Posted: Feb 28, 2010 6:47 am
Rawnaeris wrote::ask: What would we then call Inorganic?
I think the logical division in the future would be between simpler (what is largely under the label of "inorganic" nowadays) and more complex chemistry (that currently under the label inorganic).
For instance, a reaction such as this one:
C2H5OH + NaH -> C2H5ONa + H2
is much more akin to "inorganic" reactions such as this one:
HClO4 + KOH -> KClO4 + H2O
than what would typically be classed under the banner of "organic chemistry". The fact that one of the reagents has a carbon chain on it doesn't justify classing it under a different label.
In contrast, the chemistry of synthesising the hypothetical molecule I posted earlier would bear a far greater resemblance to "organic chemistry" than "inorganic", despite the fact that it contains not a single carbon atom.
So I think the division of branches of chemistry would probably be like this:
Simple: Acid/base reactions, redox, coordination complexes, simple polymers.
Complex: Larger, more complicated molecules containing such features as extensive pi/delta bonding, aromaticity, and functional groups. May or may not contain carbon.