The Dictionary of Environmental Science and Engineering, Second Edition
These are compounds which contain carbon. It was first thought that organic compounds could only be produced by plants or animals. The great number of organic compounds results from the valence of four of the carbon atom.
Carbon atoms can link together by covalent bonding. Organic compounds are usually combustible and reactions are molecular rather than ionic. Several compounds can exist with the same formula (isomerism). Most organic compounds can serve as food for microorganisms.
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