Is oxygen an organic or inorganic molecule?

Question

Sebastian Alvarez · Accepted Answer

Neither! By itself it is an element, or just an atom.

Since oxygen is just an atom on its own—a molecule is made up of two or more atoms—it cannot be classified as either an organic or an inorganic molecule. Alternatively, two oxygen atoms could bond to form an oxygen molecule, but this is harder to classify because it would need to contain hydrogen and carbon. Oxygen is typically categorized as a component of an organic molecule rather than as a standalone molecule (though it could be part of an inorganic one, such as a metal oxide). However, it isn't really inorganic either. Inorganic molecules are more often known as inorganic compounds, which clears up cases like this. #"O"_2# molecules are technically classed as elements, as they only contain one type of atom. So #"O"_2# is not a compound at all, it's an element! (But if you really really had to choose one, make sure it's not organic as it doesn't have any carbon). I hope this is helpful; please let me know if you have any more questions. I will respond within a few days. https://tutor.hix.ai contains a list of references. https://tutor.hix.ai (CK-12 Biology I) Basic Chemistry: https://tutor.hix.ai https://tutor.hix.ai is a decent resource for some additional cross-referencing, though it's not the greatest. Organic and inorganic molecules can be found at https://tutor.hix.ai https://tutor.hix.ai opposed to_innatural_compounds/157/

Daniel Arnold · Answer

undefined An inorganic molecule is oxygen.