As you know, all substances can be divided into two large categories - mineral and organic. A large number of examples of inorganic or mineral substances can be given: salt, soda, potassium. But what types of compounds fall into the second category? Organic matter is present in any living organism.
Squirrels
Proteins are the most important example of organic matter. They include nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. In addition to them, sometimes sulfur atoms can also be found in some proteins.
Proteins are one of the most important organic compounds, and they are most often found in nature. Unlike other compounds, proteins are characterized by some characteristic features. Their main property is a huge molecular mass. For example, the molecular weight of an alcohol atom is 46, benzene is 78, and hemoglobin is 152,000. Compared to molecules of other substances, proteins are real giants containing thousands of atoms. Sometimes biologists call them macromolecules.
Proteins are the most complex of all organic structures. They belong to the class of polymers. If you look at the polymer molecule under a microscope, you can see that it is a chain consisting of simpler structures. They are called monomers and are repeated in polymers many times.
In addition to proteins, there are a large number of polymers - rubber, cellulose, as well as ordinary starch. Also, many polymers were created by human hands - kapron, lavsan, polyethylene.
Protein formation
How are proteins formed? They are an example of organic substances, the composition of which in living organisms is determined by the genetic code. In their synthesis, in the vast majority of cases, various combinations of 20 amino acids are used.
New amino acids can also form when the protein begins to function in the cell. However, only alpha amino acids are found in it. The primary structure of the described substance is determined by the sequence of residues of amino acid compounds. And in most cases, when the protein is formed, the polypeptide chain is twisted into a spiral, the turns of which are located closely to each other. As a result of the formation of hydrogen compounds, it has a fairly strong structure.
Fats
Fats are another example of organic matter. A person knows many types of fats: butter, beef and fish oil, vegetable oils. In large quantities, fats are formed in plant seeds. If the peeled sunflower seed is put on a sheet of paper and pressed down, an oily stain will remain on the sheet.
Carbohydrates
No less important in wildlife are carbohydrates. They are found in all organs of plants. Carbohydrates include sugar, starch, and fiber. They are rich in potato tubers, banana fruits. It is very easy to detect starch in potatoes. When reacted with iodine, this carbohydrate turns blue. This can be seen by adding a little iodine to the potato slice.
Sugars are also easy to spot — they all have a sweet taste. Many carbohydrates of this class are found in fruits of grapes, watermelons, melons, and apple trees. They are examples of organic substances that are also produced under artificial conditions. For example, sugar is extracted from sugar cane.
And how are carbohydrates formed in nature? The simplest example is the process of photosynthesis. Carbohydrates are organic substances that contain a chain of several carbon atoms. They also include several hydroxyl groups. In the process of photosynthesis, inorganic sugar is formed from carbon monoxide and sulfur.
Cellulose
Another example of organic matter is fiber. Most of it is found in cotton seeds, as well as plant stems and their leaves. Fiber consists of linear polymers, its molecular weight is from 500 thousand to 2 million.
In its pure form, it is a substance that lacks smell, taste and color. It is used in the manufacture of film, cellophane, explosives. In the human body, fiber is not absorbed, but is a necessary part of the diet, as it stimulates the stomach and intestines.
Organic and inorganic substances
There are many examples of the formation of organic and inorganic substances. The latter always come from minerals - inanimate natural bodies that form in the depths of the earth. They are also part of various rocks.
In vivo inorganic substances are formed during the destruction of minerals or organic substances. On the other hand, organic substances are constantly formed from minerals. For example, plants absorb water with compounds dissolved in it, which later go from one category to another. Living organisms use mainly organic substances for nutrition.
Reasons for diversity
Often, schoolchildren or students need to answer the question of what are the reasons for the diversity of organic substances. The main factor is that carbon atoms are joined together using two types of bonds - simple and multiple. They can also form chains. Another reason is the variety of different chemical elements that make up organic matter. In addition, diversity is due to allotropy - the phenomenon of the existence of one and the same element in different compounds.
And how are inorganic substances formed? Natural and synthetic organic substances and their examples are studied both in high school and in specialized higher education institutions. The formation of inorganic substances is not such a complex process as the formation of proteins or carbohydrates. For example, soda from time immemorial people extracted from soda lakes. In 1791, a chemical scientist Nicolas LeBlanc proposed to synthesize it in the laboratory using chalk, salt, and sulfuric acid. Once upon a time, the soda familiar to everyone today was a rather expensive product. For the experiment, it was necessary to calcine table salt together with acid, and then calcined sulfate calcined together with limestone and charcoal.
Another example of inorganic substances is potassium permanganate, or potassium permanganate. This substance is obtained under industrial conditions. The formation process consists in the electrolysis of a solution of potassium hydroxide and a manganese anode. In this case, the anode gradually dissolves with the formation of a purple solution - this is the well-known potassium permanganate.