Question

Which best describes why acetic acid (CH3COOH) is an organic compound, but sodium hydroxide (NaOH) is not?

Acetic acid is an acid, but sodium hydroxide is a base.
An acetic acid molecule is relatively large, but a sodium hydroxide molecule is relatively small.
Acetic acid contains a significant amount of carbon, but sodium hydroxide contains no carbon.
An acetic acid molecule contains a double bond, but a sodium hydroxide molecule contains only single bonds.

Answer 1

C) Acetic acid contains a significant amount of carbon, but sodium hydroxide contains no carbon

Answer 2

The most appropriate answer is 'acetic acid contains a significant amount of carbon, but sodium hydroxide contains no carbon'. Organic compounds are those compounds that contains carbon atoms usually bonded to other elements such as oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen. Organic compounds contain covalent single, double or even triple bonds.