Search research articles

ABOUT JoVE

Overview Leadership Blog JoVE Help Center

AUTHORS

Publishing Process Editorial Board Scope & Policies Peer Review FAQ Submit

LIBRARIANS

Testimonials Subscriptions Access Resources Library Advisory Board FAQ

RESEARCH

JoVE Journal Methods Collections JoVE Encyclopedia of Experiments Archive

EDUCATION

JoVE Core JoVE Business JoVE Science Education JoVE Lab Manual Faculty Resource Center Faculty Site

Terms & Conditions of Use

Related Concept Videos

Organic Compounds

Organic Compounds

All living things are formed mostly of carbon compounds called organic compounds. The category of organic compounds includes both natural and synthetic compounds that contain carbon. Although a single, precise definition has yet to be identified by the chemistry community, most agree that a defining trait of organic molecules is the presence of carbon as the principal element, bonded to hydrogen and other carbon atoms. However, some carbon-containing compounds such as carbonates, cyanides, and...

What is Organic Chemistry?

What is Organic Chemistry?

Organic chemistry is the study of compounds of carbon called organic compounds. Organic compounds either originate from living organisms or are synthesized by chemists. A defining trait of these compounds is the presence of carbon as the principal element, which is bonded to other carbon atoms and other elements such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfur. The existence of a wide array of organic molecules is a consequence of carbon atoms’ ability to form up to four strong bonds to other...

Introduction to Functional Groups

Introduction to Functional Groups

Functional groups are group of atoms with specific chemical properties that occur within organic molecules and sometimes denoted as “R”. Functional groups are found along the carbon backbone of macromolecules can form chains or rings of carbon atoms. Functional groups can “functionalize” a compound by enabling it to adopt different physical and chemical properties.
Types of common functional groups
The table below summarizes some of the major functional groups in organic chemistry. (The...

Carbon Skeletons

Carbon Skeletons

Life on Earth is carbon-based, as all macromolecules that make up living organisms contain carbon atoms. All organic compounds have a carbon backbone. Each carbon atom is tetravalent and can bond with four other atoms, making it an extraordinarily flexible component of biological molecules. Because carbon’s valence electrons are stable, it rarely becomes an ion. As the carbon chain increases in length, structural modifications such as ring structures, double bonds, and branching side chains...

Newman Projections

Newman Projections

Different notations are used to represent the three-dimensional structure of molecules on two-dimensional surfaces. One of the most commonly used representations is the dash-wedge formula. The dashed wedges, solid wedges, and the plane lines indicate the groups situated behind the plane, coming out of the plane, and in the plane, respectively.
The organic molecules rotate across the single bonds leading to numerous temporary three-dimensional structures of varying energy known as conformers.

Molecular Models

Molecular Models

Physical models representing molecular architectures of chemical compounds play essential roles in understanding chemistry. The use of molecular models makes it easier to visualize the structures and shapes of atoms and molecules.

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by

Same author

Hydrogen Analysis by Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry.

Analytical chemistry·2026

Same author

Hydrogen Production from Polyethylene Pyrolysis.

ACS omega·2026

Same author

Weak Anion-Exchange Chromatography Coupled with FT-ICR MS Resolves Polarity-Driven Molecular Signatures in Natural and Anthropogenic Dissolved Organic Matter.

Analytical chemistry·2025

Same author

New Processes for Ionizing Nonvolatile Compounds in Mass Spectrometry: The Road of Discovery to Current State-of-the-Art.

Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry·2024

Same author

Discovery of a biomarker for β-Thalassemia by HPLC-MS and improvement from Proton Transfer Reaction - Parallel Ion Parking.

Journal of mass spectrometry and advances in the clinical lab·2023

Same author

Analysis of Isotopically Depleted Proteins Derived from <i>Escherichia coli</i> and <i>Caenorhabditis elegans</i> Cell Lines by Liquid Chromatography 21 T Fourier Transform-Ion Cyclotron Resonance Mass Spectrometry.

Journal of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry·2023

Search research articles

Related Experiment Video

Updated: May 24, 2026

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters

Published on: January 9, 2014

Compositional space boundaries for organic compounds.

Vladislav V Lobodin¹, Alan G Marshall, Chang Samuel Hsu

¹Ion Cyclotron Resonance Program, National High Magnetic Field Laboratory, 1800 E. Paul Dirac Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32310-4005, USA.

Analytical Chemistry

|March 2, 2012

Summary

This summary is machine-generated.

A new upper boundary for organic compound elemental composition is defined, extending the double-bond equivalent (DBE) rule for fossil and synthetic molecules. A generalized DBE definition accounts for atomic valence, improving accuracy for complex compounds.

More Related Videos

Chemical Analysis of Water-accommodated Fractions of Crude Oil Spills Using TIMS-FT-ICR MS

Chemical Analysis of Water-accommodated Fractions of Crude Oil Spills Using TIMS-FT-ICR MS

Published on: March 3, 2017

Related Experiment Videos

Last Updated: May 24, 2026

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters

Spatial Separation of Molecular Conformers and Clusters

Published on: January 9, 2014

Chemical Analysis of Water-accommodated Fractions of Crude Oil Spills Using TIMS-FT-ICR MS

Chemical Analysis of Water-accommodated Fractions of Crude Oil Spills Using TIMS-FT-ICR MS

Published on: March 3, 2017

Area of Science:

Organic Chemistry
Geochemistry
Computational Chemistry

Background:

Established upper elemental compositional boundary for fossil hydrocarbons using double-bond equivalents (DBE) at 90% of carbon count.
The 90% rule, with nitrogen atoms counted as carbon, excludes over 10% of possible elemental compositions for fossil molecules.
Synthetic compounds may exceed this natural boundary, necessitating a broader definition.

Purpose of the Study:

To define an absolute upper boundary for elemental composition applicable to all organic compounds.
To address limitations of the standard DBE definition for heteroatom-containing compounds and specific atomic valences.
To present a generalized DBE definition incorporating atomic valence for accurate ring and bond calculations.

Main Methods:

Established an absolute upper boundary for DBE as carbon number plus one.
Evaluated the applicability of the 90% rule and the absolute boundary to fossil and synthetic compounds.
Developed a generalized DBE formula that includes atomic valence considerations.

Main Results:

The absolute upper boundary (DBE = C + 1) encompasses all organic molecules, including fullerenes.
The standard DBE definition can fail for molecules with unusual atomic valences.
The generalized DBE definition accurately calculates rings, double bonds, and triple bonds for heteroatom-containing compounds.

Conclusions:

The absolute upper boundary provides a universal limit for organic compound elemental compositions.
A generalized DBE definition is crucial for accurately characterizing complex organic molecules, especially those with heteroatoms.
This work refines the use of DBE in analyzing molecular composition across natural and synthetic compounds.