KEY TAKEAWAYS •
Organic chemistry involves carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen, with several other molecules less likely seen.
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Carbon has four valence electrons, hydrogen has one valence electron, and oxygen has six valence electrons.
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Covalent bonding involves the promotion of electrons and the hybridization of orbitals so that they take on a unique molecular bonding orbital.
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The formal charge depends on the number of valence electrons, the number of bonded electrons, and the number of unbonded electrons.
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The total charge on a molecule in nature will be zero.
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The simplest way to write an organic molecule is to use line drawings for carbon atoms and all hydrogen atoms not attached to carbon atoms.
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