In order to determine which compound is inorganic, it's helpful to understand the difference between organic and inorganic compounds.
Organic compounds primarily consist of carbon atoms bonded to hydrogen atoms, along with other elements like oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, and phosphorus. These compounds usually include a carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bond.
Inorganic compounds, on the other hand, often do not have carbon-hydrogen bonds and may consist of metals, salts, and other mineral-based compounds. While some simple carbon-containing compounds (like carbon dioxide, carbon monoxide, carbonates, and cyanides) are considered inorganic, organic chemistry generally focuses on more complex carbon-based structures.
Let’s analyze each option:
A. [tex]\( C_6H_{12}O_6 \)[/tex] — This is glucose, a sugar that is part of organic chemistry because it has many carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds.
B. [tex]\( KH_2PO_4 \)[/tex] — This is potassium dihydrogen phosphate, a salt that does not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds. This indicates it is likely inorganic.
C. [tex]\( CH_3COOH \)[/tex] — This is acetic acid, an organic compound that contains carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds.
D. [tex]\( C_2H_6 \)[/tex] — This is ethane, an organic compound with carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds.
E. [tex]\( C_2H_5OH \)[/tex] — This is ethanol, an organic compound with carbon-hydrogen (C-H) bonds.
From these analyses, the compound that stands out as inorganic is:
B. [tex]\( KH_2PO_4 \)[/tex]
This is the correct answer.
