An inorganic compound is a chemical compound that is not an organic compound. Inorganic compounds come principally from mineral sources of non-biological origin. The modern definition of inorganic compounds often includes all metal-containing compounds, even those found in living systems. Although most carbon compounds are classed as organic, cyanide salts, carbon oxides and carbonates are usually considered to be inorganic.

Organic and inorganic

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Although the number of inorganic compounds is huge, it is indeed overshadowed by the number of organic compounds — compounds which contain carbon and hydrogen bonded to each other, which comprise the vast majority of all compounds known. The science of chemistry is broadly divided into the two specialized fields of organic and inorganic chemistry which focus respectively on organic and inorganic compounds.

Inorganic compounds and living organisms

In the past it was believed that organic compounds are found only in organisms, and this was how the initial distinction between the two groups had been made. Today, however, we know that this is far from true: thousands of organic compounds were synthetically formed; they don't come from and don't exist in organisms: drugs and plastics, for example. At the same time, many inorganic compounds exist in organisms, and are essential to life: sodium chloride (common salt), carbonic acid, phosphate ions and many more. The study of metal compounds in living systems is called bioinorganic chemistry.

Inorganic Carbon compounds

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Carbon compounds are sometimes erroneously considered to be all organic; many compounds that contain carbon, however, are defined as strictly inorganic: carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonates, to name but a few. All these compounds have no hydrogen atoms bonded to the carbon.

Types of inorganic compounds

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Major branches of inorganic compound groups include:

• Minerals, such as salt, asbestos, silicates, ...
• Metals and their alloys, like iron, copper, aluminium, brass, bronze, ...
• Compounds involving non-metallic elements, like silicon, phosphorus, chlorine, oxygen, for example water
• Metal complexes

Inorganic Chemistry

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The field within which inorganic compounds are researched is called inorganic chemistry. Inorganic chemistry is divided into further branches based upon the type of materials and compounds being studied. The fields of organic and inorganic chemistry overlap in many cases particularly in organometallic chemistry.

See also

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• List of inorganic compounds
• Inorganic compounds by element

Inorganic compounds

Anorganická látka | תרכובת אי-אורגנית | 無機化合物 | Uorganiske sambindingar | Composto inorgânico | Неорганические соединения | Epäorgaaninen yhdiste | สารประกอบอนินทรีย์ | Неорганічні сполуки | 无机物