Introduction To Chemistry

The Scope Of Chemistry

Learning Objectives
To recognize the breadth, depth and scope of chemistry.
Define chemistry in relation to other sciences.
Identify the main disciplines of chemistry.

What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is the study of matter-what it consist of, what its properties are, and how it changes.
Chemistry is the study of the composition, structure, properties and reactions of matter.

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space-that is, anything that is physically real.
Chemistry is one branch of science.
Science is the process by which we learn about the natural universe by observing, testing and
then generating models that explain our observations.

Question??
Which fields of study are branches of science? Explain.
Sculpture
Astronomy
Physiology
Agriculture
Politics

Why Study Chemistry?

Everyone and everything around us involves chemistry – explains our world
What in the world isn’t Chemistry?
Helps you make choices; helps make you a better informed citizen
A possible career for your future
Used to attain a specific goal

With a partner...
Give examples in your daily life that involve use of life that involve use of chemistry, and things
that do chemistry, and things that do not?

Area of Chemistry

Physical chemistry: is the study of of macroscopic properties, atomic properties, and

phenomena in chemical systems. A physical chemist may study such things as rates of
chemical reactions, the energy transfers that occur in reactions, or the physical structure of
materials at the molecular level
Organic Chemistry: is the study of chemicals containing carbon. Carbon is one of the most
abundant elements on earth and is capable of forming a tremendously vast number of
chemicals ( over twenty million so far). Most of the chemicals found in all living organisms are
based on carbon.

Inorganic chemistry: is the study of chemicals that, in general, are not primarily based on
carbon. Inorganic chemicals are commonly found in rocks and minerals. One current important
area of inorganic chemistry deals with the design and properties of materials involved in energy
and information technology
Analytical Chemistry: is the study of the composition of matter. It focuses on separating,
identifying, and quantifying chemicals in samples of matter. An analytical chemist may use
complex instruments to analyze an unknown material in order to determine its various
components.

Biochemistry: is the study of chemical process that occur in living things. Research may cover
anything from basic cellular process up to understanding disease states so better treatments
can be developed.

Measurement of trace metals using atomic spectroscopy

Measuring hormone concentrations

In practice, chemical research is often not limited to just one of the five disciplines. A particular
chemist may use biochemistry to isolate a particular chemical found in the human body such as
hemoglobin, the oxygen carrying component of red blood cells. He or she may then proceed to
analyze the hemoglobin using methods that would pertain to the areas of physical or analytical
chemistry.

Chemistry in Our Daily Lives

Chemical reactions are constantly taking place around us. The human body facilitates
thousands of chemical reactions every day. From the digestion of food to the movement of
muscles – all bodily actions involve chemical reactions. A few other examples of chemistry in
the day-to-day lives of humans are listed below.

The process of photosynthesis that enables plants to convert water, sunlight, and carbon
dioxide into glucose and oxygen is a chemical reaction. This process is the foundation upon
which the entire food chain is built.
Soaps and detergents used for hygiene work use a chemical process known as emulsification.
Furthermore, they are produced using a chemical process known as saponification.
Even the sunscreen used by humans to protect themselves from the harmful UV-A and UV-B
radiation of the sun is based on chemistry. These lotions and creams consist of a combination of
inorganic and organic compounds that either filter or block the incoming ultraviolet radiation.
HISTORY OF CHEMISTRY

The history of chemistry is an interesting and challenging one. Very early chemists often
motivated mainly by the achievement of a specific goal or product.
Making perfume or soaps did not need a lot of theory, just a good recipe and careful attention to
detail. There was no standard way of naming materials.
It is often difficult to figure out exactly what a particular person was using. However, the science
developed over the centuries by trial and error.

Scientist Contribution to Chemistry

Robert Boyle
Major progress was made in putting chemistry on a solid foundation when Robert Boyle began
his research in chemistry.
He developed the basic ideas about the behaviour of gases. He could then describe gases
mathematically.
Boyle also helped form the idea that small particles could combine to form molecules.

Marie Curie
Famous For: Discovery of Radium and Polonium
Marie Curie received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1911 for her discovery of radium and
polonium. She was able to isolate and study the compounds and nature of radium.

Louis Pasteur
Famous For: The process of Pasteurization and creation of Vaccines for Rabies and Anthrax
In addition to developing the process of Pasteurization, Louis Pasteur discovered the
asymmetrical molecular structure on certain crystals. He made some of the earliest vaccines for
rabies and anthrax, and the reduction of a bacterial infection in what is known as puerperal
fever.

Joseph Priestley
Isolated and characterized several gases: oxygen, carbon monoxide and nitrous oxide.
It was later discovered that nitrous oxide (“laughing gas”) worked as an anesthetic.
This gas was used for that purpose for the first time in 1844 during a tooth extraction.

Antoine Lavoisier
Discovered nitrogen gas, the role of oxygen in combustion and definitively formulated the law of
conservation of matter.
Lavoisier has been considered by many scholars to be the “father of modern chemistry”

John Dalton
Famous For: Identification and presenting the atomic theory
Recognized for his work on the atomic theory and research on color blindness. He successfully
identified chemical compounds and reactions affected by interaction of atoms with one another.
Michael Faraday
“Father of Electricity”
Famous For: His contributions in electrochemistry and electromagnetism
Faraday’s extensive work in the field of Chemistry includes the study chlorine and carbon, both
of which he discovered. In addition he made the earliest type of what we know today as the
Bunsen burner. He was the first to identify, which would be known as nanoparticles in metallic
form.

Hypothesis, Theories And Laws

Learning Objectives
Describe the difference between hypothesis, theory as scientific terms
Describe the difference between theory and scientific laws

What is a Fact?
A fact is a basic statement establish by experiment or observation.
All facts are true under the specific conditions of observation.

What is a Hypothesis?
One of the most common terms used used in science classes is a “hypothesis”. The word can
have many different definitions, depending on he context in which it is being used:

“An educated guess” – because it provides a suggested solution based on evidence to be a

scientific.

Prediction – if you have ever carried out a science experiment, you probably made this type of
hypothesis, in which you predicted the outcome of experiment.
Tentative or Proposed explanation – hypotheses can be suggestions about why something is
observed, but in order for it to be scientific, we must be able to test the explanation to see if it
works, if it is able to correctly predict what will happen in a situation, such as: if my hypothesis is
correct, we should see____result when we perform___test.

What is Theory?
The United States National Academy of Sciences describes what a theory is as follows:
“Some scientific explanations are so well that no new evidence is likely to alter them. The
explanation becomes a scientific theory. In everyday language a theory means a hunch or
speculation. Not so in science. In science, the word Theory refers to a comprehensive
explanation of an important feature of nature supported by facts gathered over time. Theories
also allow scientists to make predictions as yet unobserved phenomena”

“A scientific theory is a well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world,

based on a body of facts that have been repeatedly confirmed through observation and
experimentation. Such fact-supported theories are not “guesses” but reliable accounts of the
real world. The theory of biological evolution is more than “just a theory.” It is as factual an
explanation of the universe at the atomic theory of matter (stating that everything is made of
atoms) or the germ theory of disease (which states that many diseases are caused by

What is a Law?
Scientific laws are similar to scientific theories in that they are principles that can be used to
predict the behavior of the natural world. Both scientific laws and scientific theories are typically
well supported by observations and/or experimental evidence. Usually scientific laws refer to
rules for how nature will behave under certain conditions, frequently written as an equation.
Scientific theories are more overarching explanations of how nature works and why it exhibits
certain characteristics. As a comparison, theories explain why we observe what we do and laws
describe what happens.

For example, around the year 1800, Jacques Charles and other scientists were working with
gases to, among other reasons, improve the design of the hot air balloon. These scientists
found, after many, many tests, that certain patterns existed in the observations on gas behavior.
If the temperature of the gas is increased, the volume of the gas increased. This is known as a
natural law. A law is a relationship that exists between variables in a group of data. Laws
describe the patterns we see in large amounts of data, but do not describe why the patterns
exist.

What is a Belief?
A statement that is not scientifically provable. Beliefs may or may not be incorrect; they just are
outside the realm of science to explore.

Summary
A hypothesis is a tentative explanation that can be tested by further investigation.
A theory is a well-supported explanation of observations.
A scientific law is a statement that summarizes the relationship between variables.
An experiment is a controlled method of testing a hypothesis.