A major focus of organic chemistry is the isolation, purification, and structural study of naturally occurring substances, since many natural products are simple organic molecules. Simple carbon-containing compounds produced by photosynthesis—the process by which carbon dioxide and water are converted to oxygen and compounds known as carbohydrates—form the raw material for the myriad organic compounds found in the plant and animal kingdoms. Such compounds include formic acid (HCO2H) in ants, ethyl alcohol (C2H5OH) in fermenting fruit, and oxalic acid (C2H2O4) in rhubarb leaves.
Other natural products, such as penicillin, vitamin B12, proteins, and nucleic acids, are exceedingly complex. The isolation of pure natural products from their host organism is made difficult by the low concentrations in which they may be present. Once such products are isolated in their pure form, however, modern instrumental techniques can reveal structural details for amounts weighing as little as one-millionth of a gram.
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