Moon Phase. Organic Chemistry. Portions of this entry contributed by Dana Romero Organic chemistry is the study of hydrocarbon compounds, i.e., substances consisting of the elements hydrogen, carbon, and oxygen.
Carbon atoms can form strong bonds with as many as four other carbon atoms in addition to being able to form ring structures and multiple bonds, thus producing an enormous number and variety of organic molecules. A table of some important functional groups are illustrated above. Common organic oxidation/reduction reactions include 1 primary alcohol + (O) Origin of Life. How did life originate?
Living things (even ancient organisms like bacteria) are enormously complex. However, all this complexity did not leap fully-formed from the primordial soup. Instead life almost certainly originated in a series of small steps, each building upon the complexity that evolved previously: Simple organic molecules were formed.