Organic compounds as bases

If an organic compound contains an atom with an unshared electron pair, it is a potential base. We saw in Section 3.6C that compounds with an unshared electron pair on a nitrogen atom (i.e., amines) act as bases. Let us now consider several examples in which organic compounds having an unshared electron pair on an oxygen atom act in the same way. 

Dissolving gaseous HCI in methanol brings about an acid-base reaction much like the one that occurs with water (Section 3.2A)  

The conjugate acid of the alcohol is often called a protonated alcohol, although more formally it is called an alkyloxonium ion or simply an oxonium ion. 

Alcohols, in general, undergo this same reaction when they are treated with solutions of strong acids such as HCI, HBr, HI, and H2SO4  

Proton transfers are a common first step in many reactions we shall study. 

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An important advance in ion-selective electrodes (ISEs) and related systems was based on the concept of polymeric liquid membranes developed by Eisenman [122]. The principle of this approach was to incorporate an organic compound as the ionophore into a polyvinyl chloride membrane... 

The classification of many chlorinated organic compounds as EPA priority pollutants is based on their toxicity combined with environmental persistence. 

Another new approach combines MAE with the use of an aqueous surfactant solution as the extracting phase. This new technique is called microwave-assisted micellar extraction (MAME). This procedure is based on the well-known solubilization capacity of aqueous micellar solutions toward water-insoluble or sparingly soluble organic compounds. As a general rule, nonionic surfactants are usually the most effective, showing greater solubilization capacities that rapidly increase with the solubilization kinetics as the cloud-point temperature of the solution is raised. 

Most organic compounds can be derived from alkanes. In addition, many important parts of organic molecules contain one or more alkane groups, minus a hydrogen atom, bonded as substituents onto the basic organic molecule. As a consequence of these factors, the names of many organic compounds are based on alkanes. It is useful to know the names of some of the more common alkanes and substituent groups derived from them, as shown in Table 1.3. 

For those reasons, some have suggested that life may have begun with an alternative organic compound as a genetic material, not RNA, but have been based on molecules that are less fragile.30 They are commonly suggested to be molecules that do not have carbohydrates in their backbones. Underlying that concept is the notion... 

An appreciable C60 fiillerene solubility is observed in many solvents relating to different classes of organic compounds as evidenced by experimental results. The process of C60 dissolution in solvents of different chemical nature is mainly interpreted in the context of an old based on experience rule the similar dissolves in the similar . Different physical and chemical properties of substances are considered as the similarity factor. 

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