Esters, like aldehydes and ketones, are weakly acidic. When an ester with an alpha hydrogen is treated with one equivalent of a base such as sodium ethoxide, a reversible condensation reaction occurs to yield a β−keto ester product. This reaction between two ester components is known as the Claisen condensation reaction

Phenols are like alcohols in being able to form strong intermolecular hydrogen bonds. Phenols have higher boiling points than hydrocarbons of the same molecular weight. A modest solubility in water

Carbon’s ability to form strong covalent bonds to other carbon atoms is the single property of the carbon atom that — more than any other—accounts for the existence of a field of study called organic chemistry. Carbon’s ability to form as many as four strong bonds to other carbon atoms, and to form strong bonds to hydrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and nitrogen atoms as well

Energy and the Relative Stability Kinetic energy is the energy an object has because of its motion. Potential energy is stored energy. It exists only when an attractive or repulsive force exists between objects

Cycloalkanes with only one ring are named by attaching the prefix cyclo- to the names of the alkanes possessing the same number of carbon atoms

The different arrangements of atoms caused by rotation about a single bond are called conformations (构象)of the molecule, and a specific conformation is called a conformer (构象异构体, conformation isomer). An analysis of the energy changes that a molecule undergoes as groups rotate about single bonds is called a conformational analysis (构象分析)

Isomers are different compounds that have the same molecular formula. Constitutional isomers are isomers that differ because their atoms are connected in a different order. Stereoisomers differ only in arrangement of their atoms in space.Stereoisomers are not constitutional isomers. Enantiomers are stereoisomers whose molecules are nonsuperposable mirror images of each other. Diastereomer are stereoisomers whose molecules are not mirror images of each other

Before 1951 only relative configurations of chiral molecules were known. Configurations of chiral molecules were related to each other through reactions of known stereochemistry. The standard compound was glyceraldehyde

First order overall (一级反应) The reaction is a unimolecular nucleophilic substitution（单分子亲核取代反应）

1. The experimental conditions — temperature and acid concentration — that are required to being about dehydration are closely related to the structure of the individual alcohol. The relative ease with which alcohols undergo dehydration is in the following order: