AP Biology Notes The Importance of Carbon in Living Systems

II. The Foundations of Organic Chemistry A. The branch of chemistry specializing in the study of carbon compounds. 1. Organic molecules are molecules containing carbon. 2. Called organic molecules because these compounds were only found in living beings. 3. Vitalism a. Belief in a life force outside the jurisdiction of chemical/physical laws. b. Organic chemistry in early 19th century was built on a foundation of vitalism because organic chemists could not artificially synthesize organic compounds. c. Chemists and biologists believed that only living organisms could produce organic compounds. 4. Mechanism a. Belief that all natural phenomena are governed by physical and chemical laws. b. Pioneers of organic chemistry began to synthesize organic compounds from inorganic molecules. c. This helped shift mainstream biological thought from vitalism to mechanism. d. For example, Fredrich Wohler synthesized urea in 1828; Herman Kolbe synthesized acetic acid.