ABSTRACT
Organic chemistry was originally considered to be the chemistry of living things; organic chemicals came from plants and animals, while inorganic ones came from rocks. However, the discovery of the conversion of ammonium isocyanate, on heating, into urea (Figure 1.1) ƒrst connected the whole of chemistry together. e starting material is deƒnitely inorganic, but the product urea would be classed as an organic molecule. In the nineteenth century (and indeed today), it was isolated from natural sources.
