CHEMISTRY AND MATTER

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What is Chemistry? What is the importance of Chemistry?
What contributions does chemistry make to the society?
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1. CHEMISTRY IS THE STUDY OF:

 MATTER and its composition.

 Matter make up all the materials or substances around us – living

things (such as plants, animals, micro-organisms) and non-living
things( such as soil, rocks, water, air, minerals). These substances
undergo various changes under different conditions; these changes
involve chemical activities and processes called CHEMICAL
REACTIONS. Chemists want to know how different kinds of
substances react with one another and what changes occur when they
react.

 Chemists are interested to know what substances make up all the things
in our environment- whether they are elements, compounds or mixtures;
and whether some things that exist in nature, such as sugar or the
enzymes in our bodies, can be synthesized in the laboratory.

2. IMPORTANCE OF CHEMISTRY
In almost every area of our life, chemistry is there:

 Technology relies much on chemistry today. Technological progress

and the well being of many industries including those in the electronics,
agriculture, automobile and aerospace sectors, depend on chemical
industries.

 Chemistry boosts economic growth and increases our standard of

living; and it helps to improve health and protect the earth.

 Chemistry helps us understand how the basic resources sustain our

life. Resources are the materials we get from the environment to meet
our needs. Chemistry provides methods of extraction and use of other

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 resources. The conservation and recycling of resources are of
economic and long- term importance.

Non-renewable resources Renewable resources Potentially renewable

resources
 fossil fuels( coal,  solar energy,  fresh air
natural gas, crude oil)  wind, tides,  fresh water
 metallic minerals  flowing water,  fertile soil
(iron, copper, hydroelectric power,  plants and
aluminium)  geothermal animals(biomass and
 non-metallic minerals biogas)
(clay, sand,
phosphates, carbon,
diamond)

Fertilizers, Pesticides
and Food safety
Medicines and development of effective
Drugs pesticides and fertilizers
research and CONTRIBUTIONS increase production of
development lead OF CHEMISTRY TO food crops. Chemical
to the making of SOCIETY processes allow us to
new drugs based ensure that the food we
on natural eat is safe.
resources

Recycling and Conservation Economic contribution

chemical processes allow Usage of synthetic materials increase
materials such as paper and the availability of raw materials.
metals to be recycled, and Efficient chemical processes allow
pollutants to be rendered goods to be manufactured at lower
harmless e.g. in catalytic costs. e.g.
converters of cars. Alternative -plastics make pens, buckets, etc.
materials can be synthesized and -crude oil make petrol, diesel to run
used in manufacturing to cut cars, etc.
down the use of non-renewable -fabric and washing powder
resources e.g. in the use of -coloured dyes for paints, fabrics, wall
disposal items. papers, crockery, etc.

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MATTER
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What is matter made up of? What is matter composed of?
Which states does matter exist in? What does Kinetic Theory of matter say?
How do we identify matter?
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1. What is Matter?
Matter is anything that occupies space(has volume) and has mass.
Matter is built up of very small, invisible moving particles (such as atoms, molecules
and ions) of different sizes.
 Atom: the smallest particle that can take part in a chemical reaction.
 Molecule: a group of atoms chemically combined together.
 Ion: an electrically charged ‘atom’. A positive ion is called a cation; a negative ion
is called an anion.

structure of an atom

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2. Classification Of matter
Matter can be identified by its characteristics and composition: Matter is composed of
Pure substances (such as elements, compounds) and Mixtures.
The flow chart below summarizes the composition of matter.

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 matter
-built up of atoms, molecules, ions
(molecule: groups of atoms chemically combined; ion: an
electrically charged atom or group of atoms)
classified as

pure substances mixtures

-made up of only one kind of more than one substance present; substances in
substance; no impurities; has a fixed different states(phases); its property are similar to
composition; melts and boils at definite its components or elements; can be easily separated
temperature. by physical means such as filtration, distillation,
using a magnet e.g. crude oil, air, sea water

elements compounds homogeneous heterogeneous

-made up of only one -made from 2 or more -substances -substances are
kind of atom; cannot elements chemically completely mixed; separate; one
be broken into combined; has uniform state(phase)
simpler substances; different properties throughout; have spread throughout
atom contains 3 sub- from its components same properties the other. e.g. sand
atomic particles: or elements; can be throughout; and water,
proton(+), electron(-), separated by chemical mixture exists in immiscible
neutron(neutral); are means only; the one state(phase) liquids(oil +
given symbols in the components are shown e.g. salt in water, water)
Periodic Table by a chemical formula. miscible
liquids(ethanol +
water), solutions.

metals non metals covalent ionic compounds

-their atoms lose -their atoms gain compounds - formed from
electrons to form electrons to form -formed from chemical combination of metals
cations. anions. combination of non- + non-metals; are
-properties: good -properties: poor metals only; are made made up of
conductors of conductors; are up of molecules: cations(+ve) and
electricity and heat; liquids and gases water(H2O), carbon anions(-ve): common
are solids with high with low dioxide(CO2), salt is sodium
densities; high densities; low ammonia(NH3), chloride(NaCl→ Na+
melting and boiling melting and hydrogen + Cl- ions), limestone
points; are hard and boiling points; chloride(HCl) is calcium
have shiny soft and dull in carbonate(CaCO3
appearance; are appearance; brittle →Ca2+ + CO32- ions)
malleable and and are not
ductile i.e. can be malleable or
bent and stretched ductile.
without breaking; -examples:
-examples: hydrogen(H),
sodium(Na), helium(He),
copper(Cu), Oxygen(O),
magnesium(Mg), Nitrogen(N),
iron(Fe) bromine(Br)

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