can you tell if a compound is organic or inorganic by just knowing its molecular formula?

Answer 1

If it has C and H in it, it is probably organic. The chance increases if there are more than one carbon atom in the molecular formula. This is because carbon is unique in forming long chains and rings.

Answer 2

Yes, but No, but Yes! It's far too simplistic to say that all "organic" compounds contain carbon, limestone, calcium carbonate, is not organic by any definition. Sodium bicarbonate NaHCO3 has got C,H and O in it but it ain't organic. Until about the last half of the 19th century " organic" compounds were considered to be those found and extracted from living materials until urea was synthesised in the laboratory from "inorganic" chemicals. The organic/inorganic divide is further complicated by the "organic" environmentalist lobby. Don't worry over much about it. All will become clear when you are a chemist and then it won't matter anyway!

Answer 3

If the ingredient is in column IA or IIA, it truly is going to form an ionic compound. If the halogen, etc., is paired with yet another metallic, it truly is extremely no longer ionic because the bonds will be covalent. So NaCl is ionic, yet SnCl2 is covalant. An acid will have the ability to providing a proton in answer. So HCl ionizes, giving H+.

Answer 4

An organic compound contains only Carbon, Hydrogen and Oxygen.
Inorganic compounds contain other radicals along with for instance, C ,H and O

Answer 5

Lancenigo di Villorba (TV), Italy

As you know, any organic compounds must containt carbon atoms. Since it, chemical compounds containing not carbon atoms are chemicals belonging not to organic class.
If your chemical containts carbon atoms, you compare it with few inorganic compounds containing carbon atoms.
The latters are the followings :
-) carbon's allotropic forms, e.g. graphite, diamond, phullerene, etc. ;
-) carbon's oxides (e.g. CO and CO2) and related compounds (e.g. metal-carbonylic complex and mineral carbonates) ;
-) some carbon-based solvents, I think to carbon's sulphide and halo-methanes, among these chloroform and carbon's tetrachloride ;
-) hydrocyanic, thiocyanic and cyanic acids (e.g. HCN, HCNS and HCNO) and related compounds (e.g. theirs salts and cyanogen gas, C2N2)...do they there are again? I think these are sufficient for a brief comparison.

I hope this helps you.

Answer 6

yeah.. any compund with carbon in it is an organic compound except CO2 and CO