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Organic compounds are compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen as their main components. Other derivatives of hydrocarbons formed by replacing carbon or hydrogen with elements like nitrogen and oxygen are also organic compounds. It was previously believed that these compounds are derivatives of plants and animals. Inorganic compounds were compounds derived from minerals and other non-living sources. Later, it was found that organic compounds could be synthesized in laboratories. About 90 per cent of all compounds that exist are organic compounds. Alkanes, alkenes, and carboxylic acids are good examples of organic compounds.
What comes under the category of Organic Compounds?
The major components of an organic compound have to be carbon and hydrogen, but some other elements such as nitrogen, oxygen, and phosphorus may also bind to the carbon atom to form these compounds. Also, not all carbon compounds are organic compounds. A few carbon-containing compounds are not part of the organic compound list. Carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, cyanates, cyanides, and other ion compounds that contain carbon do not come under the category of organic compounds.
Alcohols such as ethanol and propanol come under the category of organic compounds. Alcohol has many uses, including ethanol consumption or use as an antiseptic. Carboxylic acid, which is also an organic compound, comes into use in the pharmaceutical industry. Aspirin, a widely used medicine, also contains carboxylic acid.
Comparison between Organic and Inorganic Compounds
Organic compounds are formed via bonding between carbons and hydrogen. Inorganic compounds, on the other hand, do not have these bonds. Salts, metals, and other substances which lack this type of covalent bonding are known as inorganic substances. These substances mainly comprise natural minerals and compounds. Due to the presence of ionic bonds, inorganic compounds are closely packed. Due to the high density, these compounds tend to have high melting and boiling points.
Organic compounds | Inorganic compounds |
These compounds have covalent bonding | These compounds have ionic bonding |
These compounds are found in solid, liquid, and gas forms | These compounds are found in solid form |
These compounds are insoluble in water | These compounds are soluble in water |
These compounds contain carbon as the main element | These compounds don’t have carbon in them |
These compounds are mainly found in living organisms | These compounds are found from natural substances or non-living things |
Examples include carbohydrates and protein | Examples include minerals and salts |
Classification of Organic Compounds
Organic compounds comprise the majority of the compounds known to us. To learn and study more deeply about these compounds, they need to be classified into different categories. Generally, organic compounds are divided into two categories — open-chain compounds and closed-chain compounds — according to their structure or the arrangement of elements.
Open-chain Compounds
These compounds are also known as acyclic compounds as they are made up of carbon atoms arranged in straight sequence. The carbon atoms have hydrogen or any other atom bonded with them to fulfil their valency. Earlier, these compounds were known as aliphatic compounds as they were primarily obtained from animals or vegetable fat.
They can further be classified into two parts, straight-chain compounds and branched-chain compounds.
- Straight-chain compounds: In these compounds, the carbon chain present does not have any branch. Instead, it is just a linear chain; for example – butane
- Branched-chain compounds: In these types of compounds, the main carbon chain has sub-branches attached to them; for example – isobutane
Closed-chain Compounds
When the carbon chain is arranged so that it forms one or more cyclic chains, it is known as a closed-chain compound. Due to their cyclic structure, they are also known as cyclic compounds.
The cyclic compounds are further divided into two categories.
- Heterocyclic compounds: When the cyclic compound has one or more elements different from carbon, it is known as a heterocyclic compound
- Homocyclic compounds: When all the elements in the cyclic compound are carbon, without any other atom in the cyclic structure, it is known as a homocyclic compound
- Homocyclic compounds can be categorized into two parts:
- Alicyclic compounds: These are the compounds whose properties are similar to aliphatic compounds
- They do not have a double bond present in their rings
- Cyclopropane, cyclobutene, cyclohexane are examples of alicyclic compounds
- Aromatic compounds: As the name suggests, these compounds have an aroma or a pleasant odour
- They have a double bond present in them
- They are further divided into two categories of benzenoid aromatic compounds and non-benzenoid aromatic compounds
- Aniline and naphthalene are examples of aromatic compounds
Some Organic Compounds and their uses
- Methane: It is black and has many uses. It is used in the preparation of methyl alcohol, chloroform, etc. It is also used in the production of light, energy, tyres and printing inks.
- Formic acid: It is used as a preservative in fruit juice, in making insecticides, etc.
- Benzene: It is used as fuel for some engines and dry cleaning. It is sometimes mixed with petrol to improve its efficiency.
- Glucose: It is mixed in various fruit juices to preserve it. It is used in making wine and sweets. Some medicines like gluconate have glucose in them.
- Ethyl acetate: It is used in making medicines, artificial perfumes, etc.
- Acetone: It is used to make artificial silk, synthetic rubber, chloroform, etc.
- Chloroform: The primary use of chloroform is to give anesthesia before medical operations. In the solvent form, it is also used in making rubber, insecticides, etc.
- Urea: It is used as a fertilizer in crop fields. It is used in making formaldehyde, urea plastic, insecticides, etc.
- Ethyl alcohol: It has many uses, including the preparation of wine and other consumable drinks, tincture, polish, soaps, insecticides etc. It is used in medical clinics for cleaning wounds.
Conclusion
We have seen how organic compounds are present all around us and are an inseparable part of our life. Most of the compounds that are known are organic. They are valuable for humans as they have many uses. To study these vast numbers of compounds, we have divided them into various categories. Organic compounds are significant since carbon is found in all living species. They are the fundamental elements of many of Earth’s cycles; the carbon cycle, for example, involves the carbon exchange between plants and animals during photosynthesis and cellular respiration.
