An overwhelming majority of what we eat is made from plants and animals. This means that composition of our almost entire food is chemicals from the realm of organic chemistry (carbon-based large molecules). Water and salt are two prominent examples of non-organic foodstuffs - which come from the realm of inorganic chemistry. Beside some medicines is there any more non-organic foods? Can we eat rocks, salts, metals, oxides… and I just don’t know that?

  • Radio_717@lemmy.world
    64·
    1 year ago

    Modern definition of Organic as it pertains to chemistry is any compound that contains BOTH hydrogen AND carbon.

    Edit: Vitamins in general including absorbed acid are organic compounds because they contain both carbon and hydrogen atoms.

    Edit2- I left out a key piece of information. The carbon and hydrogen need to be covalently bonded as well not just part of the compound.

      • Radio_717@lemmy.world
        1·
        1 year ago

        Your link claims any compound with carbon is organic (there are exceptions listed) which really doesn’t fit either since there so many exceptions.

        I was glib with my organic chemistry because it’s not just hydrogen atoms specifically but more the covalent bond between carbon and hydrogen that makes it organic so they have to be bonded covalently to be considered organic.

        There’s still exceptions to this definition but they’re far fewer and usually only found in extremely unstable compounds like the fully halogenated fringe cases you mentioned in another comment.

    • schmidtster@lemmy.world
      27·
      1 year ago

      So adding anything to water would there-for make it organic…? I don’t think that definition works…