The word "organic" means something very different in chemistry than it does when you're

talking about produce and food. Organic compounds and inorganic compounds form the basis of
chemistry. The primary difference between organic compounds and inorganic compounds is that
organic compounds always contain carbon while most inorganic compounds do not contain
carbon. Also, nearly all organic compounds contain carbon-hydrogen or C-H bonds. Note,
containing carbon is not sufficient for a compound to be considered organic! Look for both
carbon and hydrogen.

Organic and inorganic chemistry are two of the main disciplines of chemistry. An organic
chemist studies organic molecules and reactions, while an inorganic chemistry focuses on
inorganic reactions.

Examples of Organic Compounds or Molecules

Molecules associated with living organisms are organic. These include nucleic acids, fats, sugars,
proteins, enzymes and hydrocarbon fuels. All organic molecules contain carbon, nearly all
contain hydrogen, and many also contain oxygen.

DNA

table sugar or sucrose, C12H22O11

benzene, C6H6

methane, CH4

ethanol or grain alcohol, C2H6O

Examples of Inorganic Compounds

Inorganics include salts, metals, substances made from single elements and any other
compounds that don't contain carbon bonded to hydrogen. Some inorganic molecules do, in
fact, contain carbon.

table salt or sodium chloride, NaCl

carbon dioxide, CO2

diamond (pure carbon)

silver
sulfur

Organic Compounds Without C-H Bonds

There are few organic compounds that don't contain carbon-hydrogen bonds. Examples of these
exceptions include:

carbon tetrachloride (CCl4)

urea [CO(NH2)2]

Organic Compounds and Life

While most organic compounds encountered in chemistry are produced by living organisms, it's
possible for the molecules to form through other processes. For example, when scientists talk
about organic molecules discovered on Pluto, this doesn't mean there are aliens on the world.
Solar radiation can provide energy to produce organic compounds from inorganic carbon
compounds.

Organic compounds are those who chemical formula contains at least one carbon atom, and
often contain a hydrogen atom as well. The bonds formed between the carbon and hydrogen
atoms to form a hydrocarbon are very strong, and the resulting compound is often essential to
living things.

Organic Compounds Properties

1. It is difficult to isolate the properties of organic compounds, as the only requirement is a

carbon atom. It is important to note that there are a few inorganic compounds that still contain
carbon, although the bond is very weak; this lack of unity in defining and classifying organic
compounds is at the heart of the problem when it comes to describing their properties.

2. Therefore, the term "organic compounds" really applies to molecules that contain a
"significant" number of carbon atoms, which is still not an exact and measurable number.

3. Some researchers feel that organic compounds must contain carbon-to-carbon bonds or
carbon-to-hydrogen bonds in order to qualify.

4. The theory of vitalism applies to the properties of organic compounds, which states that
there is a life force present in organic compounds that are essential to living things, and this
force is not present in non-living (and therefore, inorganic) things.

5. The properties of organic compounds are so varied that they have been further
categorized into different classes.

6. The hydrocarbons, for example, contain the alkanes and the alkenes, and have a high
propensity for burning; for this reason, most of our known fuel sources are hydrocarbons.
7. Organic compounds contain what is called functional groups, a structural unit made up
of groups of atoms in a molecule that are bonded to the rest of the molecule by a covalent bond;
this bond forms between the functional group and a carbon atom from the main body of the
molecule.

8. These functional groups are found in all organic compounds, and help create the
chemical properties of the molecule.

9. Size is another property of organic compounds that offers great variation from one
compound to the next.

10. Organic compounds-specifically ones that are important to different fields of biology-
often contain long chains of carbon atoms which can loop around each other; different atoms
can form bonds with these carbons, creating variation in the molecule and its functional groups.

Physical properties of organic compounds typically of interest include both quantitative and
qualitative features. Quantitative information includes melting point, boiling point, and index of
refraction. Qualitative properties include odor, consistency, solubility, and color.

Properties of Organic Compounds

The physical property of an organic compound can be defined as a property that does not alter
chemical characteristics of a compound. It consists of qualitative as well as quantitative qualities.
Boiling point, melting point and index of refraction constitutes quantitative data. Color, solubility,
odor and consistency constitutes to quantitative qualities.

Solids : They are organic compounds possessing distinct shape and volume.

Liquid : It is an organic compounds possessing less distinct shape and volume compared to
solids.

Melting Point : It is one among the vital physical property of an organic compound. It usually
indicates the temperature in which a state of an compound changes from solid to liquid state.
Melting point of a pure crystalline is acute and it may melt over a slender range of temperature,
that is if a temperature exceeds more than 0.5-1oC. There are few factors that could affect the
melting point. Some are stated below.

Size of a molecule : Melting Point identifies the characteristics of a organic compound. Suppose
if a 2 compounds consists of variant structural arrangement of atoms or posses different
configurations then there is a clear difference of melting point. If two samples possessing same
melting point will have same configurations.

Force of attraction between the molecules : Melting point of a compound is usually affected by
the force of attraction between the molecules. Existence of hydrogen bonds in organic
compounds will have a higher melting point.
Boiling Point : It identifies the physical properties of an organic compounds. It varies depending
upon the surrounding environment. A boiling point of a liquid is high at high pressure and have
lower boiling point when atmospheric pressure is low. There are several factors that would
affect boiling point and they are stated below.

Polarity : Greater the polarity than higher the boiling point, that is polarity determines the force
of attraction between the molecules. Molecules are attracted by opposite charges in a polar
compound.

Carbon – carbon chain: Boiling point decreases with the increase in the length of a carbon –
carbon chain.

Strength of Intermolecular forces : Various effects such as Vander Waals dispersion hydrogen –
bonding. Ionic bonding will affect the strength of a intermolecular forces.

Solubility: Organic compounds may dissolve in solvents like mixture, ethyl alcohol or white
spirits.

Classification of Organic Compounds

They have been classified as follows:

Functional groups.

Aliphatic Compounds.

Aromatic Compounds

Heterocyclic Compounds

Polymers

Biomolecules

Small Molecules

Fullerenes

Examples of Organic Compounds

Ethanol, Sugars, Coal, Diamond, Acetic Acid, Methane, Naphthalene are some of the examples of
organic compounds.

Applications of Organic Chemistry

Analysis

Synthesis
For better molecules.

hy·dro·car·bon

a compound of hydrogen and carbon, such as any of those that are the chief components of
petroleum and natural gas.

Hydrocarbon, any of a class of organic chemical compounds composed only of the elements
carbon (C) and hydrogen (H). The carbon atoms join together to form the framework of the
compound, and the hydrogen atoms attach to them in many different configurations.
Hydrocarbons are the principal constituents of petroleum and natural gas. They serve as fuels
and lubricants as well as raw materials for the production of plastics, fibres, rubbers, solvents,
explosives, and industrial chemicals.

Many hydrocarbons occur in nature. In addition to making up fossil fuels, they are present in
trees and plants, as, for example, in the form of pigments called carotenes that occur in carrots
and green leaves. More than 98 percent of natural crude rubber is a hydrocarbon polymer, a
chainlike molecule consisting of many units linked together. The structures and chemistry of
individual hydrocarbons depend in large part on the types of chemical bonds that link together
the atoms of their constituent molecules.