CHEM 1100 Chapter Notes - Chapter 6: Pyrene, Ionone, Chlorofluorocarbon
26 Feb 2014
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Document Summary
95% of compounds contain the element carbon: carbon is the smallest member and the only non-metal in group 4a of the periodic table. It has 4 valence electrons and in its compounds forms 4 covalent bonds. In 1800s scientists knew there were 2 types of chemical compounds: organic and inorganic: organic compounds came from living organism and were chemically fragile (easily decomposed with heat) Inorganic compounds came from the earth and were chemically durable (difficult to decompose: many scientists believed then that living organisms contained a vital force that allowed them to overcome ordinary physical laws and produced organic compounds. Proved wrong living organisms must follow the physical laws of the universe: the chemistry of living organisms is biochemistry, many organic compounds have uses that are not necessarily related to their biological origins. Most of our fuels are composed of organic compound that originated from prehistoric plant and animal life. Carbon forms 4 single covalent bonds with 4 hydrogen atoms.
