What Is Chemistry
What Is Chemistry
What Is Chemistry
Chemistry is the study of matter, its properties, how and why substances combine or separate to form
other substances, and how substances interact with energy. Assuming a Greek origin, chemistry is
defined as follows: Chemistry, from the Greek word χημεία (chemeia) meaning "cast together" or "pour
together", is the science of matter at the atomic to molecular scale, dealing primarily with collections of
atoms, such as molecules, crystals, and metals. The word chemistry comes from a modification of the
word alchemy, which referred to an earlier set of practices that encompassed elements of chemistry,
metallurgy, philosophy, astrology, astronomy, mysticism and medicine. The to first discovered
chemistry was the first modern chemist named Robert Boyle.
Organic chemistry is a sub-field of chemistry that involves studying the molecules of life. It is mainly
concerned with looking at the structure and behavior of these molecules, which are composed of only a
few different types of atoms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and a few miscellaneous others.
These are the atoms used to construct the molecules that all plants and animals require for their
survival. Traditional organic chemists are concerned with synthesizing new molecules and with
developing new reactions that might make these syntheses more efficient. The kinds of molecules
organic chemists synthesize include useful things like drugs, flavorings, preservatives, fragrances,
plastics (polymers), and agricultural chemicals (fertilizers and pesticides), and sometimes include
unusual molecules found in nature or ones that might simply provide a challenge to make.
Physical chemistry is the study of the fundamental physical principles that govern the way that atoms,
molecules, and other chemical systems behave. Physical chemists study a wide array of topics such as
the rates of reactions (kinetics), the way that light and matter interact (spectroscopy), how electrons are
arranged in atoms and molecules (quantum mechanics), and the stabilities and reactivities of different
compounds and processes (thermodynamics). In all of these cases, physical chemists try to understand
what is happening on an atomic level, and why.
Inorganic chemistry is commonly thought of as those areas within chemistry that do not deal with
carbon. However, carbon is very important in many inorganic compounds, and there is a whole area of
study known as organometallic chemistry that is truly a hybrid of the traditional disciplines of organic
and inorganic chemistry. Some areas of inorganic chemistry that are especially important are catalysis,
materials chemistry, and bioinorganic chemistry. Catalysts are chemical entities that increase the rate of
a reaction without being consumed, and are typically based upon transition metals (usually)
organometallic complexes of transition metals). This is an extremely important area to industry, and
many of the chemists who would be identified as inorganic or organometallic chemists work in this area.
Biochemistry is the study of the chemical principles underlying basic biological systems. Fundamentally,
biochemical research aims to characterize the link between the structure and function of biological
macromolecules. More specifically, biochemical research has provided a more comprehensive
understanding in regenerative medicine, infectious disease, organ/tissue transplantation, clinical
diagnostics and genetic disease. Students who concentrate in biochemistry go on to pursue extremely
successful careers in medicine, research, and business.
Each of the five states of matter collectively make up all the "stuff" that’s in the universe- — everything
that takes up space and has mass is matter.
All matter is made up of atoms, which are in turn made up of protons, neutrons and electrons.
Atoms come together to form molecules, which are the building blocks for all types of matter, according
to Washington State University. Both atoms and molecules are held together by a form of potential
energy called chemical energy. Unlike kinetic energy, which is the energy of an object in motion,
potential energy is the energy stored in an object.
Atom- smallest unit into which matter can be divided without the release of electrically charged
particles. It also is the smallest unit of matter that has the characteristic properties of a chemical
element. As such, the atom is the basic building block of chemistry.
Molecules-a group of two or more atoms that form the smallest identifiable unit into which a pure
substance can be divided and still retain the composition and chemical properties of that substance.
Matter- material substance that constitutes the observable universe and, together with energy, forms
the basis of all objective phenomena. is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having
volume
Solid-
particles are packed tightly together so they don't move much. The electrons of each atom are
constantly in motion, so the atoms have a small vibration, but they are fixed in their position. Because of
this, particles in a solid have very low kinetic energy.
Solids have a definite shape, as well as mass and volume, and do not conform to the shape of the
container in which they are placed. Solids also have a high density, meaning that the particles are tightly
packed together. Example- Rocks, Steel
Liquid-
In a liquid, the particles are more loosely packed than in a solid and are able to flow around each other,
giving the liquid an indefinite shape. Therefore, the liquid will conform to the shape of its container.
Much like solids, liquids (most of which have a lower density than solids) are incredibly difficult to
compress. Example- Water
Gas-
In a gas, the particles have a great deal of space between them and have high kinetic energy. A gas has
no definite shape or volume. If unconfined, the particles of a gas will spread out indefinitely; if confined,
the gas will expand to fill its container. When a gas is put under pressure by reducing the volume of the
container, the space between particles is reduced and the gas is compressed.
Plasma-
Plasma is not a common state of matter here on Earth, but it may be the most common state of matter
in the universe, according to the Jefferson Laboratory. Stars are essentially superheated balls of plasma.
Plasma consists of highly charged particles with extremely high kinetic energy. The noble gases (helium,
neon, argon, krypton, xenon and radon) are often used to make glowing signs by using electricity to
ionize them to the plasma state.
Bose-Einstein Condensate-
A Bose-Einstein condensate is a group of atoms cooled to within a hair of absolute zero. When they
reach that temperature the atoms are hardly moving relative to each other; they have almost no free
energy to do so. At that point, the atoms begin to clump together, and enter the same energy states.
Properties of Matter-
All properties of matter are either extensive or intensive and either physical or chemical. Extensive
properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the amount of matter that is being measured. Intensive
properties, such as density and color, do not depend on the amount of matter. Both extensive and
intensive properties are physical properties, which means they can be measured without changing the
substance’s chemical identity. For example, the freezing point of a substance is a physical property:
when water freezes, it’s still water (H2O)—it’s just in a different physical state.
Physical properties –
are properties that can be measured or observed without changing the chemical nature of the
substance. Some examples of physical properties are:
color (intensive)
density (intensive)
volume (extensive)
mass (extensive)
boiling point (intensive): the temperature at which a substance boils
melting point (intensive): the temperature at which a substance melts
Chemical Properties-
is any of a material’s properties that becomes evident during a chemical reaction; that is, any quality
that can be established only by changing a substance’s chemical identity. Chemical properties cannot be
determined just by viewing or touching the substance; the substance’s internal structure must be
affected for its chemical properties to be investigated.
Toxicity-
Oxidation states-
Heat of combustion-
Chemical stability-
Flammability-
Coordination number-
Reactivity-
Possible bonds-
Enthalpy of formation
Extensive properties, such as mass and volume, depend on the amount of matter being measured.
Intensive properties, such as density and color, do not depend on the amount of the substance present.
Everything that exists in the earth is a form of a matter which is further defined as any substance that
occupies space and has mass. The matter is further divided into various forms such as solid, liquid and
gas. Apart from these, it is also classified as pure substances and mixtures.
Pure substance-
Pure substances are substances that are made up of only one kind of particles and has a fixed or
constant structure.
Pure substances are further classified as elements and compounds.
An element is a substance that consists of only one type or kind of atom. An element is a pure substance
as it cannot be broken down or transformed into a new substance even by using some physical or
chemical means. Elements are mostly metals, non-metals or metalloids.
Compounds, on the other hand, are also pure substances when two or more elements are combined
chemically in a fixed ratio. However, these substances can be broken down into separate elements by
chemical methods.
Characteristics and Properties Of Pure Substances
Pure substances are mostly homogeneous in nature containing only one type of atoms or molecules.
These substances mainly have a constant or uniform composition throughout.
The substances have fixed boiling and melting points.
A pure substance usually participates in a chemical reaction to form predictable products.
Examples of Pure Substances
All elements are mostly pure substances. A few of them include gold, copper, oxygen, chlorine,
diamond, etc. Compounds such as water, salt or crystals, baking soda amongst others are also grouped
as pure substances.
Mixture-
A substance, on the other hand, is impure if it consists of different kinds of elements combined
physically and not chemically. Impure substances are also called mixtures. Mixtures are further divided
into a homogenous or heterogeneous mixture.
A homogeneous mixture occasionally called a solution, is comparatively unvarying in configuration or
constant. Every unit of the mixture is like every other unit. For instance, if you liquefy sugar in water and
blend it really well, your concoction is essentially the same, no matter where you sample it. This mixture
contains two or more chemical substances.
A heterogeneous mixture is a concoction whose configuration varies from spot to spot within the
sample. For example, if you put a little amount of sugar in a vessel, add some sand, and then shake the
jar a couple of times, your concoction doesn’t have the same configuration all throughout the jar. As the
sand is heftier, there’s possibly more amount of sand at the bottom of the jar and more sugar at the top
part. These mixtures can be identified visually and separated easily by physical means.
Characteristics And Properties Of Mixtures Or Impure Substance
It does not have any specific properties, the properties of the mixture are a result of the average
properties of all the constituents.
It is formed as a result of a physical change.
They have a variable composition.
Their melting and boiling points differ.
Example Of Mixtures
Some common examples of mixtures include;
Gas and gas like nitrogen and oxygen in the atmosphere.
A solution like water and oil.
Gas and liquid such as water.
Solid and liquid such as sand and water
It cannot be broken down or separated into new It can be separated using different separation methods.
products.
Constant physical and chemical properties. Mixtures have varying physical and chemical
properties.
Pure substances are made up of a single element. A mixture is a combination of two substances or
elements.
Elements
If a substance is composed of just one type of atom then that substance is known as an element.
Copper wire is made up of only copper atoms; a gold ring is composed of only gold atoms.
We say that copper and gold are elements
We have already seen that the different types of elements are arranged in terms of their atomic number
(the number of protons in the nucleus) in a table called the Periodic Table of elements.
Elements are substances which are made up of only one type of atom
Compounds-
A compound is formed when two or more atoms of different elements combine together chemically.
An example of a compound is table-salt.
It is a compound because it is made up of two different types of atom – in this case sodium and
chlorine. The chemical name for table-salt is NaCl.
The interesting thing is that both sodium and chlorine can be fatal if ingested (swallowed) on their own,
but when the two go together to form table-salt the result is perfectly safe (once you don’t eat too
much!).
We can summarise this as follows:
When elements combine to form compounds they often lose their individual properties .
Other examples of compounds and their constituent elements
Compound Symbol State of matter Elements in the compound
(at room temp) (and state at room temp)
Hydrogen (gas)
Water H2O liquid oxygen (gas)
Carbon (solid)
Carbon dioxide CO2 gas oxygen (gas)
Magnesium (solid)
Magnesium oxide MgO solid oxygen (gas)
Iron (solid)
Iron sulphide FeS solid Sulphur (solid)
Homogeneous Mixtures
Homogeneous mixtures appear uniform to the eye. They consist of a single phase, be it liquid, gas, or
solid, no matter where you sample them or how closely you examine them. The chemical composition is
the same for any sample of the mixture.
Heterogeneous Mixtures
Heterogeneous mixtures are not uniform. If you take two samples from different parts of the mixture,
they will not have an identical composition. You can use a mechanical method to separate components
of a heterogeneous mixture (e.g., sorting candies in a bowl or filtering rocks to separate them from
sand).
Sometimes these mixtures are obvious, where you can see different types of materials in a sample. For
example, if you have a salad, you can see different sizes and shapes and types of vegetables. In other
cases, you need to look more closely to recognize this mixture. Any mixture that contains more than one
phase of matter is a heterogeneous mixture.
This can be tricky because a change of conditions can alter a mixture. For example, an unopened soda in
a bottle has a uniform composition and is a homogeneous mixture. Once you open the bottle, bubbles
appear in the liquid. The bubbles from carbonation are gasses, while the majority of the soda is liquid.
An opened can of soda is an example of a heterogeneous mixture.
Examples of Mixtures
Air is a homogeneous mixture. However, the Earth's atmosphere as a whole is a heterogeneous mixture.
See the clouds? That's evidence the composition is not uniform.
Alloys are made when two or more metals are mixed together. They usually are homogeneous mixtures.
Examples include brass, bronze, steel, and sterling silver. Sometimes multiple phases exist in alloys. In
these cases, they are heterogeneous mixtures. The two types of mixtures are distinguished by the size of
the crystals that are present.
Mixing together two solids, without melting them together, typically results in a heterogeneous mixture.
Examples include sand and sugar, salt and gravel, a basket of produce, and a toy box filled with toys.
Mixtures in two or more phases are heterogeneous mixtures. Examples include ice cubes in a drink, sand
and water, and salt and oil.
The liquid that is immiscible form heterogeneous mixtures. A good example is a mixture of oil and
water.
Chemical solutions are usually homogeneous mixtures. The exception would be solutions that contain
another phase of matter. For example, you can make a homogeneous solution of sugar and water, but if
there are crystals in the solution, it becomes a heterogeneous mixture.
Many common chemicals are homogeneous mixtures. Examples include vodka, vinegar, and
dishwashing liquid.
Many familiar items are heterogeneous mixtures. Examples include orange juice with pulp and chicken
noodle soup.
Some mixtures that appear homogeneous at first glance are heterogeneous upon closer inspection.
Examples include blood, soil, and sand.
A homogeneous mixture can be a component of a heterogeneous mixture. For example, bitumen (a
homogeneous mixture) is a component of asphalt (a heterogeneous mixture).
The chemical formula of a compound is a symbolic representation of its chemical composition. Chemical
formulae provide insight into the elements that constitute the molecules of a compound and also the
ratio in which the atoms of these elements combine to form such molecules. For example, the chemical
formula of water, which is H2O, suggests that two hydrogen atoms combine with one oxygen atom to
form one molecule of water.
Molecular Formula:
The molecular formula provides insight into the number of elements present in a compound. In
molecular formulae, the elements are denoted by their respective symbols (as in the periodic table) and
the number of atoms of each element in the molecule is written in subscript. For example- the
molecular formula for glucose is C6H12O6.
Empirical Formula:
The empirical formula of a chemical compound represents the ratio of the elements present in that
compound. Empirical formulae are usually obtained based on the analysis of experimental data. The
empirical formula for glucose is CH2O. Empirical Formulae can be derived from the molecular formulae.
Structural Formula:
As the name suggests, the structural formula of a chemical compound provides insight into the
arrangement of the atoms in the molecule.
10 Aluminum formula Al
50 Bromine formula Br
68 Chlorine formula Cl
94 Carbon monoxide formula CO
98 Hydroiodic acid formula HI
Mixtures can be physically separated by using methods that use differences in physical properties to
separate the components of the mixture, such as evaporation, distillation, filtration and
chromatography. Which separation method used when attempting to separate a mixture depends on
what kind of mixture it is (what states of matter are present) and on the physical properties of the
components.
Evaporation can be used as a separation method to separate components of a mixture with a dissolved
solid in a liquid. The liquid is evaporated, meaning it is convert from its liquid state to gaseous state.
This often requires heat. Once the liquid is completely evaporated, the solid is all that is left behind.
Distillation is a separation technique used to separate components of a liquid mixture by a process of
heating and cooling, which exploits the differences in the volatility of each of the components.
Filtration is a separation technique used to separate the components of a mixture containing an
undissolved solid in a liquid. Filtration may be done cold or hot, using gravity or applying vacuum, using
a Buchner or Hirsch funnel or a simple glass funnel . The exact method used depends on the purpose of
the filtration, whether it is for the isolation of a solid from a mixture or removal of impurities from a
mixture.
Though chromatography is a simple technique in principle, it remains the most important method for
the separation of mixtures into its components. It is quite versatile for it can be used to separate
mixtures of solids, or of liquids, or mixtures of solids and liquids combined, or in the case of gas
chromatography, can separate mixtures of gases. The two elements of chromatography are the
stationary phase and the mobile phase. There are many choices of stationary phases, some being
alumina, silica, and even paper. The mobile phase, in liquid chromatography, can also vary. It is often
either a solvent or a mixture of solvents and is often referred to as the eluant.. A careful choice of
eluting solvent helps to make the separation more successful. The mixture is placed on the stationary
phase. The eluant passes over the mixture and continues to pass through the stationary phase carrying
along the components of the mixture. If a component in the mixture has greater affinity for the mobile
phase (eluant) than the stationary phase, it will tend to be carried along easily with the eluant. If
another component in the mixture has a greater affinity for the stationary phase than the mobile phase
then it will not be carried along so easily. A separation is thus obtained when the different components
in a mixture have different affinity for the stationary and mobile phase. Three important types of
chromatography based on the principles discussed above are: 1) thin layer chromatography (TLC), 2)
column chromatography, and 3) gas chromatography.
chromatography: is a separation technique based on how the different components in a mixture have
different affinity for the stationary and mobile phase
evaporation: is a separation method used to separate of a mixture of a liquid with a dissolved solid,
involving removal of a liquid by evaporating it and leaving behind a solid