Functional Groups

What are FUNCTIONAL GROUPS?
Functional Groups are groups of specific atoms that are responsible for chemical reactions of molecules.

The Functional Groups you should know

1. Hydroxyl is an alcohol group that dissolves organic bacteria or compound. Mostly, molecules that end in -ol belong to the hydroxyl group like alcohol, methanol, ethanol, etc.
2. Carbonyl is a functional group in which a carbon atom is joined to an oxygen atom by double bond. It gives sugar molecules longer polymers especially in carbohydrates. There are two carbonyl groups: (1) Ketose in which the carbonyl group is within the carbon skeleton; and (2) Aldose in which the carbonyl group is at the end of the carbon skeleton. 
3. Carboxyl is the functional group that is the combination of the hydroxyl and carbonyl group. In this functional group, an oxygen atom is double bonded to a carbon molecule that is bonded to a hydroxyl group. It is responsible for the formation of acid. 
4. Amino is the functional group that is responsible for the creation of the base or the polypeptide chain. It is also the building block of protein.
5. Sulfhydryl is the functional group that consists of a sulfur atom bonded to an atom of hydrogen, resembles a hydroxyl group in shape. Two sulfhydryl groups can react, forming a covalent bond. This “cross-linking” helps stabilize protein structure. Cross-linking of cysteines in hair proteins maintains the curliness or straightness of hair. Straight hair can be “permanently” curled by shaping it around curlers, then breaking and re-forming the crosslinking bonds.

The carbon skeleton of the five functional groups.