Inorganic compound
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An inorganic compound is a chemical compound that is not an organic compound. Traditionally, inorganic compounds came principally from mineral sources of non-biological origin. Most known inorganic compounds are however synthetic and are not obtained directly from nature.
According to contemporary definitions, inorganic compounds include all compounds containing metals and metalloids. Although most carbon compounds are considered organic, cyanide salts, carbon oxides and carbonates are usually considered to be inorganic.
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[edit] Organic versus inorganic compounds
Compositions of matter can be broadly divided into the two classes: inorganic and organic compounds. Although inorganic compounds are numerous, organic compounds - compounds that contain carbon and hydrogen bonded to each other - are far more numerous, comprising the majority of all compounds known. The overlap between organic and inorganic chemistry is considerable.
[edit] Inorganic compounds and living organisms
Many inorganic species exist in organisms and are essential to life. Sodium, chloride, and phosphate ions are essential for life as are some inorganic molecules such as carbonic acid, nitrogen, carbon dioxide, and oxygen.
The field of bioinorganic chemistry focuses on the biological roles of such elements beyond carbon, although virtually all such bioinorganic molecules could in fact be classified as organic since they contain C-H bonds.
In the past it was believed that organic compounds are found only in living organisms. Today, however, the great majority of organic compounds are synthetic, they are not found in nature. And many, such as drugs and plastics, are important for our human health nonetheless.
[edit] Inorganic carbon compounds
All carbon compounds are sometimes erroneously considered to be organic; many compounds that contain carbon, however, can be defined as strictly inorganic: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonates, fullerenes to name but a few. All these compounds have no hydrogen atoms bonded to the carbon. In general however, scholars in these areas are not concerned about strict definitions of inorganic vs. organic carbon compounds.
[edit] Types of inorganic compounds
Major branches of inorganic compound groups include:
- Minerals, such as salt, asbestos, silicates, ...
- Metals and their alloys, like iron, copper, aluminium, brass, bronze, ...
- Compounds involving non-metallic elements, like silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, oxygen, for example water
- Metal complexes
