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Chemistry Forums for Students => Organic Chemistry Forum => Topic started by: anlb4 on December 03, 2004, 05:48:46 AM

Title: organic chemistry
Post by: anlb4 on December 03, 2004, 05:48:46 AM

Good Morning...Could you tell me what substitution and addition mean in organic chemistry..we are studying hydrocarbons and functional groups

Title: Re:organic chemistry
Post by: jdurg on December 03, 2004, 08:07:21 AM

Substitution is as its name describes; a substitution of one component (I.E. functional group) for another.  Let's say you have the formula H₃C-CH₃ and you perform a substitution reaction involving an OH group.  The OH group will replace one of the H's in the molecule giving you an alcohol;  H₃C-CH₂OH.

An addition reaction is when a functional group or atom is added to a molecule.  so if you had H₂C=CH₂ and performed an addition reaction with fluorine, you'd get FH₂C-CH₂F.  So the fluorine gets added to the compound.

Title: Re:organic chemistry
Post by: dexangeles on December 04, 2004, 12:07:53 PM

ditto above

but I believe substitution refers more to functional groups and not the entire compound

Title: Re:organic chemistry
Post by: jdurg on December 04, 2004, 07:46:59 PM

Quote from: dexangeles on December 04, 2004, 12:07:53 PM

ditto above

but I believe substitution refers more to functional groups and not the entire compound

Indeed.  Just a wrong choice of words on my part.