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| {{short description|Chemical compound without any carbon-hydrogen bonds}} | |||
| {{Main|Inorganic chemistry}} | |||
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| {{original research|date=June 2014}} | |||
| {{essay|date=June 2014}} | |||
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| An '''inorganic compound''' is typically a ] that lacks ]s{{nowrap|{{px2}}{{mdash}}{{px2}}}}that is, a compound that is not an ].<ref>{{cite book|author-first1=Jöns Jacob|author-last1=Berzelius|author-link=Jöns Jacob Berzelius|title=Lehrbuch der Chemie|edition=1st|publisher=Arnoldischen Buchhandlung|location=Dresden and Leipzig|year=1827|ISBN=1-148-99953-1}} Brief commentary can be found in {{cite journal |doi=10.1021/ed042p394 |title=More on Berzelius and the vital force |date=1965 |last1=Jorgensen |first1=Bent Soren |journal=Journal of Chemical Education |volume=42 |issue=7 |page=394 |bibcode=1965JChEd..42..394J }}</ref><ref>Dan Berger, Bluffton College, analysis of varying inappropriate definitions of the inorganic-organic distinction: Otherwise consistent linked material differing from current article in downplaying the carbon present vs carbon absent distinctive: </ref> The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as '']''. | |||
| An '''inorganic compound''' is a compound that is not ]. The term is not well defined, but in its simplest definition refers simply to compounds that do not contain carbon. | |||
| ⚫ | Inorganic compounds comprise most of the ], although the compositions of the deep ] remain active areas of investigation.<ref name="Newman02">{{cite journal | last1=Newman | first1=D. K. | last2=Banfield | first2=J. F. | title=Geomicrobiology: How Molecular-Scale Interactions Underpin Biogeochemical Systems | journal=Science | volume=296 | issue=5570 | pages=1071–1077 | doi=10.1126/science.1010716 | pmid=12004119 | date=2002 | bibcode=2002Sci...296.1071N | s2cid=1235688 }}</ref> | ||
| Inorganic compounds are traditionally viewed as being synthesized by the agency of ] ]s. In contrast, ]s are found in ]s. The distinction between inorganic and organic compounds is not always clear. Organic chemists traditionally refer to any ] containing carbon as an organic compound and by default this means that inorganic chemistry deals with molecules lacking carbon.<ref>Major textbooks on inorganic chemistry, however, decline to define inorganic compounds: Holleman, A. F.; Wiberg, E. "Inorganic Chemistry" Academic Press: San Francisco, 2001. ISBN 0-12-352651-5; {{Greenwood&Earnshaw2nd}}, {{Cotton&Wilkinson5th}}</ref><ref>The 19th century., Arnoldischen Buchhandlung, Dresden and Leipzig, 1827. ISBN 1-148-99953-1. Brief English commentary in English can be found in Bent Soren Jorgensen "More on Berzelius and the vital force" J. Chem. Educ., 1965, vol. 42, p 394. {{DOI|10.1021/ed042p394}}</ref> As many ]s are of biological origin, biologists may distinguish organic from inorganic compounds in a different way that does not hinge on the presence of a carbon atom. Pools of organic matter, for example, that have been metabolically incorporated into living tissues persist in ], but as molecules become ] into the open environment, such as atmospheric CO<sub>2</sub>, this creates a separate pool of inorganic compounds. The ], an agency widely recognized for defining chemical terms, does not offer definitions of inorganic or organic. Hence, the definition for an inorganic versus an organic compound in a ] context spans the division between organic life living (or animate) and inorganic non-living (or inanimate) matter.<ref name="britannica.com">{{cite web|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/431954/organic-compound|title=organic compound – chemical compound|work=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref> | |||
| All ]s (structurally different pure forms of an element) and some simple ] compounds are often considered inorganic. Examples include the allotropes of carbon (], ], ], ], etc.), ] {{chem2|CO}}, ] {{chem2|CO2}}, ]s, and ] of inorganic ]s such as ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, etc. Many of these are normal parts of mostly organic systems, including ]s; describing a chemical as inorganic does not necessarily mean that it cannot occur within ] things. | |||
| ⚫ | == |
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| The ] is the conversion of ] ] into ]. This chemical reaction was discovered in 1828 by ] and is considered the starting point of modern ]. | |||
| == History == | |||
| The Wöhler synthesis is of great historical significance because for the first time an ] was produced from inorganic reactants. This finding went against the mainstream theory of that time called ], which stated that organic matter possessed a special force or ''vital force'' inherent to all things living. For this reason a sharp boundary existed between organic and inorganic compounds. Urea was discovered in 1799 and could until 1828 only be obtained from ] sources such as ]. Wöhler reported to his mentor ]: | |||
| ]'s conversion of ] into ] in 1828 is often cited as the starting point of modern ].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/mim/environmental/html/urea_text.htm |title=Urea |website = Molecules in Motion|last=May|first = Paul|publisher = Imperial College London |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150317072849/http://www.ch.ic.ac.uk/rzepa/mim/environmental/html/urea_text.htm |archive-date=2015-03-17 }}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1021/ed073p883|title=Wöhler's Synthesis of Urea: How do the Textbooks Report It?|journal=Journal of Chemical Education|volume=73|issue=9|pages=883|year=1996|last1=Cohen|first1=Paul S.|last2=Cohen|first2=Stephen M.}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|doi=10.1179/amb.2000.47.3.170|pmid=11640223|title=The Death of Vitalism and the Birth of Organic Chemistry: Wohler's Urea Synthesis and the Disciplinary Identity of Organic Chemistry|journal=Ambix|volume=47|issue=3|pages=170–195|year=2000|last1=Ramberg|first1=Peter J.|s2cid=44613876 }}</ref> In Wöhler's era, there was widespread belief that ]s were characterized by a ]. In the absence of vitalism, the distinction between inorganic and organic chemistry is merely semantic. | |||
| ⚫ | === Modern usage === | ||
| "''I cannot, so to say, hold my chemical water and must tell you that I can make urea without thereby needing to have kidneys, or anyhow, an animal, be it human or dog''". | |||
| * The ] (ICSD) in its definition of "inorganic" carbon compounds, states that such compounds may contain ''either'' C-H or C-C bonds, but not both.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://icsd.fiz-karlsruhe.de/search/resources/content/sci_man_ICSD_v1.pdf |title=Inorganic Crystal Structure Database |access-date=2017-01-13 |url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170830061100/https://icsd.fiz-karlsruhe.de/search/resources/content/sci_man_ICSD_v1.pdf |archive-date=2017-08-30 }}</ref> | |||
| * The book series '']'' does not define inorganic compounds. The majority of its content deals with metal complexes of organic ligands.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.inorgsynth.org/volumes.php|title=Volumes - Inorganic Syntheses|website=www.inorgsynth.org}}</ref> | |||
| == Modern usage == | |||
| * ] does not offer a definition of "inorganic" or "inorganic compound" but does define ] as "...skeletal structure that does not include carbon atoms."<ref>{{GoldBookRef |title=inorganic polymer |file=IT07515 }}</ref> | |||
| Inorganic compounds can be defined as any compound that is not ]. Some simple compounds which contain carbon are usually considered inorganic. These include ], ], ]s, ]s, ]s, ]s, and ]s. In contrast, ] and ] are generally considered to be simple examples of ]s, although the Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD),<ref>{{cite web|url=http://icsd.fiz-karlsruhe.de/|title=ICSD|work=fiz-karlsruhe.de}}</ref> in its definition of "inorganic" carbon compounds, states that such compounds may contain ''either'' C-H or C-C bonds, but not both.<ref>http://www.fiz-karlsruhe.de/fileadmin/be_user/ICSD/PDF/sci_man_ICSD_v1.pdf</ref> | |||
| == Coordination chemistry == | |||
| A large class of compounds discussed in inorganic chemistry textbooks are ]s. Examples range from substances that are strictly inorganic, such as Cl<sub>3</sub>]], to organometallic compounds, such as ], and extending to bioinorganic compounds, such as the ] enzymes. | |||
| == Mineralogy == | |||
| ⚫ | |||
| == See also == | == See also == | ||
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| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | * ] | ||
| * ] | |||
| == References == | == References == | ||
| {{reflist |
{{reflist}} | ||
| == External links == | |||
| * Dan Berger, Bluffton College, analysis of varying inappropriate definitions of the inorganic-organic distinction: Otherwise consistent linked material differing from current article in downplaying the carbon present vs carbon absent distinctive: | |||
| {{Authority control}} | {{Authority control}} | ||
Latest revision as of 22:43, 13 January 2025
Chemical compound without any carbon-hydrogen bondsAn inorganic compound is typically a chemical compound that lacks carbon–hydrogen bonds—that is, a compound that is not an organic compound. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as inorganic chemistry.
Inorganic compounds comprise most of the Earth's crust, although the compositions of the deep mantle remain active areas of investigation.
All allotropes (structurally different pure forms of an element) and some simple carbon compounds are often considered inorganic. Examples include the allotropes of carbon (graphite, diamond, buckminsterfullerene, graphene, etc.), carbon monoxide CO, carbon dioxide CO2, carbides, and salts of inorganic anions such as carbonates, cyanides, cyanates, thiocyanates, isothiocyanates, etc. Many of these are normal parts of mostly organic systems, including organisms; describing a chemical as inorganic does not necessarily mean that it cannot occur within living things.
History
Friedrich Wöhler's conversion of ammonium cyanate into urea in 1828 is often cited as the starting point of modern organic chemistry. In Wöhler's era, there was widespread belief that organic compounds were characterized by a vital spirit. In the absence of vitalism, the distinction between inorganic and organic chemistry is merely semantic.
Modern usage
- The Inorganic Crystal Structure Database (ICSD) in its definition of "inorganic" carbon compounds, states that such compounds may contain either C-H or C-C bonds, but not both.
- The book series Inorganic Syntheses does not define inorganic compounds. The majority of its content deals with metal complexes of organic ligands.
- IUPAC does not offer a definition of "inorganic" or "inorganic compound" but does define inorganic polymer as "...skeletal structure that does not include carbon atoms."
See also
- Inorganic compounds by element
- List of inorganic compounds
- List of named inorganic compounds
- Mineral acid
References
- Berzelius, Jöns Jacob (1827). Lehrbuch der Chemie (1st ed.). Dresden and Leipzig: Arnoldischen Buchhandlung. ISBN 1-148-99953-1. Brief commentary can be found in Jorgensen, Bent Soren (1965). "More on Berzelius and the vital force". Journal of Chemical Education. 42 (7): 394. Bibcode:1965JChEd..42..394J. doi:10.1021/ed042p394.
- Dan Berger, Bluffton College, analysis of varying inappropriate definitions of the inorganic-organic distinction: Otherwise consistent linked material differing from current article in downplaying the carbon present vs carbon absent distinctive:
- Newman, D. K.; Banfield, J. F. (2002). "Geomicrobiology: How Molecular-Scale Interactions Underpin Biogeochemical Systems". Science. 296 (5570): 1071–1077. Bibcode:2002Sci...296.1071N. doi:10.1126/science.1010716. PMID 12004119. S2CID 1235688.
- May, Paul. "Urea". Molecules in Motion. Imperial College London. Archived from the original on 2015-03-17.
- Cohen, Paul S.; Cohen, Stephen M. (1996). "Wöhler's Synthesis of Urea: How do the Textbooks Report It?". Journal of Chemical Education. 73 (9): 883. doi:10.1021/ed073p883.
- Ramberg, Peter J. (2000). "The Death of Vitalism and the Birth of Organic Chemistry: Wohler's Urea Synthesis and the Disciplinary Identity of Organic Chemistry". Ambix. 47 (3): 170–195. doi:10.1179/amb.2000.47.3.170. PMID 11640223. S2CID 44613876.
- "Inorganic Crystal Structure Database" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2017-08-30. Retrieved 2017-01-13.
- "Volumes - Inorganic Syntheses". www.inorgsynth.org.
- IUPAC, Compendium of Chemical Terminology, 2nd ed. (the "Gold Book") (1997). Online corrected version: (2006–) "inorganic polymer". doi:10.1351/goldbook.IT07515