Organic Compounds & Functional Groups Lab Bio 111 Introduction: Organic molecules are primarily composed of Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus and Sulfur. Organic compounds are usually formed using covalent bonds, which are chemical bonds that share electrons. Carbon-Carbon bonds are unique to organic molecules, and form the backbone of all organic molecules; this is why we say Carbon is the foundation of life. Formulas are used to represent organic molecules. The molecular formula tells the number and type of atoms in the molecule. For example, Glucose contains 6 Carbon atoms, 12 Hydrogen atoms and 6 Oxygen atoms and is written C6H12O6. A structural formula is used to more precisely show an organic molecule. It not only tells the number and type of atoms, but also shows the arrangement of those atoms; how the molecule is put together. Glucose Molecules with the same number and type of atoms but arranged differently are termed structural isomers. The molecular formula for Glucose and Fructose are the same, but they are structurally different. See the images below