GENOC 401_INTRODUCTION TO ORGANIC CHEMISTRY
Introduction
Organic chemistry is defined as the study of the compounds mainly
composed by carbon and hydrogen atoms, and sometimes oxygen, nitrogen,
phosphorus, sulphur and halogens atoms. The study of the rest of the elements
and their compounds falls under the group of inorganic chemistry. However,
there are some exceptions such as carbonates, cyanides, carbides, carbon
oxides, carbonic acid, carbon disulphide which are considered as inorganic
compounds. Since various organic compounds contained carbon associated with
hydrogen, they are considered as derived from hydrocarbons. Thus, a more
precise definition of organic chemistry is: “the study of hydrocarbons and the
compounds which could be thought of as their derivatives‟