Inorganic chemistry is a branch of chemistry that deals with artificially made substances, such as metal alloys and mineral compounds. The study of inorganic chemistry centers on the structure and properties of materials. Although inorganic chemists are also interested in the reactions between organic molecules, they are primarily concerned with the “inert” molecules–those without any carbon-based component. There is no consensus as to what should be included in this study so it includes some aspects of physical chemistry and electronic spectroscopy as well as other branches of organic chemistry. CBSE has a concrete syllabus of ncert chemistry class 11.
In the 19th century, it was believed that inorganic chemistry was merged with organic chemistry, and the term “organic” was used to describe any chemical reactions involving carbon. This changed with the discovery of methane (CH) and other simple hydrocarbons in 1857 by German chemists August Kekulé and Robert Bunsen.
They eliminated the hydroxyl radical (OH) from an alkane (an organic compound containing only hydrogen and carbon atoms), which resulted in a carbon-hydrogen bond, making methane a hydrocarbon. Many scientists at that time made similar discoveries; this eventually led to the establishment of several sub-disciplines of chemistry including organometallic chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry. This growth was aided by several factors, including the increasing complexity of organic compounds (difficult to be analyzed by the old methods) and the discovery of several inorganic molecules that could exist as covalent molecules.
Organic chemistry vs inorganic chemistry
The division between inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry is not definite and somewhat arbitrary. In general, the distinction between these branches of chemistry is made in their respective study of substances. No matter how complex a biological molecule, it is still made up of only two elements: carbon and hydrogen. All inorganic molecules are composed entirely of elements other than carbon and hydrogen, but they may contain carbon-hydrogen bonds. So in this sense, the distinction between what is inorganic and what is organic is not always clear. Infinity Learn provides the best study for ncert chemistry class 11.
The distinction between the two branches was strongest during the early 20th century. Organic chemistry was popular for its application to chemical processes in biology, medicine, and industry, while inorganic chemistry remained the realm of physical chemists and metallurgists with little connection with other fields of science.
Regardless of its name, this branch of chemistry has become very important in modern society. Because of their complex atomic structure, many natural substances like coal and petroleum are difficult to extract into a more useful form. Chemical processes have allowed us to use these substances more efficiently.
Inorganic chemistry has also been applied to the study of life. Inorganic chemists have studied the structure and function of proteins and nucleic acids, which are both important in living organisms, as well as in the study of alloys and other materials used by modern-day surgeons.
Artificial organic material, called organic or polymer chemistry may be considered an inorganic branch of chemistry because it is a man-made organic material. This will become more evident once full artificial life or better artificial intelligence is developed with the help of polymer chemistry and not living cells by default.
According to Wittig reactions, most of the elements can be synthesized and even their compounds. This particular reaction has been observed by many chemists, but it is still not considered to be a laboratory procedure. This reaction is quite simple; it is known as the formation of an acetal. In this type of reaction, the two individual molecules that are linked together are called acetals (or also called alkyl ketals).
Conclusion
The reactions between inorganic compounds and organic molecules result in polymeric substances. Polymer chemistry is a common source for many synthetic materials that we use today and a large part of it is based on polymerization reactions. Many of these polymers are used in everyday life and a few examples include vinyl chloride, polyethylene, polystyrene, and other common materials.
