In an organic compound, a functional group determines:

The correct answer is its chemical properties.Key Points

• The functional group in an organic compound determines its chemical properties.
• The properties of a functional group include its reactivity, polarity, and ability to participate in specific chemical reactions.
• A functional group is a specific arrangement of atoms within a molecule that imparts characteristic chemical properties to the compound.
• Examples of functional groups include alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, carboxylic acids, and amines.

• The nature of the carbon chain refers to whether it is straight or branched, saturated or unsaturated, or contains other substituents such as halogens or functional groups.
• These factors affect physical properties such as melting point, boiling point, and solubility.
• The length of the carbon chain can also affect physical properties such as boiling point and solubility.
• Molecular mass is a measure of the total mass of the atoms in a molecule, which affect physical properties such as density and boiling point.