Forensic Chemistry > 1. The job of the forensic chemist is to identify materials and trace their origins > The Different Classes of Carbon Compounds >
Explain that there are different classes of carbon compounds and show how hydrocarbons, alkanols and alkanoic acid can be identified by distinguishing tests
- Carbon compounds, particularly organic compounds, are classified according to their functional groups. Functional group is the structural feature, an atom or group of atoms, that are responsible for the chemical behaviour of organic compounds.
- Distinguishing some given organic compounds
- Hydrocarbons- contain only C and H atoms only
- Alkanol- specific type of alcohol, small chained-length alcohol having alkyl as the primary chain
- Alkanoic acid- specific type of carboxylic acid, small chained-length carboxylic acid having alkyl as the primary chain
