What are Inorganic Compounds?

Simply put, an inorganic compound is the opposite of an organic compound. In order to better
understand how inorganic compounds are defined, it helps to know what makes other
compounds organic in the first place. An inorganic compound can be considered as a compound
that does not contain a carbon to hydrogen bond (C-H). Therefore, one can define an inorganic
compound as any compound with no C-H bonds. Moreover, inorganic compounds tend to be
mineral, or geologically-based compounds that do not contain carbon to hydrogen bonds. Not all,
but most inorganic compounds contain a metal. That said, there are countless compounds that
fall under the realm of inorganic. In fact, the majority of all compounds in this universe are
inorganic in nature. For this reason, inorganic compounds have an overwhelming amount of
applications and practical uses in the real world. Since most of the compounds in this world are
inorganic, these compounds can take on a host of forms and possess many different
characteristics.

Characteristics of Inorganic Compounds

Since many inorganic compounds contain some type of metal (alkali, alkaline, transition, etc.),
they tend to be able to conduct electricity. For example, while in the solid state, inorganic
compounds are poor conductors of electricity. However, in the liquid phase, inorganic
compounds are highly conductive. In this phase, inorganic compounds' electrons are able to
move very freely, and this movement of electrons is noted as electricity.
Due to ionic bonding typically found in inorganic compounds, they are held together very rigidly
and possess extremely high melting and boiling points. Another distinct characteristic of
inorganic compounds is their color. Transition metal inorganic compounds, even sitting on a
bench-top, are usually highly colored, and this is, again, due to the configuration of the d-block
electrons. The bright and beautiful colors that one sees when fireworks explode is due to the
inorganic metal (usually an alkali or alkaline one) present in the compound. Because inorganic
compounds display a unique color when burned, this can be used as a marker to identify the
metal involved. Also, inorganic compounds are typically highly soluble in water. That is to say,
they can disappear when placed into water since they will simply dissolve. Yet another revealing
characteristic of inorganic compounds is their ability to form crystals. The nature of the bonding
found in inorganic compounds lend them to be able to grow crystals in saturated solutions.