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What Is a Hydrocarbon Plus Oxygen?

Organic or carbon-based compounds often contain atoms of other elements like oxygen; these noncarbon atoms are called "heteroatoms." The presence of heteroatoms like oxygen can play a huge role in determining a molecule's properties and reactivity. There are several kinds of organic compounds that include oxygen atoms but no other heteroatoms. Each of these types has distinct features.

Ethers
- The ether functional group is an oxygen atom bonded to two carbon atoms or chains. Dimethyl ether is the simplest of the ethers; it has two carbon atoms, each with three hydrogens attached. Both carbons are bonded to the central oxygen atom. Diethyl ether is only a little more complex; it features an oxygen atom with two two-carbon chains bonded to it. Diethyl ether was one of the first general anesthetics, and although seldom used in this capacity today, it's often called "ether" even though it is only one of many ethers.
Alcohols
- Alcohols are perhaps the most popular functional group among people not otherwise interested in chemistry. An alcohol or hydroxyl group has an oxygen atom bonded to a carbon atom on one side and a hydrogen atom on the other. Alcohols dissolve well in water unless there are a large number of carbon atoms, in which case the hydrocarbon part of the molecule "wins out" and they dissolve poorly in water. Ethanol, the most famous of the alcohols, has two carbons. Methanol has only one carbon and is extremely toxic to humans; 2-propanol (rubbing alcohol) has three carbons with the alcohol group stuck on the middle one.
Aldehydes and Ketones
- A carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom is what chemists call a carbonyl group. If the carbonyl group lies in the middle of the carbon chain, it's a ketone; if it's stuck at the end of a carbon chain, it's an aldehyde. The best-known ketone is acetone, the sweet-scented solvent in nail polish remover and many paint thinners. The simplest of the aldehydes is formaldehyde, the liquid used to preserve biological specimens.
Carboxylic Acids
- Carboxylic acids feature a carbonyl group with an -OH attached to it. Together these atoms compose a -COOH or carboxyl group. They are much more acidic than alcohols -- hence the name. The simplest carboxylic acid is formic acid, a compound found in ant venom; it has only a single carbon atom. Acetic acid, better known as vinegar, has two carbon atoms and a single carboxyl group. Oxalic acid also has only two carbon atoms, but unlike acetic acid it has two carboxyl groups and is highly poisonous.

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