Organic and inorganic compounds form one of the primary basis for chemistry. The primary difference that lies between these organic compounds and inorganic compounds is that organic compounds always have a carbon atom while most of the inorganic compounds do not contain the carbon atom in them.

propanoic acid

Because it is a very non-polar molecule, with only carbon-carbon and carbon-hydrogen bonds. It is able to bond to itself very well through nonpolar van der Waals interactions, but it is not able to form significant attractive interactions with very polar solvent molecules like water.

H2O means each molecule of water contains two atoms of hydrogen (H) joined to one atom of oxygen (O). In order for something to be organic — as in alive — it needs carbon. So water, by definition is inorganic.

Companies are now marketing their bottled water as organic. As both Ecopreneurist and others have pointed out, by definition anything “organic” must contain carbon. Water has two hydrogen molecules and one oxygen molecule: no carbon. The USDA, in fact, specifically exempts water from organic certification.

Organic molecules can include things like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats. While organic molecules can have non-carbon atoms contained inside them, like oxygen, nitrogen, or even iron, they are mostly made of carbon and hydrogen chains. Inorganic molecules do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds.

Ammonia (NH3) is not available to plants, but ammonium (NH4+) ion is. Inorganic (or mineral) forms of N are NH4+ and NO3-, while organic forms are various organic compounds that contain N. …

NH4+ is acidic according to Bronsted-Lowry Theory because it can give away one proton to other species (like water or hydroxide ion). NH4+, aka ammonium ion, is for all practical purposes an acid. It readily “gives off” a proton in the form of h+. NH4+ is the conjugate acid of the base, NH3, aka ammonia.

The lone pair makes ammonia a base, a proton acceptor. Ammonia is moderately basic; a 1.0 M aqueous solution has a pH of 11.6, and if a strong acid is added to such a solution until the solution is neutral (pH = 7), 99.4% of the ammonia molecules are protonated.

B.B. Ward, in Encyclopedia of Ecology, 2008. Nitrification is the step in the nitrogen cycle that links the oxidation of ammonia (produced from the degradation of organic matter) to the loss of fixed nitrogen in the form of dinitrogen gas.

As the nitrification process reduces the HC03″ level and increases the H2C03 level, it is obvious that the pH would tend to be decreased. This effect is mediated by stripping of carbon dioxide from the liquid by aeration, and the pH is therefore often raised.

The bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrite are known collectively by their genus name Nitrosomonas. Like ammonia, the nitrite produced by the Nitrosomonas bacteria is toxic to aquatic organisms and must be oxidised further to a less toxic form of nitrogen.

Nitrate is the end-product of nitrification and the terminal electron acceptor in denitrification, and serves as a nitrogen source for cell growth.

The nitrification process requires the mediation of two distinct groups: bacteria that convert ammonia to nitrites (Nitrosomonas, Nitrosospira, Nitrosococcus, and Nitrosolobus) and bacteria that convert nitrites (toxic to plants) to nitrates (Nitrobacter, Nitrospina, and Nitrococcus).

Ecology. Both steps are producing energy to be coupled to ATP synthesis. Nitrifying organisms are chemoautotrophs, and use carbon dioxide as their carbon source for growth. Some AOB possess the enzyme, urease, which catalyzes the conversion of the urea molecule to two ammonia molecules and one carbon dioxide molecule.

Ammonia is toxic to aquatic life at these concentrations, and the the nitrification process requires oxygen (ammonia contributes to the BOD of the wastewater) so it will use up the oxygen needed by other organisms. The nitrification process is carried out by two different types of bacteria.

Nitrogen, as ammonia, is a critical nutrient in biological wastewater treatment. It is utilized by bacteria to make proteins, including enzymes needed to break down food or BOD as well as in making energy. Ammonia then diffuses through the membrane and changes the internal solution pH that is sensed by a pH electrode.

Bacterial cells are made from carbon and nitrogen. When aerobic bacteria are in an environment without oxygen for an extended period of time, the bacteria die and break apart (lyse). When bacteria lyse, they release ammonia nitrogen back into the water column.

Nitrification ceases at D.O. levels of <0.5 mg/l. Approximately 4.6 kg of oxygen are required for every kg of ammonium ions oxidized to nitrate (This compares with a requirement of 1 kg of oxygen to oxidize 1 kg of carbonaceous B.O.D.).

microorganisms in the process of ammonification, which yields ammonia (NH3) and ammonium (NH4+). (Under anaerobic, or oxygen-free, conditions, foul-smelling putrefactive products may appear, but they too are converted to ammonia in time.)

Nitrification is a two-step biological process by which aerobic bacteria oxidize ammonium to nitrate. Many wastewater treatment systems require nitrification to occur to complete the treatment process. This is accomplished by maintaining two types of bacteria, Nitrosomonas and Nitrobacter.

Biological nitrification is the microbe-mediated process of oxidizing ammonia to remove nitrogenous compounds from wastewaters. Thus, many domestic and industrial wastewater treatment plants are required to remove the ammonia before discharge of the treated water.