Organic chemistry is the branch of Chemistry that involves the scientific study of organic compounds (compounds that contain covalently bonded carbon atoms). This branch of chemistry primarily deals with the structure and chemical composition of organic compounds, the physical and chemical properties of organic compounds, and the chemical reactions undergone by these compounds. Advancements in the field of organic chemistry have made numerous contributions to human society, such as the synthesis of several drugs, polymers, and other natural products. Synthetic organic chemistry is an important application of organic chemistry that deals with the design and construction of organic compounds for practical purposes.
The term ‘organic’ was coined because the field of organic chemistry was initially finite to compounds that were produced by living organisms. This was attributed to some ‘vital force’ that was present in organic substances as they had something that inanimate substances lacked. The above theory was debunked when Urey Miller synthesised urea from inorganic substances, but the classification is still in use.
Organic chemistry is a vast science due to one key property exhibited by the element carbon, which is called carbon catenation. Carbon has the exceptional ability to form very stable bonds with other carbon atoms, giving it the ability to form stable molecules with relatively complex structures. Catenation is the ability of an element to form bonds with an atom of the same kind. Hence, the vastness of organic chemistry can be attributed to this property of carbon.
Table of Contents
- Cleavage of Bonds
- Reaction Intermediates
- What Are Carbenes?
- What Are Free Radicals?
- Carbanions and Carbocations
- Transition State in Organic Reactions
- Reagents in Organic-Chemistry
- Types of Reactions in Organic Chemistry
- Field Effect
- Resonance Effect
- Role of Steric Hindrance
- Stability of Intermediates
The importance of organic chemistry in the present age is as immense as it has been since its inception. It plays an important role in our everyday life because food, medicines, paper, clothes, soap, perfumes, etc., are indispensable to us for proper living. The study of organic chemistry is important for chemists and pharmacists in synthesising medicines for the alleviation of human suffering.
The reactions in organic chemistry occur between organic compounds. Let us now study the different terminologies, classifications, field effects, types of reagents, the stability of intermediates, and properties in detail.
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