Organic chemistry

Saturated hydrocarbons — chains of carbon held together by single bonds, the backbone of fuels.

Saturated carbon rings, from strained cyclopropane to chair-flipping cyclohexane.

Hydrocarbons with a C=C double bond — reactive feedstocks for polymers and synthesis.

Hydrocarbons with a C≡C triple bond, linear and electron-rich.

Flat rings with delocalized electrons — benzene and its many descendants.

A hydroxyl (–OH) group on a carbon skeleton; solvents, fuels and antiseptics.

An oxygen bridging two carbons (C–O–C) — famously unreactive solvents.

A carbonyl (C=O) at the end of the chain; sharp smells, reactive chemistry.

A carbonyl group inside the chain — acetone and friends.

The –COOH group: vinegar, citrus sourness and fatty acids.

Acid + alcohol condensation products — the fruity smells of nature.

Nitrogen bases, from simple methylamine to aromatic pyridine and indole.

Carbon–nitrogen functional groups: the peptide bond's family and C≡N compounds.

Carbon bonded to halogens — refrigerants, solvents and anesthetics.

Sulfur and phosphorus woven into organic frameworks — thiols, DMSO, phosphates.

Sugars: the ring-shaped fuel and structural material of life.

The 20 proteinogenic building blocks of every protein.

The letters of the genetic code and their energetic cousins like ATP.

Fatty acids, membrane builders and the four-ring steroid hormones.

Small molecules enzymes can't work without.

Medicines, from aspirin to modern blockbusters.

Plant- and fungus-made nitrogen compounds with strong biological effects.

Isoprene-built scents and flavors — citrus, mint, pine and vanilla.

Extended conjugated systems that soak up visible light.

The building blocks of plastics and bulk chemistry.