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ldv1452
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Are there any compounds that are considered "organic," yet do not contain carbon?
alxm said:Nope. By definition organic compounds are carbon compounds. Although not all carbon compounds are considered organic. (e.g. carbides and carbon oxides)
alxm said:(Welcome to PF by the way..)
No, I meant carbides and carbon oxides as examples of carbon compounds that are considered inorganic.
The distinction is arbitrary and has no actual physical meaning, it's basically just tradition.
The general definition is that all carbon compounds are organic, with a few exceptions such as carbon oxides, carbonic acid, carbides, and (often) urea.
The history here is the old 'vitalism' debate from the early 19th century, when it was believed that the molecules of living things (i.e. 'organic molecules') were somehow fundamentally different from other ones, and that 'organic' matter could not be produced from 'inorganic' matter. We now know these ideas have no merit. This is usually dated to when Wöhler (1828) managed to synthesize urea from inorganic substances. Urea was back then considered 'organic' within vitalist theory, as a substance produced by living things. So Wöhler was the first to show that 'organic' substances were indeed not fundamentally different. (Although, as I said, in modern nomenclature urea isn't usually considered 'organic' anymore.) Of course, now we know that all the carbon in living things actually comes ultimately from carbon dioxide in the atmosphere via photosynthesis. (and CO2 was always considered inorganic) So really, all organic substances come from 'inorganic' ones.
The distinction today is mostly upheld because organic chemistry and inorganic chemistry are different fields with rather different focuses.
ldv1452 said:I know organic chemistry is the chemistry of carbon, so in the study of organic chemistry does that include those carbon compounds that are considered "inorganic"? Or would those fall under the study of inorganic chemistry?
alxm said:It's more about what aspects you're studying and how, than it is about which compounds. For instance, if you're studying decarboxylation reactions, which typically produce CO2, then that's typical organic chemistry, even if CO2 is an inorganic molecule. If you're studying the properties of metal ions bound to organic complexes (metallorganic chemistry), that's still typically under the umbrella of inorganic chemistry.
Organic chemistry tends to focus on synthesizing and studying the properties of new organic substances, and finding new methods of synthesis. Inorganic chemistry is often focused on studying details of relatively well-known substances. You could say that from biochemistry to organic chemistry to inorganic chemistry, you deal with increasingly simple molecules, but studied in increasingly great detail.
Non-carbon organic compounds are molecules that contain carbon atoms but also elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. These compounds are essential for life and are found in a variety of biological processes and structures.
Some examples of non-carbon organic compounds include water (H2O), ammonia (NH3), sulfur dioxide (SO2), and phosphoric acid (H3PO4). These compounds are essential for many biological processes, including metabolism, photosynthesis, and DNA synthesis.
The main difference between non-carbon organic compounds and carbon-based compounds is the presence of carbon atoms. Carbon-based compounds, also known as organic compounds, contain carbon atoms bonded to other carbon atoms. Non-carbon organic compounds, on the other hand, contain carbon atoms bonded to other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen.
Yes, non-carbon organic compounds can be found in nature. In fact, many of these compounds are essential for life and can be found in living organisms, as well as in the environment. For example, water and ammonia are crucial for many biological processes, and sulfur dioxide is produced naturally by volcanoes.
Non-carbon organic compounds have a wide range of applications in various industries, including food production, pharmaceuticals, and agriculture. For example, many non-carbon organic compounds are used as fertilizers and pesticides in agriculture, and others are used to manufacture medications and other pharmaceutical products. Additionally, some non-carbon organic compounds are used as flavorings and preservatives in the food industry.