Introduction to Chemistry
Chemistry
The study of:
the composition (make-up), structure,
properties of matter and
the changes that matter undergoes
What is matter?
Anything that:
has mass
and
occupies space (volume).
Mass vs Weight
Mass: a measure of the amount of
matter that an object contains. (SI
unit kilogram, kg)
Weight: The force with which the
earth pulls on an object. (SI unit
Newton, N)
The 5 Branches of Chemistry
Inorganic
Organic
Analytical
Physical
Biochemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
The study of chemicals that do not
contain carbon.
Organic Chemistry
The study of chemicals that contain
carbon.
Origin: study of chemicals in living
organisms.
Organic or Inorganic ?
Sulfuric Acid H2SO4
Methane CH4
Hydrochloric Acid HCl
Ethane C2H6
Analytical Chemistry
Composition of matter.
Ex:
Mass Spectrometer
Gas Chromatograph
http://besg.group.shef.ac.uk/Facilities/Images/gcms.JPG
Physical Chemistry
The study of :
The mechanism
The rate
The energy transfer
that happens when matter
undergoes change.
Biochemistry
Study of processes that take place
in organisms.
A Brief History of Chemistry
and
the Scientific Method
Aristotle (Greece, 4th Century BC)
Philosopher who
believed that:
There are 4 elements:
earth, water, air, fire.
Matter is perpetually
divisible.
Democritus
(Greece, 4th Century BC)
First atomic theory
Atom (indivisible).
Alchemists (~300BC-1650 AD)
China, India, Arabia, Europe, Egypt
Aiming to:
•
Change common
metals to gold.
Develop medicines.
Developed lab
•
equipment.
Mystical.
•
Galileo Galilei (Italy 1564 AD)
Father of the
scientific method
(along with the Englishman
Francis Bacon 1500’s).
Antoine Lavoisier
(France 1743-1794)
Regarded as the Father of Chemistry.
Designed equipment.
Used observations
and measurements.
Discovered nitrogen.
Antoine Lavoisier (cont’d)
Discovered the Law of Conservation of
Mass:
In a chemical reaction mass is conserved.
Antoine Lavoisier (cont’d)
Explained burning as reaction with
oxygen.
Old theory: release of “phlogiston”.
John Dalton
(England 1766-1844)
Atomic theory
Amedeo Avogadro
(Italy, 1776-1856)
Avogadro’s Number 6.02x1023
One mole of any substance contains
6.02x1023 particles.
Dmitri Mendeléev
(Russia, 1834-1907)
First Periodic Table of elements.
The Scientific Method
Steps followed during scientific
investigations.
Theory
A well tested explanation for a broad
set of observations.
May use models.
May allow predictions.
Theories may change to explain new
observations.
Law
A statement that summarizes results of
observations, but does not explain
them.
Changes or is abandoned when
contradicted by new experiments.
Note:
The order of the steps can vary and
additional steps may be added.
“No number of
experiments can prove
me right;
a single experiment can
prove me wrong.”
Albert Einstein
