What is an organic chemical?
Chemicals can either be elements, meaning they are made of a single type of atom, or compounds, which consist of multiple elements. Molecules, which are a grouping of atoms, are the smallest particles of a compound and contain multiple atoms of one or more elements. If we combine two atoms of hydrogen (H) and one atom of oxygen (O), both elements, into a single molecule, we get the familiar compound known as water.
If a molecule contains one or more carbon (C) and hydrogen (H) atoms, the resulting compound is an organic chemical. Organic chemicals are common, and may either naturally occurring or manufactured. Because of their variety and usefulness, this category of chemicals is extensively studied.
The simplest organic chemical is methane, the major component of natural gas. A methane molecule contains a single carbon atom and four hydrogen atoms, and its chemical symbol is CH4. While all organic molecules will contain at least one carbon and hydrogen atom, they may also contain other elements such as sulfur (S), phosphorus (P) or chlorine (Cl). Caffeine (C8H10N4O2 ) and Vitamin C (C6H8O6) are both organic chemicals. A complex organic molecule such as a polymer or plastic may contain hundreds or even thousands of atoms.
While organically raised food is considered to have health benefits, the definition of organic chemicals does not imply being healthy or beneficial to life. Among chemicals that meet the definition of organic are the pesticide DDT (C14H9Cl5) and octane (C8H18), a large component of gasoline. Even trinitrotoluene (C7H5N3O6), familiar to us as TNT or dynamite, is an organic chemical.
The number of known organic compounds is well over 4 million, with more than one hundred thousand added every year.
An organic chemical, also referred to as an organic compound, is defined as being constructed of molecules that possess carbon-based atoms. Specifically, it is composed of carbon atoms attached to hydrogen atoms, together with a variety of other elements from functional groups, such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, etc. Usually, an organic chemical is covalently bonded, meaning that electrons are shared between atoms. This characteristic is why organic chemicals can be structured in a variety of long chains and rings and form bonds with the great stability.
