Functional Groups with Carbon Singly Bonded to an Electronegative Atom

Alkyl halides (haloalkanes), alcohols, ethers, alkyl phosphates, amines, thiols, sulfides, and disulfides all have a carbon atom singly bonded to an electronegative atom.halogen, oxygen, nitrogen, or sulfur. Alkyl halides have a carbon atom bonded to halogen (-X), alcohols have a carbon atom bonded to the oxygen of a hydroxyl group (-OH), ethers have two carbon atoms bonded to the same oxygen, organophosphates have a carbon atom bonded to the oxygen of a phosphate group (-OPO₃^-2), amines have a carbon atom bonded to a nitrogen, thiols have a carbon atom bonded to the sulfur of an -SH group, sulfides have two carbon atoms bonded to the same sulfur, and disulfides have carbon atoms bonded to two sulfurs that are joined together. In all cases, the bonds are polar, with the carbon atom bearing a partial positive charge (δ+) and the electronegative atom bearing a partial negative charge (δ-).