Inorganic chemistry is the branch of chemistry that focuses on the study of non-organic compounds, which generally do not contain carbon-hydrogen (C–H) bonds. While organic chemistry centers on carbon-based molecules, inorganic chemistry deals with a vast range of substances, including:

• Salts and minerals
• Metals and their complexes
• Acids and bases
• Oxides, sulfides, nitrates, and other ionic compounds
• Coordination compounds involving metal ions and ligands

Inorganic chemistry is crucial in understanding and developing:

• Catalysts (e.g., in industrial reactions and environmental cleanup)
• Semiconductors and superconductors
• Pigments and materials
• Biochemical systems, such as metal-containing enzymes and nutrient ions

It plays a key role in fields like materials science, environmental chemistry, geochemistry, and medicine, making it essential to both industrial processes and our understanding of the natural world.