Organic Chemistry

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Organic compounds are carbon-based chemicals and are essential to life. Carbon shares electrons with other atoms in strong, covalent bonds to form these compounds. The other atoms in organic compounds can be additional carbon atoms or a wide variety of other elements including hydrogen, nitrogen, and oxygen atoms. The study of how these covalent bonds form and break is the foundation of organic chemistry.

Top organic chemistry categories

Hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons are organic compounds made up of carbon and hydrogen atoms which have low reactivity and include alkanes, alkenes, alkynes, and cyclic compounds.

Heterocyclic Compounds

Heterocyclic compounds are cyclic compounds which contain atoms from at least two different elements in the ring, and include nitrogen, oxygen, sulfur, and mixed heterocycles.

Reagents for Organic Synthesis

These are substances, usually inorganic compounds or small organic molecules, used in the synthesis of organic compounds.

Halogen-containing Compounds

Organohalides are organic compounds containing fluorine, chlorine, bromine, and iodine.

Nitrogen-containing Compounds

Nitrogen-containing compounds include, among others, amines and derivatives, nitriles, azides, and hydrazines.

Oxygen-containing Compounds

Oxygen-containing compounds include alcohols, aldehydes, ketones, ethers, and carboxylic acids and derivatives.

Phosphorus-containing Compounds

Phosphorus-containing compounds include esters of organophosphorus acids, phosphonic esters, phosphines, and phosphites.

Sulfur-containing Compounds

Sulfur-containing compounds include thiols, thioethers, thioesters, thioureas, sulfonamides, and sulfoxides.

Polymers

Organic polymers include polysaccharides, polypeptides, polynucleotides, and synthetic materials such as the common plastics, e.g., polyethylene, polyvinylchloride, and polystyrene.