Modern Meaning of Organic Chemistry

Organic chemistry is a chemistry of hydrocarbons and their derivatives where covalently bonded carbon is a necessary constituent. Berzelius put forward a theory in year 1815 termed as vital force theory. It describes that, "organic compounds could be prepared just only by living organism within the influence of a mysterious force termed as vital force".  Accidental synthesis of urea from Wohler and synthesis of acetic acid from Kolbe led to the fall of this theory.

Berthelot made methane in laboratory and the mainly abundant organic compound is cellulose that is a polymer of glucose. Kekule and Couper planned the tetravalency of carbon and wrote the first structural formula. In year 1874, Van't Hoff and Le Bell suggested a tetrahedron model of carbon.