A member
of a large class of chemical compounds containing carbon in their
molecules is organic chemical.Compounds such as simple oxides of carbon
and cyanides, carbonates, including allotropes of carbon as well are
considered inorganic due to some historical reasons.
The
science that is concerned with all aspects of organic compounds is
termed as organic chemistry and the methodology to prepare these
compounds is organic synthesis.
"Organic"
is an historical name, which dates back to the first century. Vitalism
was believed by western alchemists for many centuries. Vitalism was the
theory which stated that certain compounds could only be synthesized
from their classical elements Earth, Water, Air and Fire by the action
of a "life-force" which is possessed only by organisms. According to
this theory these "organic" compounds differ fundamentally from the
"inorganic" compounds that could be obtained by chemical manipulation of
the elements.
There
are different ways to classify organic chemicals. Natural and synthetic
compounds are major distinction between them. The presence of
heteroatoms can classify or subdivide organic chemicals,taking example
of organometallic compound in which bonds between carbon and a metal is
featured, and compounds in which bonds between carbon and a phosphorus
is featured is organophosphorus.
The
size of organic compounds distinguish between small molecules and
polymers, this is another criteria to classify organic chemicals.
Synthesis of organic compounds from Natural compounds
Those
chemicals which are produced by plants or animals are natural
compounds. It may be expensive to produced some compounds artificially
so they are still taken from natural sources. For examples most sugars,
some alkaloids and terpenoids are included in this category, certain
nutrients as vitamin B12, and those natural products which are
stereoisometrically complicated molecules present in reasonable
concentrations in living organisms.
Compounds
such as antigens, carbohydrates, enzymes, hormones, lipids and fatty
acids, neurotransmitters, nucleic acids, proteins, peptides and amino
acids, lectins, vitamins and fats and oils, are of prime importance to
biochemistry.
Organic chemicals: Synthetic Compounds
Synthetic
compounds are those which are prepared by reaction of other compounds.
They may be the compounds already found in plants or animals (semi
synthetic compounds), or those which are not found naturally.
A
category which includes all plastics (polymers) are organic compounds.
An exception that is noticable is silicone, which comes in both category
of polymer and a plastic.