Inorganic Compounds

Inorganics are commonly defined as elements and compounds that do not contain a carbon-hydrogen bond. Examples of these include carbon monoxide, carbon dioxide, carbonates, cyanides, cyanates, and carbide, to name a few. This group also includes carbon allotropes such as graphite and graphene. Because organic chemicals include only those that contain carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms, the majority of the elements in the periodic table and most substances in the material world are inorganic chemicals.

In addition to precious metals, examples of common everyday inorganic compounds include water, sodium chloride (salt), sodium bicarbonate (baking soda), calcium carbonate (dietary calcium source), and muriatic acid (industrial-grade hydrochloric acid). Inorganic compounds typically have high melting points and variable degrees of electrical conductivity. They are classified based on their components, and the bonds between them may be ionic or molecular. Binary ionic compounds are among the simplest inorganic compounds. These include salts comprising related numbers of positive ions (or cations) and negative ions (or anions) so that the final compound is electrically neutral.