The starting point is a hydrocarbon halide such as ethyl chloride or butyl bromide. Treatment with water under suitable conditions leads to primary, secondary and tertiary alcohols, and reactions with ammonia lead to primary, secondary and tertiary amines.

Any of the alcohols can be dehydrated to ethers. Primary alcohols can be oxidized to aldehydes, and secondary alcohols to ketones, but tertiary alcohols are immune to further oxidation short of destruction.

Aldehydes, but not ketones, can be oxidized further to carboxylic acids, which in turn can be condensed with alcohols to form esters.

Amino acids, although not directly synthesised form carboxylic acids and amines, in a sense are hybrids of these two molecules: amines at one end and acids at the other. When polymerized, these amino acids lead to proteins, which are the topic of Chapter 22.