The Nature of Organic Chemistry

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There are over six million organic compounds characterized, including the foods we eat, (made of carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and vitamins), furs and feathers, hides and skins, and the organisms they came from. not to mention plastics, synthetic and natural fibers, dyes and drugs, insecticides and herbicides, ingredients in perfumes and flavoring agents, and petroleum products.
The name organic chemistry came from the word organism. Prior to 1828, all organic compounds had been obtained from organisms or their remains. The belief then was that the synthesis of organic compounds from inorganic compounds in the laboratory was impossible. All efforts had failed, and scientists became convinced that some "vital force" that living organisms had was necessary to make an organic compound. The synthesis of urea from inorganic substances in 1828 led to the disappearance of this vital force theory.

The Uniqueness of Carbon

The great number of carbon compounds is possible because of the ability of carbon to form stron covalent bonds to eath other while also holding the atoms of other nonmetals strongly. Chains of carbon atoms can be thousands of atoms long, as in polyethylene.
Polyethylene chain:
  H H H H H H H H H H H
  | | | | | | | | | | |
H-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-C-etc.
  | | | | | | | | | | |
  H H H H H H H H H H H

Isomers

Isomerism is another reason why there are so many organic compounds. Isomers are compounds with identical molecular composition but their structures are arranged differently. Depending on how they are arranged, they may have similar or different properties.
Because the number of carbons per molecule increases as the compound gets more complex, the number of possible isomers for any given formula becomes very, very large.
FormulaNumber of Isomers
C8H1818
C10H2275
C20H42366,319
C40H826.25 x 1013 (approx.)

Examples of isomers:
  H H H H
  | | | |
H-C-C-C-C-H
  | | | |
  H H H H
butane
 
      H
      |
  H H-C-H H
  |   |   |
H-C---C---C-H
  |   |   |
  H   H   H
2-methyl propane
Butane and 2-methyl propane both have the molecular formula C4H10.
  H H
  | |
H-C-C-O-H
  | |
  H H
ethanol
 
  H   H
  |   |
H-C-O-C-H
  |   |
  H   H
dimethyl ether
Ethanol and dimethyl ether both have the molecular formula C2H6O.
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