Introduction

Every organic compound can ultimately be traced back to the hydrocarbon family, since hydrocarbons are the parent structures from which other classes are built. When one or more hydrogen atoms of an aliphatic or aromatic hydrocarbon are swapped out for a halogen atom -- fluorine, chlorine, bromine or iodine -- the resulting compound is called a halogen derivative of that hydrocarbon. This chapter builds up a systematic picture of these compounds: starting from how they are classified, then moving through how they are named, prepared, and how their physical and chemical properties differ depending on where the halogen sits and how many are present.