alleryStart learning →The largest database of organic compounds lists roughly how many known substances?
AAbout 10 million
BAbout 10 thousand
CAbout 10 billion
DAbout 10^60
Answer & Solution
Correct answer: A. About 10 million
1. The text distinguishes between organic compounds that are actually known/catalogued versus those that are merely theoretically possible.
2. It states: "The largest database[1] of organic compounds lists about 10 million substances."
3. It separately notes: "The number of potential organic compounds has been estimated at 10^60—an astronomically high number," which is a theoretical upper bound, not the count of catalogued substances.
4. So the actual database size is about 10 million, while 10^60 is only the theoretical estimate of possible compounds -- do not confuse the two figures.
5. 10 thousand and 10 billion are simply the wrong order of magnitude for the real database.
_Source: OpenStax Chemistry Ch 20 "Organic Chemistry", p.1098 §20.1 Hydrocarbons_
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