inorganic

(adjective)

relating to a compound that does not contain carbon

Related Terms

Examples of inorganic in the following topics:

  • The Phosphorus Cycle

    • Plants assimilate phosphorous from the environment and then convert it from inorganic phosphorous to organic phosphorous.
    • The organic phosphorous is released and converted back into inorganic phosphorous through decomposition.
    • In the spring, inorganic phosphorous is released from the sediment by convection currents in the warming water.
    • Phosphorous is converted between its organic and inorganic forms.
    • Plants convert phosphorous to its organic form, and bacteria convert it back to the inorganic form through decomposition

  • Soil Composition

    • Soil is a mix of varying amounts of inorganic matter, organic matter, water, and air.
    • Plants obtain inorganic elements from the soil, which serves as a natural medium for land plants.
    • inorganic mineral matter, about 40 to 45 percent of the soil volume
    • The inorganic material of soil is composed of rock, slowly broken down into smaller particles that vary in size.
    • The four major components of soil are shown: inorganic minerals, organic matter, water, and air.

  • The Chemical Composition of Plants

    • Plants are composed of water, carbon-containing organics, and non-carbon-containing inorganic substances such as potassium and nitrogen.
    • Plant nutrients may be composed of either organic or inorganic compounds.
    • An inorganic compound does not contain carbon and is not part of, or produced by, a living organism.
    • Inorganic substances (which form the majority of the soil substance) are commonly called minerals: those required by plants include nitrogen (N) and potassium (K), for structure and regulation.

  • The Energetics of Chemolithotrophy

    • A lithotroph is an organism that uses an inorganic substrate (usually of mineral origin) to obtain reducing equivalents for use in biosynthesis (e.g., carbon dioxide fixation) or energy conservation via aerobic or anaerobic respiration.
    • Known chemolithotrophs are exclusively microbes; no known macrofauna possesses the ability to utilize inorganic compounds as energy sources.
    • These molecules can be organic (chemoorganotrophs) or inorganic (chemolithotrophs).
    • The electron acceptor can be oxygen (in aerobic bacteria), but a variety of other electron acceptors, organic and inorganic, are also used by various species.
    • Other lithotrophs are able to directly utilize inorganic substances, e.g., iron, hydrogen sulfide, elemental sulfur, or thiosulfate, for some or all of their energy needs.

  • Inorganic Nutrients and Other Factors

    • Inorganic nutrients, soil structure, and aquatic oxygen availability are further abiotic factors that affect species distribution in an ecosystem.
    • Inorganic nutrients, such as nitrogen and phosphorus, are important in the distribution and the abundance of living things.
    • Plants obtain these inorganic nutrients from the soil when water moves into the plant through the roots.
    • Animals obtain inorganic nutrients from the food they consume.

  • Chemical Analysis

    • These methods are called classical qualitative inorganic analysis.
    • Classical qualitative inorganic analysis is a method of analytical chemistry that seeks to find the elemental compositions of inorganic compounds.
    • It is applicable to both organic compounds and inorganic compound.

  • Chemoautotrophs and Chemoheterotrophs

    • Chemotrophs are a class of organisms that obtain their energy through the oxidation of inorganic molecules, such as iron and magnesium.
    • The energy required for this process comes from the oxidation of inorganic molecules such as iron, sulfur or magnesium.
    • They do, however, still obtain energy from the oxidation of inorganic molecules like the chemoautotrophs.

  • Sources of Essential Nutrients

    • Inorganic nutrients are elements or simply molecules that are made of elements other than carbon and hydrogen.
    • Oxygen is an important component of both organic and inorganic compounds.

  • Naming Familiar Inorganic Compounds

    • Familiar inorganic and organic compounds are often known by their common, or "trivial," names.

  • Oxidation of Reduced Sulfur Compounds

    • Sulfur oxidation involves the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds, inorganic sulfur, and thiosulfate to form sulfuric acid.
    • Sulfur oxidation involves the oxidation of reduced sulfur compounds such as sulfide (H2S), inorganic sulfur (S0), and thiosulfate (S2O2−3) to form sulfuric acid (H2SO4).
    • Generally, the oxidation of sulfide occurs in stages, with inorganic sulfur being stored either inside or outside of the cell until needed.
    • The two step process occurs because sulfide is a better electron donor than inorganic sulfur or thiosulfate; this allows a greater number of protons to be translocated across the membrane.
    • Winogradsky referred to this form of metabolism as inorgoxidation (oxidation of inorganic compounds).