Inorganic chemistry

The periodic table, metals, coordination compounds, and redox reactions

What is inorganic chemistry?

Inorganic chemistry studies all the chemical elements and their compounds other than the carbon-based compounds covered in organic chemistry — so essentially everything on the periodic table, including metals, minerals, salts, and gases.

The periodic table as a map

Every known chemical element is organized into the periodic table, arranged so that elements with similar chemical behavior line up in the same column (group). This isn't an arbitrary filing system — it reflects a real, underlying pattern in how atoms are built, and it lets chemists predict how an unfamiliar element will behave just from its position on the table.

Metals, nonmetals, and their compounds

Most elements are metals: generally shiny, able to conduct electricity, and able to be shaped without breaking. Metals tend to lose electrons easily when reacting, forming positively charged ions. Nonmetals behave very differently, tending to gain electrons and form negatively charged ions. When a metal and a nonmetal react, they often form an ionic compound — ordinary table salt (sodium chloride) is a simple, familiar example, formed from sodium (a metal) and chlorine (a nonmetal).

Acids, bases, and salts

Many inorganic compounds fall into the well-known categories of acids and bases. An acid releases hydrogen ions when dissolved in water; a base does the opposite, accepting them. When an acid and a base react together, they neutralize each other, typically producing water and a salt — the same basic reaction happening, in different forms, throughout chemistry.

Why inorganic chemistry matters

Inorganic chemistry underlies metallurgy (extracting and working with metals), the manufacture of fertilizers, cement, and glass, battery technology, and catalysts used throughout industrial chemistry — a huge share of the physical infrastructure of modern life depends directly on inorganic chemistry.