European Union Forums

[Ailinel]

what is the difference between organic chemistry, and normal chemistry?

and do i need to learn normal chemistry first in order to learn organic chemistry?

[Angbor]

normal chemistry involves every element
organic- specializes in carbon chemistry (N, O, H etc. also play a part)

learning regular chemistry is pretty much essential for understanding anything in organic, since organic is only one part of the whole

[Herumor]

normal chemistry can also be referred to as nonorganic chemistry. The title 'organic' refers to chemicals existing in and derived from plants and animals. You can think of organic chemistry as referring to anything that is alive. That being said, organic chemistry is then paramount to any type of science that deals with plants or animals. This means it is very important if you want to go into medicine, pharmacy, enviornmental science, or anything else that deals with plants and animals. Organic chemistry is also one of the most challenging forms of chemistry; it indroduces many new concepts that can be difficult to grasp. I heard a rumor while I was in school that organic chemistry is the most commonly failed college course. I know that it was difficult for many of the students in my class.

To answer your second question, a solid background in normal (inorganic) chemistry is important for learning O chem, kinda like learning to add and subtract is important for learning multiplication and division. They arent quite the same thing, but they are related, and inorganic chemistry is much easier to learn. So while you could learn to multiply and divide without knowing how to add and subtract, that knowledge makes your life much easier.