Organic compound 22203 225848719 2008-07-15T18:04:36Z DMacks 712163 Reverted edits by [[Special:Contributions/70.55.37.227|70.55.37.227]] ([[User talk:70.55.37.227|talk]]) to last version by 199.172.169.15 [[Image:Methane-2D-stereo.svg|thumb|right|150px|[[Methane]] is the simplest possible organic compound]] An '''organic compound''' is any member of a large class of [[chemical compounds]] whose [[molecules]] contain [[carbon]]. For historical reasons discussed below, a few types of compounds such as [[carbonates]], simple [[oxides]] of carbon and [[cyanides]], as well as the [[allotropes of carbon]], are considered [[Inorganic compound|inorganic]]. The division between "organic" and "inorganic" carbon compounds while "useful in organizing the vast subject of chemistry...is somewhat arbitrary"<ref name="text"/>. [[Organic chemistry]] is the science concerned with all aspects of '''organic compounds'''. [[Organic synthesis]] is the methodology of their preparation. ==History== The "organic" is a historical name, dating back to 19th century, when it was believed that organic compounds could only be synthesized in living organisms through ''[[vis vitalis]]'' - the "life-force". The theory that organic compounds were fundamentally different from those that were "inorganic", that is, not synthesized through a life-force, was disproved with the synthesis of [[urea]], an "organic" compound by definition of its known occurrence only in the urine of living organisms, from potassium cyanate and ammonium sulfate by [[Friedrich Wöhler]] in the [[Wöhler synthesis]]. The kinds of carbon compounds that are still traditionally considered [[Inorganic compound|inorganic]] are those that were considered inorganic before Wöhler's time; that is, those which came from "inorganic" (i.e., lifeless) sources such as [[mineral]]s.<ref name="text">[[Spencer L. Seager]], Michael R. Slabaugh. ''Chemistry for Today: general, organic, and biochemistry''. Thomson Brooks/Cole, '''2004''', p. 342. ISBN 053439969X</ref> ==Classification== :''See [[Organic chemistry#Classification of organic substances]]'' Organic compounds may contain [[atom]]s of further [[Chemical element|element]]s, so-called [[heteroatom]]s. [[Organometallic compound]]s constitute a further subsection, characterized by covalent bonds between organic carbon and a [[metal]]. There is also a large number of [[Compounds of carbon#Inorganic compounds|''inorganic'' carbon compounds]] to distinguish from organic compounds. ===Natural compounds=== An important subset of organic compounds is still extracted from natural sources because they would be far too expensive to be produced artificially. Examples include most [[sugar]]s, some [[alkaloid]]s and [[terpenoid]]s, certain nutrients such as [[B12|vitamin B<sub>12</sub>]], and in general, those natural products with large or stereoisometrically complicated molecules which are present in reasonable concentrations in living organisms. Further compounds of prime importance in [[biochemistry]] are [[antigen]]s, [[carbohydrate]]s, [[enzymes]], [[hormones]], [[lipids]] and [[fatty acids]], [[neurotransmitters]], [[nucleic acids]], [[protein]]s, [[peptide]]s and [[amino acids]], [[vitamins]] and [[fats and oils]]. ===Synthetic compounds=== Many [[polymer]]s, including all [[plastics]] are organic compounds. ==Nomenclature== The [[IUPAC nomenclature of organic chemistry|IUPAC nomenclature of organic compounds]] slightly differs from the [[Chemical Abstracts Service|CAS]] nomenclature. ==Databases== * The ''[[Chemical Abstracts Service|CAS]]'' database is the most comprehensive repository for data on organic compounds. The search tool ''[[Chemical Abstracts Service#SciFinder|SciFinder]]'' is offered . * The ''[[Beilstein database]]'' contains information on 9.8 million substances, covers the scientific literature from 1771 to the present, and is today accessible via ''CrossFire''. Structures and a large diversity of physical and chemical properties is available for each substance, with reference to original literature. * ''[[PubChem]]'' contains 18.4 million entries on compounds and especially covers the field of [[medicinal chemistry]]. There is a great number of more specialized databases for diverse branches of organic chemistry. ==Structure determination== :''See [[Structure determination]] Today, the main tools are [[Proton NMR|proton]] and [[Carbon-13 NMR|carbon-13]] [[NMR spectroscopy]] and [[X-ray crystallography]]. ==See also== *[[Organometallic compound]]s *[[Compounds of carbon|Inorganic carbon compounds]] *[[List of organic compounds]] | [[List of compounds|List of chemical compounds]] *[[Inorganic compound]]s ==References== <references/> {{Organic chemistry}} [[Category:Organic compounds| ]] [[Category:Organic chemistry]] [[ar:مركب عضوي]] [[bg:Органично съединение]] [[cs:Organická sloučenina]] [[da:Organisk forbindelse]] [[et:Orgaaniline ühend]] [[el:Οργανική ένωση]] [[es:Compuesto orgánico]] [[fa:ترکیب آلی]] [[fr:composé organique]] [[ko:유기 화합물]] [[id:Senyawa organik]] [[it:Composto organico]] [[he:תרכובת אורגנית]] [[lt:Organinis junginys]] [[mk:Органско соединение]] [[nl:Organische verbinding]] [[ja:有機化合物]] [[no:Organisk forbindelse]] [[nn:Organiske sambindingar]] [[pl:Związki organiczne]] [[pt:Composto orgânico]] [[ro:Compus organic]] [[ru:Органические вещества]] [[simple:Organic compound]] [[sk:Organická zlúčenina]] [[su:Sanyawa organik]] [[fi:Orgaaninen yhdiste]] [[sv:Organisk förening]] [[th:สารประกอบอินทรีย์]] [[vi:Hợp chất hữu cơ]] [[uk:Органічні сполуки]] [[zh:有机化合物]]