Chemistry Reference
In-Depth Information
ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
The study of compounds containing the element carbon.
Origin—compounds formed naturally by plants or animals.
Wöhler (1828) synthesized urea (an organic compound found in human
urine) from lead cyanate and ammonium hydroxide, neither of which
are found in living matter.
Organic vs. inorganic is a matter of definition rather than source.
Organic chemistry is the study of compounds containing carbon and one or
more other chemical elements. Many years ago the term “organic” was given
to those compounds known to be formed by plants or animals. However, in
1828, Frederick Wöhler synthesized urea (an organic compound produced
by animal life) from two inorganic compounds, lead cyanate and ammonium
hydroxide. This showed that organic compounds do not have to come from
a natural source, and, now by definition, organic compounds are those com-
pounds that contain carbon (with the exception of amorphous carbon, graph-
ite, diamond, the gases carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide, metal carbo-
nyls, and inorganic carbonates formed from carbon dioxide).
