Compounds of Carbon - Classification

Compounds of Carbon - Classification

Carbon is found both in free state as well as combined state in nature.

In the pre-historic period, ancients used to manufacture charcoal by burning organic materials. They used to obtain carbon compounds both from living things as well as non-living matter. Thus in the early 19th century, Berzelius classified carbon compounds based on their source as follows:

i.    Organic Carbon Compounds: These are the compounds of carbon obtained from living organisms such as plants and animals. e.g. Ethanol, cellulose, Starch.

ii.   Inorganic Carbon Compounds: These are the compounds containing carbon but obtained from non-living matter. e.g. Calcium Carbonate, Carbon Monoxide, Carbon dioxide.

1. Organic Compounds of Carbon

There are millions of organic carbon compounds available in nature and also synthesized manually. Organic carbon compounds contain carbon connected with other elements like hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulphur etc. Thus depending on the nature of other elements and the way in which they are connected with carbon, there are various classes of organic carbon compounds such as hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes and ketones, carboxylic acids, amino acids, etc. You will study about organic carbon compounds in your higher classes.

2. Inorganic Compounds of Carbon

As compared to organic compounds, the number of inorganic carbon compounds are limited. Among them oxides, carbides, sulphides, cyanides, carbonates and bicarbonates are the major classes of inorganic carbon compounds. Formation, properties and uses of some of the compounds are given in Table 4.1.

Carbon cycle

The carbon cycle is the biogeochemical cycle by which carbon is exchanged among the biosphere, geosphere, hydrosphere and atmosphere of the Earth. Carbon is the main component of biological compounds as well as a major component of many minerals such as limestone. Along with the nitrogen cycle and the water cycle, the carbon cycle comprises a sequence of events that are key to make Earth capable of sustaining life.