C07C - Definition

Definition statement

This subclass covers:

Organic compounds which normally may contain as constituent elements only carbon, hydrogen, halogen, oxygen, nitrogen, sulfur, selenium, or tellurium. The only exception to this requirement is that the compounds may contain a metal, but only as the cation of an organic acid salt, alcoholate, phenate, or mercaptide, or as a chelating atom. These organic compounds are acyclic or carbocyclic, or may contain both acyclic and carbocyclic entities.

The synthesis, treatment or modification of the acyclic or carbocyclicorganic compounds of this subclass by chemical means (i.e., chemical reaction), by physical means, or by both chemical and physical means, provided that the resultant product is a compound under the subclass definition.

Relationship between large subject matter areas

In class C07, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, a compound is classified in the last appropriate subclass. For example, a peptide that is acyclic is classified in C07K rather than C07C.

Subclass C07C is a function oriented entry for the compounds themselves and does not cover the application or use of the compounds under the subclass definition. For classifying such information other entries in IPC exist, for example:

• Compounds or compositions for preservation of bodies of humans, animals, plants, or parts thereof, as biocides, e.g. disinfectants, pesticides, herbicides, as pest repellants or attractants, and as plant growth regulators are classified in A01N.
• Preparations for medical, dental, or toilet purposes are classified in A61K.

In general, Subclass C07H, and not C07C, is intended to cover compounds containing saccharide radicals, except for:

• aldonic acids, per se or saccharic acids, per se which are covered by groups C07C 59/105 and C07C 59/285;
• derivatives of aldonic or saccharic acids which are covered by subclasses C07C or C07D; and
• cyanohydrins which are covered by group C07C 255/16.

Subclass C07J covers compounds containing a cyclopenta[a]hydrophenanthrene skeleton or a ring structure derived there from (i.e., steroids), except for secosteroids, which are a group of steroids structurally characterized by the absence of a bond in the cyclopenta[a]hydrophenanthrene nucleus and are covered in subclass C07C.

Multiple classification

Biocidal, pest attractant, or plant growth regulatory activity of chemical compounds or preparations is further classified in A01P.

Therapeutic activity of chemical compounds is further classified in A61P.

Uses of cosmetics or similar toilet preparations are further classified in A61Q.

References relevant to classification in this subclass

This subclass does not cover:

Carbamic acid	C01B 21/12
Fullerenes	C01B 32/152
Phosgenes	C01B 32/80
Carbides	C01B 32/90
Cyanogen compounds such as hydrogen cyanide, cyanic and thiocyanic acid, isocyanic and isothiocyanic acid, cyanogen, cyanamide, and cyanogen halide	C01C 3/00
Organic macromolecular compounds such as polysaccharides, rubbers, epoxy resins, styrene polymers, acrylamide polymers and the like; their preparation or chemical working-up; compositions thereof	C08
Preparation of liquid hydrocarbon mixtures of undefined composition	C10G 2/00
Preparation of synthetic natural gas	C10L 3/06
Preparation of soap	C11D
Preparation of acyclic or carbocyclicorganic compounds using enzymes or fermentation processes	C12P
Electrolytic or electrophoretic production of compounds or non-metals	C25B 1/00, C25B 3/00, C25B 7/00
Processes for producing compounds in which electricity is simultaneously generated	C25B 5/00

Informative references

Attention is drawn to the following places, which may be of interest for search:

Processes or devices for granulating materials, calcining or fusing, chemical processes involving a gas or a liquid, catalysts, cation or anion exchange, and the like	B01J
Processes, in general, for preparing catalysts	B01J 37/00
Dyes, paints, polishes, natural resins, adhesives, and miscellaneous compositions containing acyclic or carbocyclic compounds	C09
Liquid carbonaceous fuels	C10L 1/00
Chemical libraries containing only organic compounds	C40B 40/04

Special rules of classification

In this subclass, in the absence of an indication to the contrary, a compound or a process of making a compound appropriate for this subclass is classified in the last appropriate place.

In general, and in the absence of an indication to the contrary (such as groups C07C 59/58, C07C 59/70), the terms "acyclic" and "aliphatic" are used to describe compounds in which there is no ring; and, if a ring is present, the compound is classified, based on the "last place priority rule," to a lower group of each level of coordinate groups for cycloaliphatic or aromatic compounds, if such a group exists. Where a compound or an entire group of compounds exists in tautomeric forms, it is classified as though existing in the form which is classified sequentially in the last group in each proper indentation level in the scheme, unless the other form is specifically mentioned higher in the scheme.

In this subclass, in the absence of an indication to the contrary or if relative positioning according to the last place priority rule dictates otherwise, the compounds containing carboxyl or thiocarboxyl groups are classified as the relevant carboxylic or thiocarboxylic acids; a carboxyl group being a carbon atom having three bonds, and no more than three, to hetero atoms, other than nitrogen atoms of nitro or nitroso groups, with at least one multiple bond to the same hetero atom and a thiocarboxyl group being a carboxyl group having at least one bond to a sulfur atom, e.g. amides or nitriles of carboxylic acids, are classified with the corresponding acids.

In this subclass, a quaternary ammonium compound, unless specifically provided for elsewhere or in the absence of an indication to the contrary, is classified as a single entity, taking into account all substituents that are attached to the quaternised nitrogen, except the salifying anion. In other words, the quaternary cation is considered as a whole; no distinction for classification purposes is made among its four covalent substituents.

General processes for the preparation of a class of compounds falling into more than one main group are classified in the groups for the processes employed, when such groups exist. The compounds prepared are also classified in the groups for the types of compounds prepared, if of interest.

Salts of a compound, unless specifically provided for, are classified as that compound, e.g. aniline hydrochloride is classified as containing carbon, hydrogen and nitrogen only (in group C07C 211/46), sodium malonate is classified as malonic acid (in group C07C 55/08), and a mercaptide is classified as the mercaptan. Metal chelates are dealt with in the same way. Similarly, metal alcoholates and metal phenates are classified in subclass C07C and not in subclass C07F, the alcoholates in groups C07C 31/28 to C07C 31/32, and the phenates as the corresponding phenols in group C07C 39/235 or C07C 39/44. Salts, adducts or complexes formed between two or more organic compounds are classified according to all compounds forming the salts, adducts or complexes.

For the classification of compounds in groups C07C 1/00-C07C 71/00 and C07C 401/00-C07C 409/00:

• a compound is classified considering the molecule as a whole (rule of the "whole molecule approach");
• a compound is considered to be saturated if it does not contain carbon atoms bound to each other by multiple bonds;
• a compound is considered to be unsaturated if it contains carbon atoms bound to each other by multiple bonds, e.g. a six-membered aromatic ring;

unless otherwise specified or implicitly derivable from the subdivision, as in group C07C 69/00, e.g. group C07C 69/712.

For the classification of compounds in groups C07C 201/00-C07C 395/00, i.e. after the functional group has been determined according to the "last place priority rule", a compound is classified according to the following principles:

• compounds are classified in accordance with the nature of the carbon atom to which the functional group is attached;
• a carbon skeleton is a carbon atom (other than the carbonyl carbon atom of a carboxyl group or of a salt, ester, amide, acid halide, or acid anhydride functional derivative thereof) or a chain of such carbon atoms directly bonded to each other;
• when the molecule contains several functional groups, only functional groups linked to the same carbon skeleton as the one first determined are considered;
• a carbon skeleton is considered to be saturated if it does not contain carbon atoms bound to each other by multiple bonds;
• a carbon skeleton is considered to be unsaturated if it contains carbon atoms bound to each other by multiple bonds, e.g. a six-membered aromatic ring.

Glossary of terms

In this subclass, the following terms or expressions are used with the meaning indicated:

Acyclic	the absence of a ring structure.
Carbocyclic	the presence of a ring or ring system where all ring members are carbons.
Bridged	the presence of two rings that share at least three ring members.
Condensed	the presence of two rings that share at least one ring member, e.g., spiro and bridged are considered as condensed.
Condensed ring system	a ring system in which all rings are condensed among themselves; the "number of rings" in a condensed ring system equals the number of scissions necessary to convert the ring system into one acyclic chain. A scission is the breaking of a bond connection between two atoms irrespective of whether the bond is single or multiple.
Organic compound	compound satisfying one of the following criteria: at least two carbon atoms bonded to each other; or one carbon atom bonded to at least one hydrogen atom or halogen atom; or one carbon atom bonded to at least one nitrogen atom by a single or double bond. Exceptions to the above criteria are: compounds consisting of only carbon atoms (e.g., fullerenes, etc.), cyanogen, cyanogen halides, cyanamide, metal carbides, phosgene, thiophosgene, hydrocyanic acid, isocyanic acid, isothiocyanic acid, fulminic acid, unsubstituted carbamic acid, and salts of the previously mentioned acids; these exceptions are considered to be inorganic compounds for classification purposes.
Preparation	covers synthesis, purification, separation, stabilisation or use of additives, unless a separate place is provided in the classification scheme.
Quinones	compounds derived from compounds containing a six-membered aromatic ring or a system comprising six-membered aromatic rings (which system may be condensed or not condensed) by replacing two or four >CH groups of the six-membered aromatic rings by >C=O groups, and by removing one or two carbon-to-carbon double bonds, respectively, and rearranging the remaining carbon-to-carbon double bonds to give a ring or ring system with alternating double bonds, including the carbon-to-oxygen bonds; this means that acenaphthenequinone or camphorquinone are not considered as quinones.