Illustrated · 1 min
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Organic Chemistry is the study of carbon compounds. When most people think of the word, "organic," they think of nature. However, to chemists, "organic" just means "carbon-based." Since carbon is one of the basic components of life, this does include many naturally occurring substances, but it also includes man-made materials such as plastics and dyes. In fact, 95% of all known compounds are organic!
Since all foods are carbon-based, everything is "organic" to chemists regardless of this label!
Carbon is the sixth most abundant element in the universe. Its electronegativity is moderate, so it shares electrons (forms covalent bonds) with many other elements. Common elements in organic compounds besides carbon include hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur.
Organic Chemistry is vital to understanding the complexity of life and is used to create a ton of things, such as clothing and medicines! If you want to learn more, check out the UC Davis Chem Wiki!