What is the difference? I cant understand
R-NH2 = amine
R-(C=O)-NH2 = amide
Another important difference is that amine groups have acid/base properties, while amides does not!
That I actually knew. Theese structures are hard to remeber, I aleays fotget and confuse them. I can't remeber what an ester is anymore, for fucks sake, i mean the structure again...
replace the -NH2 in the AMIDE structure above with a -OH and you have an ester.
That wouldn't be a carboxylic acid?
jsorex> Yes, that would be a carboxylic acid.
An ester is an carboxylic acid bound to an alchohol with and condensation reaction(ie. you loose a molecule of water).
Thus an ester looks like the following
R-(C=O)-O-R
Which has been formed via. the following two molecules:
R-(C=O)-OH + HO-R + (H+) -----> R-(C=O)-O-R + H2O + (H+)
This reaction is called a Fischer esterfication, and is acid catalysed.
It is the -OH group from the carboxyl acid, that get's knocked off.
But there are several other ways of forming esters.
Check out:
http://www.people.virginia.edu/~fac6q/19_13_17.pdf (http://www.people.virginia.edu/~fac6q/19_13_17.pdf)
for more details!
Regards
Bandil
Thanks for the link. Can you believe that I passed a 4 ECTS course on organic chemistry with the second best grade and our university is within the top 5 of th EU! Because I can't..
My bad- wasn't thinking. I've really got to start getting more sleep. (we all say this, but do we ever really do anything about it?) :-[