Properties of carbon

This course is a part of Biology, a 31-course Topic series from Khan Academy.

Did you know that your body is approximately 18% carbon? Learn more about carbon and why it makes a great building block for biological molecules. We'll look at the bonding properties of carbon, the structures of hydrocarbons, different types of isomerism, and some functional groups important in biology.

This course contains 2 segments:

Carbon

Learn why carbon is a fantastic building block for biological molecules! We'll look at carbon's atomic structure and ability to form bonds...and as a special bonus, we'll investigate the possibility of silicon-based life forms.

Hydrocarbon structures and functional groups

Carbon-containing molecules come in many shapes, sizes and types. Here, get an overview of different hydrocarbon structures, learn about isomers (molecules with the same atoms arranged in different ways), and check out some of the key functional groups found in biological molecules.