As a college student embarking on a scientific learning career you will likely notice many chemistry related subjects being offered at your school. Some of the most popular are general chemistry, also known as inorganic chemistry, and of course organic chemistry. Understanding the difference between these subjects is the first step in choosing your next chemistry course
Organic chemistry should not be mixed up with the concept of buying pure and non-tainted foods. While there is some relationship between the concept and the study, the definition of the science course title is a lot simpler than that.
The carbon atom, with its four valence electrons, is capable of forming atomic bonds to as many as four different atoms. If a carbon binds to four atoms, which bind to more atoms and even more atoms, you have the ability to create very large and complex molecules. These complex molecules form the biological molecules that make up living things.
The study of these molecule types including their reactions and reactivity is what makes up organic chemistry. But this course does not focus just on the biological molecules at the beginner level (these are focused on exclusively in an advanced course like biochemistry)
Instead, organic chemistry will look at carbon containing molecules in general. Your studies will include the shape and hybridization of these molecules. How they look, act and interact. A very large portion of the course will be devoted to reaction mechanisms. A mechanism is a detailed representation of the steps of a reaction, demonstrated by showing exactly how the electrons attack other atoms.
Your atomic focus in this course will typically revolve around 10 major atoms, most of them non-metals located on the right side of the periodic table.
General chemistry on the other hand, deals with a greater portion of atoms, including the entire left side or metallic side of the periodic table. This course is typically referred to as ‘general chemistry’ in many colleges
General chemistry starts with an introduction to the concepts of chemistry including developing an understanding of the periodic table, structure of the atom, and interactions between atoms in many different ways
General chemistry tends to be a mathematics-rich course. You will be required to study and know many different mathematical formulas, many of them relating back to concepts you have learned in physics and even biology