Editing Oxygen (section)

===Organic compounds===
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[[File:Acetone-3D-vdW.png|thumb|[[Acetone]] is an important feeder material in the chemical industry.
{{legend|red|Oxygen}}
{{legend|black|Carbon}}
{{legend|white|Hydrogen|outline=silver}}
|alt=A ball structure of a molecule. Its backbone is a zig-zag chain of three carbon atoms connected in the center to an oxygen atom and on the end to 6 hydrogens.]]

Among the most important classes of organic compounds that contain oxygen are (where "R" is an organic group): [[Alcohol (chemistry)|alcohol]]s (R-OH); [[ether]]s (R-O-R); [[ketone]]s (R-CO-R); [[aldehyde]]s (R-CO-H); [[carboxylic acid]]s (R-COOH); [[ester]]s (R-COO-R); [[Organic acid anhydride|acid anhydrides]] (R-CO-O-CO-R); and [[amide]]s ({{chem|R-CO-NR|2}}). There are many important organic [[solvent]]s that contain oxygen, including: [[acetone]], [[methanol]], [[ethanol]], [[Isopropyl alcohol|isopropanol]], [[furan]], [[tetrahydrofuran|THF]], [[diethyl ether]], [[1,4-Dioxane|dioxane]], [[ethyl acetate]], [[dimethylformamide|DMF]], [[dimethyl sulfoxide|DMSO]], [[acetic acid]], and [[formic acid]]. Acetone ({{chem|(CH|3|)|2|CO}}) and [[phenol]] ({{chem|C|6|H|5|OH}}) are used as feeder materials in the synthesis of many different substances. Other important organic compounds that contain oxygen are: [[glycerol]], [[formaldehyde]], [[glutaraldehyde]], [[citric acid]], [[acetic anhydride]], and [[acetamide]]. [[Epoxide]]s are ethers in which the oxygen atom is part of a ring of three atoms. The element is similarly found in almost all [[biomolecule]]s that are important to (or generated by) life.{{cn|date=May 2025}}

Oxygen reacts spontaneously with many [[organic chemistry|organic]] compounds at or below room temperature in a process called [[autoxidation]].<ref name="ECE506">[[#Reference-idCook1968|Cook & Lauer 1968]], p. 506</ref> Most of the [[organic compound]]s that contain oxygen are not made by direct action of {{chem|O|2}}. Organic compounds important in industry and commerce that are made by direct oxidation of a precursor include [[ethylene oxide]] and [[peracetic acid]].<ref name="ECE507" />