ALL ABOUT INORGANIC COMPOUNDS

What is INORGANIC COMPOUND?

 From the word “Inorganic” which means not arising from natural growth and “Compounds” or a
mixture. INORGANIC COMPOUNDS means in chemistry is typically a chemical compound that lacks
carbon–hydrogen bonds. The study of inorganic compounds is a subfield of chemistry known as
inorganic chemistry.

 However, there are compounds that contain carbon but can’t be classified as organic as it is inorganic
like the following: carbonates, cyanides, cyanates, carbides, thiocyanates, carbon monoxide, and
carbon dioxide.

 You want to know why? It is because inorganic compounds include certain carbon-containing
compounds that lack carbon-carbon bonds, such as cyanides and carbonates.

 Therefore, to identify if the compound is inorganic, you will just have to see if the compound does not
contain carbon, or if it lacks carbon-carbon bonds then we can declare that it is an inorganic
compound.

THE FOLLOWING ARE THE EXAMPLES OF INORGANIC COMPOUNDS:

1. Ammonia- it is an inorganic compound of nitrogen and hydrogen with the formula NH3.
2. Sulfuric Acid- (H2SO4) (the historical name oil of vitriol) and an inorganic substance.
3. Baking soda ( NaHCO3 )
- it is an inorganic compound because there is absence of direct bonds between carbon and hydrogen
atoms.
4. Steel ( Fe )
- it is inorganic because there is no carbon. Steel is an inorganic material. But if we add some carbon
(which is organic) and perhaps other Ingredients to impact certain physical properties to the iron and we
now call that a mixture steel.

5. Water (H2O)

- Water is an inorganic compound because it does not contain carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds. Inorganic
compounds typically lack C-H bonds. Water consists of hydrogen and oxygen atoms bonded together, forming
a simple, inorganic molecule.

6. Sodium Chloride (NaCl)

- Sodium chloride, or table salt, is inorganic because it consists of sodium and chlorine ions held together by
ionic bonds. It does not contain carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds.

7. Calcium Carbonate (CaCO3)

- Calcium carbonate is considered inorganic. It is composed of calcium, carbon, and oxygen atoms bonded
together to form a mineral. Like the previous examples, it lacks C-H bonds.
8. Ammonium Nitrate (NH4NO3)

- Ammonium nitrate is an inorganic compound used in fertilizers and explosives. It is inorganic because it
contains elements like nitrogen, hydrogen, and oxygen, but it does not contain carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds. It
consists of ammonium ions (NH4+) and nitrate ions (NO3-) held together by ionic bonds.

Inorganic compounds are generally characterized by the absence of C-H bonds and are typically minerals, salts,
metals, or simple molecules like those listed above. Organic compounds, on the other hand, are defined by the
presence of carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds and often involve more complex carbon-based structures.