Cyclic or Closed Chain Compounds
These are the compounds in which carbon atoms are joined to form one or more rings with or without heteroatom. On the basis of heteroatoms in the cycle, they are further classified into two types
- Homocyclic Compounds
- Heterocyclic Compounds
Homocyclic or Carbocyclic Compounds
Homocyclic Compounds are cyclic compounds, in which the ring structure is formed by similar atoms of carbon. They are also called Carbocyclic compounds. No other element besides carbon exists in these compounds. Examples of Homocyclic or Carbocyclic compounds are this compound are benzene, naphthalene, tetracene, and so on.
They are further classified as,
- Alicyclic compounds: These compounds show properties similar to those of aliphatic compounds. In these homocyclic compounds, carbon atoms are linked by single bonds only. e.g. Cyclopropane, etc.
- Aromatic Compounds: These compounds contain at least one aromatic ring which resembles benzene in their chemical behaviour. e.g. Benzene, etc. Aromatic compounds are further classified into two categories which are discussed further in this article.
Heterocyclic Compounds
These compounds include one or more heteroatoms like oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, etc. in the ring of carbon atoms. They are also further divided into two types.
- Hetero-alicyclic compounds: Alicyclic compounds which contain at least one heteroatom in the ring are called hetero-alicyclic compounds. e.g. Tetrahydrofuran (THF), etc.
- Hetero-aromatic compounds: Aromatic compounds which contain at least one heteroatom in the ring are called hetero-aromatic compounds. e.g. Furan, etc.
Hetero-aromatic compounds are classified as benzenoid compounds and non-benzenoid compounds.
Classification of Organic Compounds
Organic compounds are defined as chemical compounds which contain carbon atoms linked with other elements through simple covalent bonds. These elements could be connected by single covalent bonds, double covalent bonds, or triple covalent bonds. In other words, we can say that all organic compounds contain carbon as their central atom. We must note that all compounds containing carbon are not considered organic compounds, such as carbonates(-CO3), bicarbonates(-HCO3), etc are carbon-containing compounds but not organic. Whereas we can say with surety that all organic compounds contain carbon atoms but vice versa is not true.
In this article, we will learn about organic compounds and their various classification based on bonds, functional groups, and structure. As there are millions of organic compounds and studying them individually is not possible. Therefore, the classification of organic compounds is required. So, let’s start learning about Organic Compounds and their classification.