Organic molecule or organic compound is a substance of chemical origin that is made up of a chemical element called carbon and another hydrogen. However, it contains other elements but in smaller quantities such as: oxygen, phosphorus, nitrogen, sulfur, among others. One of the characteristics of these elements is that they are flammable, that is, they can be burned and burn.
To understand this term a little more, it is necessary to know that the word organic etymologically comes from organs and is related to life. In the 19th century they were called organic, thanks to a series of beliefs where they claimed that they could only be synthesized by living organisms.
It is important to emphasize that most organic compounds are obtained artificially through chemical processes, however there are some that can be extracted from natural sources.
Natural organic compounds are those that are synthesized by humans and are called biomolecules. These are studied by biochemistry and the vast majority are derived from oil.
Artificial organic compounds are substances that do not produce or do not exist naturally and are manufactured by man, an example of this is plastic.
To understand this term a little more and the relationship that organic compounds have in everyday life, here are some examples.
The vast majority of carbohydrates are made up of carbon, oxygen and hydrogen, also known as sugars, and they are found abundantly in the plant world, such as starch, fructose and cellulose.
Similarly, there are also lipids that are biomolecules made up of carbon and hydrogen and with less oxygen. Their main characteristic is that they can be insoluble in water and soluble in solvents.
Last but not least, proteins are found and they are of great importance for living things.
On the other hand, there are inorganic compounds that, unlike organic compounds, do not contain carbon that interlace with hydrogen. In addition, its formation depends on the intervention of certain physical and chemical phenomena for its existence.
