Final answer:
Organic carbon compounds that contain hydrogen are known as hydrocarbons, which are the focus of organic chemistry. Hydrocarbons form the structural basis for all organic compounds and include both aliphatic and aromatic types. These compounds are essential for life and are present throughout our environment and in every living cell.
Step-by-step explanation:
Organic carbon compounds commonly contain hydrogen (H), forming carbon-hydrogen compounds known as hydrocarbons. Organic chemistry focuses on the study of carbon compounds, which nearly always include hydrogen atoms. The general rule for hydrocarbons is that any carbon atom is bonded to at least one other carbon atom, with methane (CH4) being the simplest hydrocarbon, consisting of one carbon atom bonded to four hydrogen atoms. Hydrocarbons form the backbone of all organic compounds, with the carbon atoms creating a carbon skeleton to which hydrogen atoms, or other functional groups, attach.
Organic compounds are synthesized within living organisms and they form a significant part of our diet, body structure, and the biochemical processes essential for life. The presence of hydrogen and carbon is a defining feature of these compounds. Organic compounds are prevalent in the world, found in soil, seas, commercial products, and in every cell of the human body. Subgroups of hydrocarbons include aliphatic and aromatic hydrocarbons, which differ in the arrangement and structure of carbon atoms within the molecule.