As you know, all substances can be divided into two large categories - mineral and organic. Many examples of inorganic or mineral substances can be cited: s alt, soda, potassium. But what types of connections fall into the second category? Organic substances are present in any living organism.
Proteins
Proteins are the most important example of organic substances. They include nitrogen, hydrogen and oxygen. In addition to these, sometimes sulfur atoms can also be found in some proteins.
Proteins are one of the most important organic compounds, and they are the most commonly found in nature. Unlike other compounds, proteins have certain characteristic features. Their main property is a huge molecular weight. For example, the molecular weight of an alcohol atom is 46, benzene is 78, and hemoglobin is 152,000. Compared to the molecules of other substances, proteins are real giants containing thousands of atoms. Sometimes biologists call them macromolecules.
Proteins are the most complex of all organicbuildings. They belong to the class of polymers. If we look at a polymer molecule under a microscope, we can see that it is a chain consisting of simpler structures. They are called monomers and are repeated many times in polymers.
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 - nylon, lavsan, polyethylene.
Protein formation
How are proteins formed? They are an example of organic substances whose composition 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.
Also, new amino acids can be formed already when the protein begins to function in the cell. At the same time, 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, the polypeptide chain, during the formation of a protein, twists into a helix, 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 fat, vegetable oils. In large quantities, fats are formed in the seedsplants. If a peeled sunflower seed is placed 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 plant organs. 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. You can verify this by dropping a little iodine on a potato slice.
Sugar is also easy to spot - they all taste sweet. Many carbohydrates of this class are found in the fruits of grapes, watermelons, melons, 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 contain several hydroxyl groups. In the process of photosynthesis, the sugar of inorganic substances is formed from carbon monoxide and sulfur.
Fiber
Fiber is another example of organic matter. Most of it is found in cotton seeds, as well as plant stems and their leaves. Fiber consists of linear polymers, its molecular weight ranges from 500 thousand to 2 million.
In its purest form, it representsa substance that has no smell, taste and color. It is used in the manufacture of photographic film, cellophane, explosives. Fiber is not absorbed by the human body, but it 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.
Under natural conditions, inorganic substances are formed in the process of 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 subsequently move from one category to another. Living organisms use mainly organic matter for food.
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 interconnected using two types of bonds - simple and multiple. They can also form chains. Another reason is the variety of different chemical elements that are included in organic matter. In addition, diversity is also due to allotropy - the phenomenon of the existence of the same element in differentconnections.
And how are inorganic substances formed? Natural and synthetic organic substances and their examples are studied both in high school and in specialized higher educational institutions. The formation of inorganic substances is not as complex a process as the formation of proteins or carbohydrates. For example, people have been extracting soda from soda lakes since time immemorial. In 1791, the chemist Nicolas Leblanc proposed to synthesize it in the laboratory using chalk, s alt, and sulfuric acid. Once upon a time, soda, familiar to everyone today, was a fairly expensive product. To conduct the experiment, it was necessary to ignite table s alt together with acid, and then ignite the resulting sulfate together with limestone and charcoal.
Another example of inorganic substances is potassium permanganate, or potassium permanganate. This substance is obtained in industrial conditions. The formation process consists in the electrolysis of a potassium hydroxide solution and a manganese anode. In this case, the anode gradually dissolves with the formation of a violet solution - this is the well-known potassium permanganate.
