Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry that studies the properties, structures, reactions, and uses of inorganic compounds. Unlike organic chemistry, which focuses mainly on carbon-containing compounds, inorganic chemistry deals with a much broader range of substances.
It includes:
- Elements and their compounds: metals, nonmetals, and metalloids.
- Salts, minerals, and oxides.
- Acids, bases, and neutral compounds.
- Coordination compounds (metal complexes with ligands).
- Organometallic compounds (compounds containing both metal and carbon, but not studied under pure organic chemistry).
Key Areas of Inorganic Chemistry:
- Descriptive Inorganic Chemistry – study of elements and their reactions.
- Coordination Chemistry – chemistry of metal-ligand complexes.
- Bioinorganic Chemistry – role of metals in biological systems (e.g., hemoglobin with iron).
- Solid State Chemistry – study of crystals, minerals, and solid materials.
- Industrial Inorganic Chemistry – production of materials like fertilizers, metals, ceramics, and catalysts.
In short, inorganic chemistry is about everything in chemistry that is not primarily carbon–hydrogen based.