Compounds of Oxygen - Organic Compounds

Organic Compounds

Among the most important classes of organic compounds that contain oxygen are (where "R" is an organic group): alcohol (R-OH); ethers (R-O-R); ketones (R-CO-R); aldehydes (R-CO-H); carboxylic acids (R-COOH); esters (R-COO-R); acid anhydrides (R-CO-O-CO-R); amides (R-C(O)-NR2). There are many important organic solvents that contain oxygen, among which: acetone, methanol, ethanol, isopropanol, furan, THF, diethyl ether, dioxane, ethylacetate, DMF, DMSO, acetic acid, formic acid. Acetone ((CH3)2CO) and phenol (C6H5OH) are used as feeder materials in the synthesis of many different substances. Other important organic compounds that contain oxygen are: glycerol, formaldehyde, glutaraldehyde, citric acid, acetic anhydride, acetamide, etc. Epoxides are ethers in which the oxygen atom is part of a ring of three atoms.

Oxygen reacts spontaneously with many organic compounds at or below room temperature in a process called autoxidation. Alkaline solutions of pyrogallol, benzene-1,2,3-triol absorb oxygen from the air, and are used in the determination of the atmospheric concentration of oxygen. Most of the organic compounds that contain oxygen are not made by direct action of oxygen. Organic compounds important in industry and commerce are made by direct oxidation of a precursor include:

  • Ethylene oxide (used to make the antifreeze ethylene glycol) is obtained by direct oxidation of ethylene:
C2H4 + ½ O2 + catalyst
———→ C2H4O
  • Peracetic acid (feeder material for various epoxy compounds) is obtained from acetaldehyde:
CH3CHO + O2 + catalyst
———→ CH3C(O)-OOH

Read more about this topic:  Compounds Of Oxygen

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