ABSTRACT
This chapter describes the fundamental structures of organic molecules, the properties associated with those structures, and the structural features that lead to important functional groups. The shape is the three-dimensional shape of a molecule, which is determined by the bond angles and bond distances of the atoms directly connected to a given atom. Organic chemists use a simple model, the Valence Shell Electron Pair Repulsion model, for a preliminary prediction of the three-dimensional structure of molecules that contain atoms in the second row of the periodic table. This model is used to estimate the structure and properties of that molecule. Dipole moment for a bond is determined by discovering the size of the partial charges on the molecule and the bond length. Molecules that undergo extensive hydrogen bonding are very polar and very soluble in polar liquids such as water.
