5
$\begingroup$

Is there a term for a compound of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen?

There is hydrocarbon for a compound of carbon and hydrogen. There is also carbohydrate but that requires the ratio of hydrogen to oxygen to be 2:1.

As well as the carbohydrates, there are many other compounds of these three elements: alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, esters, etc. Yet, I cannot find a term for the whole group. Have I missed something or just no need is felt for such a term?

$\endgroup$
4
  • 4
    $\begingroup$ There is no general term for this group. It's quite arbitrary to categorise organic compounds just by the elements they contain, and not useful. $\endgroup$
    – Karl
    Commented May 13, 2018 at 14:38
  • $\begingroup$ @Karl Thanks. Of course, it is not an important point but given that the term hydrocarbon is quite common, it seemed a little surprising that there was no term for this group. I guess that hydrocarbons share a lot more properties than this group. $\endgroup$
    – badjohn
    Commented May 13, 2018 at 14:48
  • 1
    $\begingroup$ "hydrocarbons" (!= carbohydrates) is also only useful with an additional adjective (aliphatic, olefinic, aromatic). The group is too big and diverse, nobody talks about just plain "hydrocarbons". "Carbohydrate" is a synonym for sugars. Now that's a useful category. $\endgroup$
    – Karl
    Commented May 13, 2018 at 14:53
  • $\begingroup$ @Karl Thanks again. Just "hydrocarbon" is common outside of chemistry but I can see that it is too broad in a more serious setting. Of course, my group with oxygen is huge. I am fairly familiar with carbohydrates as my son studies biochemistry. $\endgroup$
    – badjohn
    Commented May 13, 2018 at 15:18

1 Answer 1

3
$\begingroup$

There is no term for this group as it is too broad and diverse. Even the narrower term hydrocarbon is usually qualified e.g. aliphatic, olefinic, aromatic.

With thanks to Karl.

$\endgroup$

Your Answer

By clicking “Post Your Answer”, you agree to our terms of service and acknowledge you have read our privacy policy.

Not the answer you're looking for? Browse other questions tagged or ask your own question.