These functional groups also vary in terms of reactivity due to the variation in the carbon chain length and the bonds between the constituent carbon atoms. The carbon and hydrogen bonds are always single. The bonding between the carbon atoms can be single, double, or triple. This type of functional group contains only hydrogen and carbon as constituent elements. For instance, formic acid (H-COOH) and acetic acid (CH 3 -COOH) show similar reactions in a chemical environment they behave like organic acids due to the presence of the carboxyl (-COOH) group.įunctional groups can be classified in the following ways. These characteristics will vary from one functional group to the other.Įven if a chemical compound is different from another one but has the same functional group, it will show the same chemical behavior. For example, an alcohol group (-OH) defines a particular set of characteristics of the compounds that have it as a constituent. In organic chemistry, there are many such functional groups. When we define a functional group, we imply a group of atoms of the same or different elements forming a chemically-active section of a compound and creating a class of new compounds. In fact, a moiety can identify a compound and introduce it into a particular genre or classification of similar compounds. These moieties or sections can be found in different molecules. In this article, we will study these functional groups and how they are classified.Ī group of atoms forming a component of a molecule that accounts for a particular function or chemical behavior is called a functional group. It is a group of atoms attached to a branch of other atoms that signify its organic nature. One such feature that defines and classifies an organic compound is called functional groups. Organic chemistry is a universe of its own where different organic compounds are defined considering their structural features.

Ketone functional group