Compounds | alcohols, glycerol, sugars | 8 | |
7232496168 | Carbonyl Compounds | aldehydes and ketones | 9 | |
7232496170 | Carboxyl Compounds | organic acids - acetic acid, amino acids, fatty acids; sugars | 10 | |
7232496172 | amino Compund | amines - amino acids | 11 | |
7232496174 | Phosphate Compound | organic phosphates- DNA, ATP, phospholipids | 12 | |
7232496175 | Sulfhydryl Compound | thiols | 13 | |
7232496177 | Methyl Compound | fatty acids, oils, waxes | 14 | |
7232496178 | Hydroxyl Compound Ex | ethanol, present in alcoholic beverages | 15 | |
7232496179 | Carbonyl Compound Ex | propanal-aldehyde; acetone-ketone | 16 | |
7232496180 | Carboxyl Compound Ex | acetic acid - gives vinegar a sour taste | 17 | |
7232496181 | Amino Compound Ex | glycine | 18 | |
7232496182 | Sulfhydral Compound Ex | cysteine | 19 | |
7232496183 | Phosphate Compound Ex | glycerol phosphate, provides the backbone for phospholipids | 20 | |
7232496184 | Methyl Compound Ex | methyl cytidine, component of DNA | 21 | |
7273304849 | hydroxyl | polar, hydrophilic | 22 | |
7273306068 | carboxyl | polar, hydrophilic, weak acid | 23 | |
7273307809 | amino | polar, hydrophilic, weak base | 24 | |
7273308742 | phosphate | polar, hydrophilic, acid | 25 | |
7273309432 | ketones | polar, hydrophilic; end in -ones | 26 | |
7273310630 | aldehyde | polar, hydrophilic; end in -aldehyde | 27 | |
7273312510 | methyl | non-polar, hydrophobic | 28 | |
7274034839 | carbohydrates | Where are hydroxyl compounds found? | 29 | |
7274038368 | lipids | Where are carbonyl compounds found? | 30 | |
7274038369 | proteins | Where are carboxyl compounds found? | 31 | |
7274043258 | proteins | Where are amino compounds found? | 32 | |
7274044771 | DNA, RNA, ATP | Where are phosphate compounds found? | 33 | |
7326426842 | hydroxyls | ends in -ol; alcohols | 34 | |
7397829408 | methyl group | functional groups that are nonpolar | 35 | |
7397832846 | carboxyl and phosphate groups | functional groups that are acidic | 36 | |
7397876605 | amino group | functional groups that are basic | 37 | |
7397895465 | all but methyl | functional groups that are polar | 38 |