Chemistry: Chemistry - The Study of Interactions of Chemical Substances With
Chemistry: Chemistry - The Study of Interactions of Chemical Substances With
Chemistry: Chemistry - The Study of Interactions of Chemical Substances With
valua
tion
Only.
Copy
right (
c) by
VeryP
Chemistry
DF.co
m Inc Chemistry - the study of interactions of chemical substances with
Edite one another and energy based on the structure of atoms, molecules
d by and other kinds of aggregrates
VeryP
DF P Chemistry (from Egyptian kēme (chem), meaning "earth" ) is the
DF E science concerned with the reactions, transformations and
ditor aggregations of matter, as well as accompanying energy and
Versi
on 2.2 entropy changes during such processes. It is also a field of study to
investigate the physical and chemical properties of substances from
the subatomic to macromolecular scale, such as molecules or crystals.
Robert Boyle (1661), Antoine Lavoisier (1787), John Dalton (1808), and Jöns Jakob
Berzelius (1828) are considered the founders of modern chemistry (sometimes referred to
as the "Fathers of Modern Chemistry"), though some consider Geber (d. 815) to be the
first chemist.
Overview
Chemistry is the scientific study of interaction of substances called chemical substances
that are constituted of atoms or the subatomic components that make up atoms: protons,
electrons and neutrons. Atoms combine to produce ions, molecules or crystals.
Chemistry can be called "the central science" because it connects the other natural
sciences, such as astronomy, physics, material science, biology, and geology.
The genesis of chemistry can be traced to certain practices, known as alchemy, which had
been practiced for several millennia in various parts of the world, particularly the middle
east.
The structure of objects we commonly use and the properties of the matter we commonly
interact with, are a consequence of the properties of chemical substances and their
interactions. For example, steel is harder than iron because its atoms are bound together
in a more rigid crystalline lattice; wood burns or undergoes rapid oxidation because it can
react spontaneously with oxygen in a chemical reaction above a certain temperature;
sugar and salt dissolve in water because their molecular/ionic properties are such that
dissolution is preferred under the ambient conditions.
The transformations, that are studied in chemistry, are a result of interaction either
between different chemical substances or between matter and energy. Traditional
chemistry involves study of interactions between substances in a chemistry laboratory
using various forms of laboratory glassware.
For E
valua
tion
Only.
Copy
right ( Laboratory, Institute of Biochemistry,
c) by
VeryP University of Cologne
DF.co
m Inc A chemical reaction is a transformation
Edite of some such substances into one or
d by more other such substances. It can be
VeryP symbolically depicted through a
DF P
DF E chemical equation. The number of atoms
ditor on the left and the right in the equation
Versi for a chemical transformation is most
on 2.2 often equal. The nature of chemical
reactions a substance may undergo and
the energy changes that may accompany
it are constrained by certain basic rules, known as chemical laws.
Energy and entropy considerations are invariably important in almost all chemical
studies. Chemical substances are classified in terms of their structure, phase as well as
their chemical compositions. They can be analysed using the tools of chemical analysis,
e.g. spectroscopy and chromatography.
Chemistry is an integral part of the science curriculum both at the high school as well as
the early college level. At these levels, it is often called 'general chemistry' which is an
introduction to a wide variety of fundamental concepts that enable the student to acquire
tools and skills useful at the advanced levels, when chemistry is invariably studied in any
of its various sub-disciplines. Scientists, engaged in chemical research are known as
chemists. Most chemists specialize in one or more sub-disciplines.
For Ev
aluatio
n Only
.
Copyri
ght (c)
by Ve History
ryPDF.
com In Antoine Lavoisier
c
Edited
by Ver
yPDF
PDF E
ditor V
ersion
2.2
The genesis of chemistry can be traced to the widely observed phenomenon of burning
that led to metallurgy- the art and science of processing ores to get metals (e.g.
metallurgy in ancient India). The greed for gold led to the discovery of the process for its
purification, even though, the underlying principles were not well understood -- it was
thought to be a transformation rather than purification. Many scholars in those days
thought it reasonable to believe that there exist means for transforming cheaper (base)
metals into gold. This gave way to alchemy, and the search for the Philosopher's Stone,
which was believed to bring about such a transformation by mere touch.
It is often said that medieval Muslims were the earliest chemists. This claim is based
on the works of Geber (d. 815), Al-Kindi (d. 873), Al-Razi (d. 925), and Abu-Rayhan
Biruni (d. 1048) .The works of Geber became more widely known in Europe through
Latin translations by a pseudo-Geber in 14th century Spain, who also wrote some of his
own books under the pen name "Geber". The contribution of Indians in the development
of chemistry was also quite significant.
The emergence of chemistry in Europe was primarily due to the recurrent incidence of
the plague and blights there during the so called Dark Ages. This gave rise to a need for
medicines. It was thought that there exists a universal medicine called the Elixir of Life
that can cure all diseases, but like the Philosopher's Stone, it was never found.
For Ev
aluatio
n Only
.
Copyri
ght (c) For some practitioners alchemy was an intellectual pursuit, over time, they got better at it.
by Ver Paracelsus (1493-1541), for example, rejected the 4-elemental theory and with only a
yPDF. vague understanding of his chemicals and medicines, formed a hybrid of alchemy and
com In
c science in what was to be called iatrochemistry. Similarly, the influences of philosophers
Edited such as Sir Francis Bacon (1561-1626) and René Descartes (1596-1650), who demanded
by Ver more rigor in mathematics and in removing bias from scientific observations, led to a
yPDF scientific revolution. In chemistry, this began with Robert Boyle (1627-1691), who
PDF E discovered gases, and came up with equations that were known as Boyle's Law.
ditor V Chemistry indeed came of age when Antoine Lavoisier (1743-1794), developed the
ersion theory of Conservation of mass in 1783; and the development of the Atomic Theory by
2.2
John Dalton around 1800. The Law of Conservation of Mass resulted in the reformulation
of chemistry based on this law and the oxygen theory of combustion, which was largely
based on the work of Lavoisier. Lavoisier's fundamental contributions to chemistry were
a result of a conscious effort to fit all experiments into the framework of a single theory.
He established the consistent use of the chemical balance, used oxygen to overthrow the
phlogiston theory, and developed a new system of chemical nomenclature and made
contibution to the modern metric system. Lavoisier also worked to translate the archaic
and technical language of chemistry into something that could be easily understood by
the largely uneducated masses, leading to an increased public interest in chemistry. All
these advances in chemistry led to what is usually called the chemical revolution. The
contributions of Lavoisier led to what is now called modern chemistry - the chemistry
that is studied in educational institutions all over the world. It is because of these and
other contribtuions that the person celebrated as the "Father of Modern Chemistry" is
Antoine Lavoisier. The later discovery of Friedrich Wöhler that many natural substances,
the organic compounds, can indeed be synthesized in a chemistry laboratory also helped
the modern chemistry to mature from its infancy.
The discoveries of the chemical elements has a long history from the days of alchemy
and culminating in the creation of the periodic table of the chemical elements by Dmitri
Mendeleev (1834-1907) and later discoveries of some synthetic elements.
Etymology
The word chemistry comes from the earlier study of alchemy, which is basically the quest
to make gold from earthen starting materials. As to the origin of the word "alchemy"
the question is a debatable one; it certainly can be traced back to the Greeks, and some,
following E. Wallis Budge, have also asserted Egyptian origins. Alchemy, generally,
derives from the old French alkemie from the Arabic al-kimia - "the art of
transformation". The Arabs borrowed the word "kimia" from the Greeks when they
conquered Alexandria in the year 642 AD. A tentative outline is as follows:
1. Egyptian alchemy [5,000 BC – 400 BC], formulate early "element" theories such
as the Ogdoad.
2. Greek alchemy [332 BC – 642 AD], the Greek king Alexander the Great conquers
Egypt and founds Alexandria, having the world's largest library, where scholars
and "wise" men gather to study.
For E
valua
tion
Only.
Copy
right ( 3. Arabian alchemy [642 AD – 1200], the Arabs take over Alexandria; Jabir is the
c) by main chemist
VeryP 4. European alchemy [1300 – present], Pseudo-Geber builds on Arabic chemistry
DF.co
m Inc 5. Chemistry [1661], Boyle writes his classic chemistry text The Sceptical Chymist
Edite 6. Chemistry [1787], Lavoisier writes his classic Elements of Chemistry
d by 7. Chemistry [1803], Dalton publishes his Atomic Theory
VeryP
DF P Thus, an alchemist was called a 'chemist' in popular speech, and later the suffix "-ry" was
DF E added to this to describe the art of the chemist as "chemistry".
ditor
Versi
on 2.2 Definitions
In retrospect, the definition of chemistry seems to invariably change per decade, as new
discoveries and theories add to the functionality of the science. Shown below, for
example, are some of the standard definitions used by various noted chemists:
Basic concepts
Several concepts are essential for the study of chemistry, some of them are:
Atom
Compound
Substance
A molecular structure depicts the bonds and relative positions of atoms in a molecule
such as that in Paclitaxel shown here
One of the main characteristic of a molecule is its geometry often called its structure.
While the structure of diatomic, triatomic or tetra atomic molecules may be trivial,
(linear, angular pyramidal etc.) the structure of polyatomic molecules, that are constituted
of more than six atoms (of several elements) can be crucial for its chemical nature.
Mole
A mole is the amount of a substance that contains as many elementary entities (atoms,
molecules or ions) as there are atoms in 0.012 kilogram (or 12 grams) of carbon-12,
where the carbon-12 atoms are unbound, at rest and in their ground state. The number
of atoms in 0.012 kilogram of carbon-12 is known as the Avogadro constant, and is
determined empirically. The currently accepted value is 6.02214179(30)×1023 mol-1
(2007 CODATA). It is much like the term "a dozen" in that it is an absolute number
(having no units) and can describe any type of elementary object, although the mole's use
is usually limited to measurement of subatomic, atomic, and molecular structures.
The number of moles of a substance in one liter of a solution is known as its molarity.
Molarity is the common unit used to express the concentration of a solution in physical
chemistry.
Phase
Sometimes the distinction between phases can be continuous instead of having a discrete
boundary, in this case the matter is considered to be in a supercritical state. When three
states meet based on the conditions, it is known as a triple point and since this is
invariant, it is a convenient way to define a set of conditions.
The most familiar examples of phases are solids, liquids, and gases. Many substances
exhibit multiple solid phases. For example, there are three phases of solid iron (alpha,
gamma, and delta) that vary based on temperature and pressure. A principle difference
between solid phases is the crystal structure, or arrangement, of the atoms. Less familiar
phases include plasmas, Bose-Einstein condensates and fermionic condensates and the
paramagnetic and ferromagnetic phases of magnetic materials. While most familiar
phases deal with three-dimensional systems, it is also possible to define analogs in two-
dimensional systems, which has received attention for its relevance to systems in biology.
Chemical bond
For E
valua
tion
Only.
Copy
right (
c) by
VeryP
DF.co
m Inc
Edite
d by
VeryP
DF P
DF E
ditor
Versi
on 2.2
A chemical bond is a concept for understanding how atoms stick together in molecules. It
may be visualized as the multipole balance between the positive charges in the nuclei and
the negative charges oscillating about them. More than simple attraction and repulsion,
the energies and distributions characterize the availability of an electron to bond to
another atom. These potentials create the interactions which holds together atoms in
molecules or crystals. In many simple compounds, Valence Bond Theory, the Valence
Shell Electron Pair Repulsion model (VSEPR), and the concept of oxidation number can
be used to predict molecular structure and composition. Similarly, theories from classical
physics can be used to predict many ionic structures. With more complicated compounds,
such as metal complexes, valence bond theory fails and alternative approaches, primarily
based on principles of quantum chemistry such as the molecular orbital theory, are
necessary. See diagram on electronic orbitals.
Chemical reaction
Energy
Chemical reactions are invariably not possible unless the reactants surmount an energy
barrier known as the activation energy. The speed of a chemical reaction (at given
temperature T) is related to the activation energy E, by the Boltzmann's population factor
e − E / kT - that is the probability of molecule to have energy greater than or equal to E at
the given temperature T. This exponential dependence of a reaction rate on temperature is
known as the Arrhenius equation. The activation energy necessary for a chemical
reaction can be in the form of heat, light, electricity or mechanical force in the form of
ultrasound .
A related concept Free energy, which incorporates entropy considerations too, is a very
useful means for predicting the feasibility of a reaction and determining the state of
equilibrium of a chemical reaction, in chemical thermodynamics. A reaction is feasible
only if the total change in the Gibbs free energy is negative, ; if it is equal to
zero the chemical reaction is said to be at equilibrium.
There are only a limited possible states of energy for electrons, atoms and molecules.
These are determined by the rules of quantum mechanics, which require quantization of
energy of a bound system. The atoms/molecules in an higher energy state are said to be
For E
valua
tion
Only.
Copy
right ( excited. The molecules/atoms of substance in an excited energy state are often much
c) by more reactive, that is amenable to chemical reactions.
VeryP
DF.co
m Inc The phase of a substance is invariably determined by its energy and those of its
Edite surroundings. When the intermolecular forces of a substance are such that energy of the
d by surroundings is not sufficient to overcome them, it occurs in a more ordered phase like
VeryP liquid or solid as is the case with water, it is liquid at room temperature because its
DF P molecules are bound by hydrogen bonds. Whereas hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gas at
DF E room temperature and standard pressure, as its molecules are bound by weaker dipole-
ditor
Versi dipole interactions.
on 2.2
The transfer of energy from one chemical substance to other depend on the size of energy
quanta emitted from one substance. However, heat energy is easily transferred from
almost any substance to another mainly because the vibrational and rotational energy
levels in a substance are very closely placed. Because, the electronic energy levels are not
so closely spaced, ultraviolet electromagnetic radiation is not transferred with equal
felicity, as is also the case with electrical energy.
The existence of characteristic energy levels for different chemical substances is useful
for their identification by the analysis of spectral lines of different kinds of spectra often
used in chemical spectroscopy e.g. IR, microwave, NMR, ESR etc. This is used to
identify the composition of remote objects - like stars and far galaxies - by analyzing
their radiation (see spectroscopy).
The term chemical energy is often used to indicate the potential of a chemical substance
to undergo a transformation through a chemical reaction or transform other chemical
substances.
Chemical laws
Chemical reactions are governed by certain laws, which have become fundamental
concepts in chemistry. Some of them are:
Subdisciplines
Chemistry is typically divided into several major sub-disciplines. There are also several
main cross-disciplinary and more specialized fields of chemistry.
• Nuclear chemistry is the study of how subatomic particles come together and
make nuclei. Modern Transmutation is a large component of nuclear chemistry,
and the table of nuclides is an important result and tool for this field.
For E
valua
tion
Only.
Copy
right ( • Organic chemistry is the study of the structure, properties, composition,
c) by mechanisms, and reactions of organic compounds. An organic compound is
VeryP defined as any compound based on a carbon skeleton.
DF.co
m Inc
Edite • Physical chemistry is the study of the physical and fundamental basis of chemical
d by systems and processes. In particular, the energetics and dynamics of such systems
VeryP and processes are of interest to physical chemists. Important areas of study
DF P include chemical thermodynamics, chemical kinetics, electrochemistry, statistical
DF E mechanics, and spectroscopy. Physical chemistry has large overlap with
ditor
Versi molecular physics. Physical chemistry involves the use of calculus in deriving
on 2.2 equations. It is usually associated with quantum chemistry and theoretical
chemistry. Physical chemistry is a distinct discipline from chemical physics.
Chemical industry
The chemical industry represents an important economic activity. The global top 50
chemical producers in 2004 had sales of 587 billion US dollars with a profit margin of
8.1% and research and development spending of 2.1% of total chemical sales.
Lists
Related topics
• Alchemy
• Biochemistry
• Chemical education
• Chemical engineering
• History of chemistry
• Linus Pauling
• Registration, Evaluation and Authorisation of Chemicals - A proposed European
Union regulation
• Perfection ("Perfection in physics and chemistry")