Why is this molecule NOT organic?

[saoj]

In the table below I was asked to pick the ORGANIC compound. Well, Verdigris has a C2H3O2 in there, so that looked very organic to me. But it turns out it is the first one Alizarin. How could I have chosen the right one here?

http://notes.soliveirajr.com/docs/pigments.png

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[milski]

Verdigris is a transition metal complex which has some organic ligand attached to it. Alizarin seems to be some variation of a an aromatic compound. You can deliberate if Verdigris is organic or not based on the presence of the organic ligand, but having the choice of a straightforward organic compound should make it easy to discard it.

 

[SaintJude]

Verdigris & azurites are both coordination compound, an example of an inorganic compound. You're right, it's not strictly inorganic but is an organometallic compound (note the Copper in its compound)

I suspect, deep down you knew this, because you didn't choose the other organometallic compounds such as azurite.

By POE, the first is the only answer choice left. I myself, would have had to do POE because I haven't memorized what quinones looked like--or the fact that they are organic compounds.

 

[saoj]

Verdigris & azurites are both coordination compound, an example of an inorganic compound. You're right, it's not strictly inorganic but is an organometallic compound (note the Copper in its compound)

So the fact that Verdigris & Azurites have a metal in them, makes them more likely to be inorganic?

 

[milski]

So the fact that Verdigris & Azurites have a metal in them, makes them more likely to be inorganic?

It's all a matter of interpretation. They are actually a metal with some things attached to them. Some of these things happen to be organic. Compare that to something like a Grignard reagent where you have an organic molecule with an Mg atom attached.

The only reason to skip the latter as organic would be comparing it to something like a pure hydrocarbon and even then I would say it's a stretch. Coordination compounds like the two above? I'd pick them as organic only if everything else was completely non-organic.

What I'm trying to say is that just a presence of a single metal atom is not enough to say much - you need to know something about the structure of the molecule.

 

[MedPR]

Whether or not the metal matters, you should have seen that Azurite and Verdigris both have carbon, copper, hydrogen, and oxygen only. To me this automatically rules out both. I would have picked A because the rest don't even look organic.

 

[milski]

Whether or not the metal matters, you should have seen that Azurite and Verdigris both have carbon, copper, hydrogen, and oxygen only. To me this automatically rules out both. I would have picked A because the rest don't even look organic.

Hm, you cannot stick a Cu to some sort of alcohol? Not saying that you can, just wondering if that's enough without having a hint about the compound structure.


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[MedPR]

Hm, you cannot stick a Cu to some sort of alcohol? Not saying that you can, just wondering if that's enough without having a hint about the compound structure.


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Not sure. I figured it would be enough. Maybe just a coincidence though.

What's the explanation in the answer?

 

[saoj]

Not sure. I figured it would be enough. Maybe just a coincidence though.

What's the explanation in the answer?

TBR just says it is the only organic compound in the list. DUH! Maybe the guy who wrote the answers did not even know himself.

Or maybe because the compound is written in orgo notation we should assume that it is the organic one? Pretty fragile, I know...