Anorganische

Anorganische, in German-language contexts, denotes the field commonly called inorganic chemistry. It studies chemical substances not primarily built around carbon–hydrogen bonds, including elements and a wide range of their compounds. The term is often contrasted with organische chemistry, which centers on carbon-rich molecules.

Scope and subjects of Anorganische include simple inorganic compounds such as oxides, halides, sulfides and nitrides; coordination compounds and metal complexes; organometallics in the broader inorganic sense; bioinorganic systems; minerals and materials such as ceramics, glasses and semiconductors; and industrially important substances like catalysts, fertilizers, pigments and superconductors.

Research methods emphasize synthesis and characterization, structural determination by X-ray crystallography and spectroscopy, and the use of computational chemistry to study electronic structures and reactions. Subfields include coordination chemistry, solid-state chemistry, catalysis, materials chemistry and bioinorganic chemistry.

Historically, inorganic chemistry emerged as a distinct field in the 18th and 19th centuries, with developments in elemental analysis, solid-state chemistry and the theory of oxidation states. It underpins many modern technologies, including catalysis, energy storage, and functional materials.