organic chemistry

American  

noun

1. the branch of chemistry, originally limited to substances found only in living organisms, dealing with the compounds of carbon.

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organic chemistry British  

noun

1. the branch of chemistry concerned with the compounds of carbon: originally confined to compounds produced by living organisms but now extended to include man-made substances based on carbon, such as plastics Compare inorganic chemistry

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organic chemistry Scientific  

1. The branch of chemistry that deals with carbon and organic compounds, especially hydrocarbons.

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organic chemistry Cultural  

1. The branch of chemistry dealing with organic molecules (see also organic molecule).

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Etymology

Origin of organic chemistry

First recorded in 1870–75

Compare meaning

How does organic-chemistry compare to similar and commonly confused words? Explore the most common comparisons:

• organic chemistry vs. inorganic chemistry

Example Sentences

“From a cost and scalability perspective, using organic chemistry is a lot more efficient than what we have to do creating autoinjectors, with peptides, etc.”

From The Wall Street Journal • Apr. 30, 2026

The study also highlights the creative approach that has made Garg's organic chemistry courses among the most popular at UCLA.

From Science Daily • Jan. 23, 2026

Kyei studied chemistry at Oxford University and was also awarded a junior research fellowship by Princeton University in organic chemistry.

From BBC • Oct. 23, 2025

Garg’s 19-person lab works on developing new organic chemistry reactions that could have pharmaceutical applications.

From Los Angeles Times • Sep. 22, 2025

Telling Bragg that we had got the organic chemistry straight did not put him completely at ease.

From "Double Helix" by James D. Watson