Organic Compound

Organic Compound

All compounds of carbon are called organic compounds. Basically organic compounds consist of carbon and hydrogen, these are called hydrocarbons. Some organic compounds also contain oxygen.

1.      Organic compounds are covalent compounds, consist of covalent bonds.

2.      Organic compounds have low melting and boiling points.

3.      Generally they are non-conductors of electricity.

Why Organic compounds have low melting and boiling points?

These are covalent compounds having weak force of attraction between their molecules so they melt and boil at very low temperature.

Why are organic compounds generally non-conductors of electricity?

Since organic compounds are covalent in nature they do not contain ions, so they cannot conduct electricity.

Since Organic compound occur in all living things like plants and animals, earlier it was assumed that these carbon compounds are extracted from the living material be it plant or animal. Hence a “Vital Force Theory” was proposed. According to this theory all organic compounds can only be formed within a living body and hence a vital force that creates the living body was necessary for the formation of these compounds.

This vital force theory was disapproved by a scientist Friedrich Wohler in 1828. Wohler prepared Urea [CO(NH₂)₂], which is an organic compound in laboratory by an inorganic compound called ammonium cyanate (NH₄CNO). Thus it was proved that vital force theory was a misconception.

All carbon compounds are organic compound, but an exception to this is oxides, carbonates, hydrocarbonates and carbides. This is because their properties are very different from the basic organic compounds which are hydrocarbons and their derivatives.

Why a large number of organic compounds are available? 

There are a large number of organic compounds this is because

1.      Carbon atom can link to four other atoms a time, either carbon or other elements forming long chains or rings.

2.      Since the valency is four it can make covalent bond with many different elements like carbon(4), hydrogen(1), oxygen(2), nitrogen(3), sulphur, chlorine(1)