Inorganic Chemistry

Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry concerned with the properties and reactions of compounds that are not built around chains of carbon. It covers most of the elements in the periodic table, including the metals, the salts they form, minerals, acids and bases, and the many coordination compounds in which metal atoms bind to surrounding groups. The behaviour of these substances follows from the arrangement of electrons in their atoms, which is why the periodic table is the central organising tool of the field.

A large part of inorganic chemistry involves ionic reactions, in which charged particles called ions combine or separate in solution. Ionic compounds form when one atom transfers electrons to another, producing positive and negative ions held together by electrical attraction; when dissolved, these ions become free to move and react. Many familiar processes, such as the formation of a solid precipitate when two solutions are mixed, are ionic reactions that can be predicted from the solubilities of the substances involved.

Oxidation and reduction reactions, together called redox reactions, are equally important. In them electrons are transferred from one species to another: the substance that loses electrons is oxidised and the one that gains them is reduced, and the two always occur together. Redox chemistry explains corrosion, combustion, the working of batteries and the extraction of metals from their ores. Analytical methods such as electrochemistry, crystallography and chromatography help chemists identify and separate inorganic substances, while chemical databases catalogue their known properties. Through these reactions and tools, inorganic chemistry accounts for a vast range of natural and industrial materials.

Frequently asked questions

What distinguishes inorganic from organic chemistry?

Inorganic chemistry deals with compounds not based on carbon chains, covering metals, salts, minerals and most elements, whereas organic chemistry focuses on carbon-based compounds.

What happens in an oxidation-reduction reaction?

Electrons are transferred between substances: one loses electrons and is oxidised while another gains them and is reduced, and the two processes always occur together.

What is an ionic reaction?

An ionic reaction involves charged particles, or ions, combining or separating, often in solution; mixing two solutions to form an insoluble solid precipitate is a common example.