Functional group detective
Organic molecules are giant carbon frameworks with small reactive neighborhoods called functional groups. This game flashes structures at you and asks one question: which functional group is hiding in there? Learn to spot them and you can predict how molecules behave.
Which functional group is –OH attached to carbon?
How to play
A molecule structure appears with its atoms and bonds drawn.
Tap the atoms you believe form the functional group.
Choose the group's name from the list: alcohol, ketone, and more.
Correct identifications chain into combos for bonus points.
Misidentifications cost time; three strikes end the round.
Scoring
Each correct identification earns 30 points plus a time bonus. Combos multiply points up to 4x. Wrong taps cost 5 seconds each on the round clock.
Levels
First sightings
Alcohol, alkene, and alkyne groups in simple molecules.
Carbonyl crew
Carbonyl family: aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, esters.
Nitrogen zone
Amines, amides, and trickier multi-group molecules.
Master identifier
Molecules with two or more groups; name them all.
What chemistry did you just use?
You trained your eye to spot the atom clusters that control organic chemistry. The functional group, not the carbon skeleton, decides how a molecule reacts, which is why ethanol and dimethyl ether behave so differently despite sharing a formula. This recognition skill is the entry ticket to naming, mechanisms, and synthesis.
Key concepts
- Functional groups define a molecule's reactivity
- Recognizing hydroxyl, carbonyl, carboxyl, and amino groups
- Naming patterns tied to functional groups
- Isomers share formulas but differ in structure