General characteristics of organic compounds | ch#11 | 10th class chemistry

General Characteristics of Organic Compounds:
Organic compounds have the following general characteristics:
(i) Origin: Naturally occurring organic compounds are obtained from plants and animals.
On the other hand, inorganic compounds are obtained from minerals and rocks.
(ii) Composition: Carbon is an essential constituent of all organic compounds. They are
made up of few elements such as carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, halogen, sulphur,
etc. On the other hand, inorganic compounds are made up of almost all the elements of
the Periodic Table known so far.
(iii) Covalent linkage: Organic compounds contain covalent bonds, that may be polar or
non-polar, while the inorganic compounds mostly contain ionic bonds.
(iv) Solubility:
Organic compounds having non-polar linkages are generally soluble in organic solvents like
alcohol, ether, benzene, carbon disulphide etc. On the other hand, the inorganic compounds
with ionic bonds are soluble in polar solvents like water.
(v) Electrical conductivity:
Due to the presence of covalent bonds, organic compounds are poor conductors of electricity,
whereas inorganic compounds being ionic in nature, are good conductors of electricity in
molten state or in aqueous solution.
(vi) Melting and boiling points: Generally, organic compounds have low melting and boiling points
and are volatile in nature. Inorganic compounds, on the other hand, have comparatively high melting and
boiling points.
(vii) Stability: Since organic compounds have low melting and boiling points, they are less stable than
inorganic compounds.
(viii) Combustibility: Organic compounds with high percentage of carbon are generally combustible. On
the other hand, inorganic compounds are mostly non-combustible.
(ix) Isomerism: A main characteristic of organic compounds which differentiate them from inorganic
substances is their tendency to exhibit the phenomenon of isomerism. Isomerism is rare in inorganic
substance