why oxides of carbon ,carbonates ,hydrogen carbonates ,cyanides and cyanates are not organic compound?
Why is gold spelled g o l d?
this link describes the arbritary definitions...
https://chemistry.stackexchange.com/questions/6690/what-is-the-definition-of-organic-compounds
To understand why oxides of carbon, carbonates, hydrogen carbonates, cyanides, and cyanates are not considered organic compounds, we must first define what organic compounds are.
Organic compounds are compounds that contain carbon atoms covalently bonded to other elements, usually hydrogen, along with other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, or halogens. These compounds are typically derived from living organisms or have a chemical structure similar to those found in living organisms.
Now, let's examine each of the mentioned compounds:
1. Oxides of carbon, such as carbon monoxide (CO) and carbon dioxide (CO2), contain carbon atoms bonded to oxygen atoms but do not contain any hydrogen. Since organic compounds typically contain carbon-hydrogen bonds, oxides of carbon are considered inorganic compounds.
2. Carbonates, such as calcium carbonate (CaCO3), and hydrogen carbonates, such as sodium hydrogen carbonate (NaHCO3), are compounds that contain carbon atoms bonded to oxygen atoms and also include carbonate ions (CO3^2-) or hydrogen carbonate ions (HCO3^-). While they contain carbon atoms, they lack carbon-hydrogen bonds, making them inorganic compounds.
3. Cyanides, like potassium cyanide (KCN), contain a carbon atom triple bonded to a nitrogen atom and no carbon-hydrogen bonds. Although they contain carbon, they are considered inorganic compounds due to the absence of carbon-hydrogen bonds.
4. Cyanates, such as potassium cyanate (KOCN), consist of a carbon atom double bonded to an oxygen atom and a nitrogen atom bonded to potassium. Similar to cyanides, they lack carbon-hydrogen bonds and are classified as inorganic compounds.
In summary, oxides of carbon, carbonates, hydrogen carbonates, cyanides, and cyanates are all considered inorganic compounds because they do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds, which are essential for classifying compounds as organic.