what makes organic chemistry different from other areas of chemistry?

Answer 1

It is way, way more mysterious, illogical, and empirical.

Answer 2

Organic chemistry is the study of carbon compounds.
Because of the ways carbon can make bonds and can circle around on itself to form a 6 carbon ring (benzene), the combinations are endless. There is a nomenclature that can define every compound and also indicate the molecule's structure. The science of organic chemistry has a huge impact on both our economy and standard of living. You can't "tinker" with molecules and use their properties to come up with new chemicals like you can in organic.

2 carbons with 6 hydrogens is ethane, a flamable gas. Drop 2 hydrogens, making the C-C a double-bond and it becomes ethene. Drop 2 more hydrogens, making it a triple-bond and the technical name is ethine. But most people know that compound as acetlyene gas.

A 3 carbon, 8 hydrogen molecule is named propane, the same gas used to heat homes and bbq grills. Insert an oxygen atom between a carbon and 1 of the hydrogens and it becomes propanol, commonly known as isopropyl alcohol. String a bunch of propane molecules together and it's polyproplyene, one of the most usefull of plastics.

Hook 6 carbons together and you have benzene, the basic carbon ring. Add a CH3 group and you have toluene. Add 3 NO2 groups around the ring and you have trinitrotoluene, better known as TNT.

In this brance of chemistry, you will study how different groups affect a chemicals properties. For example, adding -OH to a straight chain turns it into an alcohol.

Pretty fun stuff. Being creative in an organic lab is alot more interesting than weighing and measuring in p-chem.

Answer 3

organic chemistry deals with the compounds formed by carbon.carbon has the tendency to form long chained compounds.this is called "catenation".carbon has the tendency to form many organic compounds.but the other areas of chemistry doesnt deal with it.