Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic Chemistry is a study of the structure, properties, and reactions of the chemical elements and their compounds. Inorganic chemistry does not include the investigation of hydrocarbons —compounds composed of carbon and hydrogen that are the parent material of all other organic compounds. The study of organic compounds is called organic chemistry . Inorganic chemists have made significant advances in understanding the minute particles that compose our world. These particles, called atoms, make up the elements, which are the building blocks of all the compounds and substances in the world around us. Just as the entire English language is constructed from combinations of the 26 letters in the alphabet, all chemical substances are made from combinations of the 112 chemical elements found on the periodic table (see Periodic Law ). Ninety elements are known to occur in nature, and 22 more have been made artificially. Elements—which include substances such as oxygen, nitrogen, and sulf