20 Examples of Organic and Inorganic Molecules - encyclopedia

Video: Difference between Organic and Inorganic Compounds

Content

Organic molecules
Inorganic Molecules
Examples of organic molecules
Examples of inorganic molecules

Chemistry distinguishes between two types of molecules of matter, according to type of atoms that constitute them: organic molecules Y inorganic molecules.

The fundamental difference between both types of molecule (and between the substances that are composed of them) is based, more than anything, in the presence of carbon (C) atoms forming covalent bonds with other carbon atoms or with hydrogen atoms (H), as well as with other frequent elements such as oxygen (O), nitrogen (N), Sulfur (S), Phosphorus (P) and many others.

Molecules that have this structure based on carbon they are known as organic molecules and they are the essentials for life as we know it.

See: Organic and Inorganic Compounds

Organic molecules

One of the main characteristics of organic substances is their combustibility, that is they can burn and lose or change their original structure, as is the case of the hydrocarbons that make up the fossil fuels. On the other hand, there are two types of organic substances, depending on their origin:

Natural organic molecules. Those that are synthesized by living creatures and that constitute the fundamental building blocks for the functioning and growth of their bodies. They are known as biomolecules.
Artificial organic molecules. They owe their origin to the hand of man, since they do not exist in nature as such. This is the case of plastics, for example.

It should be noted that broadly There are only four types of organic molecules making up the body of living beings: protein, lipids, carbohydrates, nucleotides and small molecules.

Inorganic Molecules

The inorganic molecules, on the other hand, They are not based on carbon, but other various elements, so they owe their origin to forces outside life, such as the action of electromagnetism and the different nuclear junctions that allow the chemical reactions. The atomic bonds in this type of molecule can be ionic (electrovalent) or covalent, but their resultant is never a living molecule.

The dividing line between organic and inorganic molecules has often been questioned and regarded as arbitrary, since many inorganic substances contain carbon and hydrogen. However, the established rule indicates that all organic molecules are based on carbon, but not all carbon molecules are organic.

See also: Organic and Inorganic Matter

Examples of organic molecules

Glucose (C₆H₁₂OR₆). One of the main sugars (carbohydrates) that serve as the basis for the construction of various organic polymers (energy reserve or structural function), and from its biochemical processing, animals obtain their vital energy (respiration).
Cellulose (C₆H₁₀OR₅). Biopolymer essential for plant life and the most abundant biomolecule on the planet. Without it it would be impossible to build the cell wall of plant cells, which is why it is a molecule with irreplaceable structural functions.
Fructose (C₆H₁₂OR₆). A sugar monosaccharide present in fruits, vegetables and honey, it has the same formula but different structure of glucose (it is its isomer). Together with the latter, it forms sucrose or common table sugar.
Formic acid (CH₂OR₂). The simplest organic acid that exists, used by ants and bees as an irritant for their defense mechanisms. It is also secreted by nettles and other stinging plants, and is part of the compounds that make up honey.
Methane (CH₄). The hydrocarbon The simplest alkane of all, whose gaseous form is colorless, odorless and insoluble in water. It is the majority component of natural gas and a frequent product of animal digestion processes.
Collagen A protein necessary for the formation of fibers, common to all animals and that makes up bones, tendons and skin, which adds up to 25% of the total proteins of the mammalian body.
Benzene (C₆H₆). Aromatic hydrocarbon composed of six carbon atoms in a perfect hexagon and linked by hydrogen bonds, it is a colorless liquid with a highly flammable sweet aroma. It is known as the basic molecule of all organic chemistry, since it is the starting point in the construction of many complex organic substances.
DNA. Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleotide polymer and the basic molecule of the genetic material of living beings, whose instructions allow the replication of all the material necessary for its creation, operation and eventual reproduction. Without them, hereditary transmission would be impossible.
RNA. Ribonucleic acid is the other essential molecule in the synthesis of proteins and substances that make up living beings. Formed by a chain of ribonucleotides, it relies on DNA for the execution and reproduction of the genetic code, key in cell division and in the constitution of all complex forms of life.
Cholesterol. Lipid present in the body tissues and blood plasma of vertebrates, essential in the constitution of the plasma membrane of cells, despite the fact that its very high levels in the blood can lead to problems in blood circulation.

Examples of inorganic molecules

Carbon Monoxide (CO). Despite consisting of just one carbon and one oxygen atom, it is an inorganic molecule and a environmental pollutant extremely toxic, that is, of presence incompatible with the majority of known living beings.
The water (H₂OR). Although essential to life and perhaps one of the most widely known and abundant molecules, water is inorganic. It is capable of containing living beings inside it, like fish, and it is inside living beings, but it is not alive properly.
Ammonia (NH₃). Colorless gas with a repulsive odor, the presence of which in living organisms is toxic and lethal, even though it is a by-product of many biological processes. That is why it is excreted from their bodies, in the urine, for example.
Sodium chloride (NaCl). The molecule of common salt, soluble in water and present in living organisms, which ingest it through their diet and dispose of the excess through various metabolic processes.
Calcium oxide (CaO). Known as lime or quicklime, it comes from limestone rocks and has long been used in history in construction work or in the manufacture of greek fire.
Ozone (O₃). Substance long present in the upper part of the atmosphere (the ozone layer) whose special conditions that allow it to exist, since normally its bonds decay and recover the diatomic form (O₂). It is used for water purification, but in large quantities it can be irritating and slightly toxic.
Ferric oxide (Fe₂OR₃). Common iron oxide, a metal long used in various human industries, is reddish in color and is not a good conductor of electricity. It is heat stable and dissolves easily in acids, giving rise to other compounds.
Helium (He). Noble gas, along with argon, neon, xenon and krypton, of very low or null chemical reactivity, which exists in its monatomic formula.
Carbon dioxide (CO₂). Molecule resulting from respiration, which expels it, but necessary for plant photosynthesis, which takes it from the air. It is a vital substance for life, but incapable of building organic molecules, despite having a carbon atom.
Sodium hydroxide (NaOH). Odorless white crystals, known as caustic soda, are a strong base, that is, a highly desiccant substance, which reacts exothermically (generating heat) when dissolved in water. In contact with organic substances it generates corrosion damage.