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NeedsAPbiohelp NeedsAPbiohelp
wrote...
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13 years ago
Why isn't CO2 a organic? It is carbon based. Would C02 be a inorganic molecule or compound?
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wrote...
13 years ago
Let me rephrase my question to make my question more specific.

A organic molecule obviously consists of carbon. If it contained another substance such as nitrogen, wouldn't that make it a organic compound?

I ask this because my AP BIO book and other sources constantly mention organic molecules --but it confuses me greatly when they are I think organic compounds. Is organic molecules a broad, general term that covers organic compounds? But if so -- aren't organic molecules just like H, N, O while organic compounds are a combination of elements that are carbon based?

Here is a small piece of text:

The energy stored in organic molecules of food ultimately come from the sun.

*********************************************************************
Shouldn't it be the energy stored in the bonds between organic compounds comes from the sun?
What is my AP BIO book referring to when it mentions organic molecules?
wrote...
Staff Member
13 years ago
Good question...

CO2 doesn't contain hydrogen. An organic compund must contain both carbon and hydrogen. Carbon dioxide is an inorganic carbon compound. It, too, can contain nitrogen, but it must have both carbon and hydrogen.
- Master of Science in Biology
- Bachelor of Science
wrote...
Educator
13 years ago
Carbon dioxide is considered to be an inorganic compound. Your thinking that it is organic because it contains carbon is true in every other situation. Believe it or not, carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide and other carbon-containing inorganic salts are the main exceptions. There is another way of deciding if a compound is organic or inorganic and that is to see if it contains Carbon and Hydrogen.
wrote...
13 years ago
Then what is the piece of text I took from the book trying to convey to me?

Thanks for your response on the CO2 question.


TEXT:
The energy stored in organic molecules of food ultimately come from the sun

Is this saying specifically that the energy from the sun is stored in H, O, N, etc., but not carbon? The energy stored in 2 or more H,O,N atoms bonded together ultimately come from the sun. What is this text saying? Could you define a organic molecule and a organic compound too..
wrote...
Educator
13 years ago
Recall that in photosynthesis, the energy of the sun converts CO2 and water (H2O) into glucose (sugar) - the ultimate source of energy for almost all organisms. Nitrogen comes from the atmosphere, which bacteria in the roots of plants convert into NO2-, NH4+.
wrote...
13 years ago
Oh yeah! Glucose is a organic molecule/compound that Photosynthesis produces that is then used in cellular respiration in the mitochondria.  Person Raising Both Hands in Celebration
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