Organic compounds definition classification

  Organic compounds are a large class of chemical compounds where carbon atoms are covalently bonded with other atoms of chemical elements, mostly hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus. Organic substances like sugar, stretch, alcohol, resin, oils, and indigo are known from the earliest times but their chemistry still unknown. In, 1675 Lemery divided the organic compounds into three classes like compounds obtained from minerals, vegetables, and animals. This classification accepted very quickly but Lavosior in 1784 shows, all the elements that come from vegetable and animal sources must be contained at least carbon and hydrogen, and frequently nitrogen and phosphorus.

Therefore, the classification cannot differentiate between plants and animal products. Lavoisier's analytical work stimulated further research in this direction. This leads to the reclassification of chemical compounds into two groups, molecules that come from plants or animals are called organic and substances which not prepared from living organisms are called inorganic.

At this stage, the difference between organic and inorganic compounds is very complex. In 1828, Wohler converted ammonium cyanate into urea, a compound obtained only from animal sources. The above types of classification of compounds are completely ended after the synthesis of acetic acid from its elements by Kolbe in 1845 and the synthesis of methane by Berthelot in 1856.

The previous difference between inorganic and organic compounds is disapproved. Therefore, organic chemistry is the chemistry of carbon compounds. This definition includes compounds like carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonates, and carbon disulfide which are the inorganic kingdom. The modern meaning of the organic compound is any class of compound that contains a significant amount of carbon but many of the types of organic compounds have no connection to any compounds found in living organisms. Therefore, organic chemistry is the chemistry of hydrocarbons or derivatives of hydrocarbon compounds or molecules.

Today organic compounds are classified as natural compounds, synthetic compounds, biotechnological compounds. Natural compounds are discussed before on the topics but synthetic compounds may be prepared by different types of chemical reactions. Many types of organic compounds like ethanol and insulin may be manufactured industrially using bacteria and yeast is called biotechnological compounds. The elements commonly found in organic substances are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, halogens, sulfur, phosphorus, and different types of metals.