Chapter 1: The Study of

CHEMISTRY
Why should we study chemistry?
Chemistry - is the study of matter and its properties, the changes that
matter undergoes, and the energy associated with those changes.
Chemistry in our Daily Lives

Chemistry is an active and constantly growing science; whose

importance is vital in our world and in our daily lives. The connection it
has to us is practically present in all our activities, influenced by
chemistry concepts and products. . The toothpaste you use to brush
your teeth, the shampoo you use to wash your body and hair, the food
you eat and the process of digestion that takes place in your body, the
public or private transportation you take going to school, the air
around, and the pollutants from the factories and motor vehicles are all
related to chemistry.

In everything that you do, chemistry is at work.

Role of Chemistry in Society

Chemistry has helped advance human civilization. It contributes to

many aspects of human life. Through research in chemistry,
crop-enhancing agricultural chemicals have been synthesized to make
sure that society will have constant and viable food supply.
Water-treatment processes have been developed to make water fit for
human consumption. Life-saving pharmaceuticals have been
formulated to eradicate deadly diseases, and synthetic plastics and
fibers have been produced for both industrial and consumer use.
Chemistry also plays an important role in the production of shelter and
clothing materials. There are numerous other benefits that chemistry
has given to mankind. In all these, we can see that chemistry has a
huge and vital role in technological development.
The Role of Chemistry and its relationship with other Sciences
Everything that surrounds us is matter. The principles of chemistry
are, therefore, needed to understand the nature of matter so that man
will be able to deal with them and control them for the improvement of
human life.
Since chemistry is the study of matter, other sciences are allied with
it, some of its basic chemical principles are needed to understand
biology and physics. Chemistry is also needed in applied sciences like
medicine, nursing, nutrition, psychology, dentistry, medical technology,
and x-ray technology.
Branches of Chemistry:

1. Organic Chemistry is the study of the structures, composition, properties and

reactions of compounds that contain carbon and have a carbon-hydrogen bond.
Organic compounds are integral to a wide range of everyday products, including
plastic, rubber, detergents, cosmetics, fuel, medicines and food. Sub-branches of
organic chemistry include Medical Chemistry, Physical Organic Chemistry,
Organometallic Chemistry, Stereochemistry, and Polymer Chemistry.

2. Inorganic Chemistry deals with the study of substances that do not have Carbon
as its elemental component. Inorganic chemistry involves the study of the
properties and behavior of inorganic compounds including metals, minerals,
ceramics, crystal structures, catalysts, and most elements in the Periodic Table. It
covers all chemical compounds that are ‘non-organic’ in nature. Sub-branches of
inorganic chemistry include Nuclear Chemistry, Geochemistry, Bioinorganic
Chemistry, Solid-State Chemistry, and Organometallic Chemistry.
3. Analytical chemistry is a branch of chemistry that uses chemical analysis
to define types of matter and determine their quantities. There are
qualitative and quantitative methods of chemical analysis. Qualitative
methods look at the composition of matter, whereas quantitative methods
examine how much of a chemical exists within matter. It encompasses a wide
range of techniques including distillation, extraction, spectroscopy and
spectrometry, separation, electrophoresis, and chromatography. Sub
branches of analytical chemistry include Environmental Chemistry, Forensic
Chemistry, and Bioanalytical Chemistry.

4. Biochemistry is the study of chemical reactions that occur in living

organisms. It focuses on key molecules such as lipids, proteins,
carbohydrates, neurotransmitters, and nucleic acids, and tries to explain
them in chemical terms. Sub branches of biochemistry include genetics,
molecular biology, clinical biochemistry, pharmacology, toxicology, and
agricultural biochemistry.
5. Physical Chemistry studies the structure, energy, and transformation
of substances from one state of matter to another; of interaction of one
body with another; etc.
Physical Chemistry applies physics to the study of chemistry. For
example, it includes the applications of quantum mechanics and
thermodynamics to chemistry. This branch of chemistry encompasses
the study of the effect of chemical structure on the physical properties
of a substance, the rate of chemical reactions, the calculation of
properties and structures, and the interaction of molecules with
radiation. Sub branches of physical chemistry include Quantum
Chemistry, Photochemistry, Spectroscopy, Chemical Kinetics, and
Surface Chemistry.
Matter - anything that occupies space and has mass.
Matter includes things we can see and touch (such as water, earth, and
trees), as well as things we cannot (such as air). Thus, everything in the
universe has a “chemical” connection.

Pure Substance - a form of matter that has a definite (constant) composition

and distinct properties.
Examples: water, ammonia, table sugar (sucrose), gold, and oxygen.
Substances differ from one another in composition and can be identified
by their appearance, smell, taste, and other properties. Pure substances can
be either elements or compounds.
▪ Compound - a substance composed of atoms of two or more
elements chemically united in fixed proportions.
Example: water- H2O, table salt- NaCl, polyester)

▪ Element - is a substance that cannot be separated into simpler

substances by chemical or physical means
- a substance that consists of identical atoms
Example: Hydrogen- H; Gold-Au, Mercury-Hg, Iron-Fe).
Mixture - a combination of two or more substances in which the substances retain
their distinct identities.
Example: air, soft drinks, milk, and cement.
Mixtures do not have constant composition. Therefore, samples of air
collected in different cities would probably differ in composition because of
differences in altitude, pollution, and so on.
Mixtures are either homogeneous or heterogeneous.

• Homogeneous mixture (solutions) – the composition of the mixture is the same

throughout (e.g. spoonful of sugar dissolved in water, air)
Example: air, milk, saltwater
• Heterogeneous mixture- the composition of the mixture is not uniform (e.g.
sand mixed with iron filings)
Example: salad, granite

Mixtures can be separated into pure substances by physical methods.

States of Matter
 States of matter:

Solid - molecules are held close together in an orderly fashion with little
freedom of motion.
Solids have definite shapes and definite volumes. They are essentially
incompressible.

Liquid- molecules are held close together but not rigidly in position & can move
past one another.
Liquids has a definite volume but no definite shape. They have definite volume
that remains the same when they are poured from one container to another.
Liquids are only slightly compressible.
Gas- molecules are separated by distances that are large compared
with the size of the molecules.
Gases have no definite shape or volume. They expand to fill
whatever container they are put into. They are highly compressible and
can be forced into small containers.

Example:
Take a deep breath. As you breathe, air contains oxygen gas fills tour
lungs. The oxygen gas that enter your lungs has no definite shape or
volume.
 Most substances can exist in three states: solid, liquid, and gas.
Whether a substance is a gas, a liquid, or a solid it depends on its temperature
and pressure. On a cold winter day, a puddle of liquid water turns to ice; it becomes
a solid. If we heat water in an open pot at sea level, the liquid boils at 1000C; it
becomes a gas-we call it steam. If we heated the same pot of water on top of
Mount Everest, it would boil at about 700C due to the reduced atmospheric
pressure. Most substances can exist in the three states: they are gases at high
temperature, liquids at a lower temperature, and solids when their temperature
becomes low enough.
 The chemical identity of a substance does not change when it is
converted from one state to another. Water is still water whether it is in
the form of ice, steam, or liquid water.
Evaporation - the change of state from a liquid phase to the gaseous phase.

Condensation - the change of state from the gaseous phase to the liquid
phase.
Ex: foggy mirror, water droplets on the outside of your cold drink,
- Place a gallon of water on a burner and allow it to boil when the
water boils, look at the bubbles at the bottom of the container. These
bubbles contain water vapor which is water in the form of gas. The change
from gaseous state to liquid form will be possible when water vapor comes in
contact with cooler air.

Deposition – the reverse process of sublimation, a process in which a gas

goes directly to a solid, bypassing the liquid phase.
Ex: Frost – the deposition of water vapor from humid air or air containing
water vapor on to a solid surface
Sublimation - the change of state from a solid to a gas, without passing
through the liquid state.
Ex: Solid CO2, also known as dry ice, goes directly from a solid phase to
a gaseous phase in a process called sublimation.

Melting - the transition occurs from the solid phase to the liquid
phase.

Freezing - the transition occurs from the liquid phase to the solid
phase.
Properties of Matter

Property – refers to the characteristics of a material

Types of properties that chemists observed to identify a substance:

1. Physical Properties – any properties that can be measured and observed

without changing the composition or the chemical identity of a
substance. No new material is therefore produced.
Example: Color, odor, density, boiling point

Any property that you can see, smell, touch, hear, or otherwise detect
and measure without performing a chemical reaction is a physical property.
 Classification of physical properties:
1. Intensive property – a property of matter that does not change as
the amount of matter changes.
- a property of matter that do not depend on the amount of
matter present
Example: color, odor, hardness, density, boiling point

2. Extensive property – a property that changes when the size of the

sample changes.
- a property of matter that depend so much on the amount or
quantity of matter present
Example: volume, length
2. Chemical Properties – any properties that can only be observed and
measured by performing a chemical reaction, thus changing the
molecular structure of the sample.
- those that result when a new substance is
produced. Thus, there is a change in the composition of matter.

Example:
The addition of fertilizer to soil causes the plants to grow robust, the
exposure of peeled potatoes to air causes it to oxidize and so, turn
brown.
- flammability, corrosiveness, pH
pH – a measure of how acidic or basic a substance is
Example:

Identify whether the given property is a Physical or Chemical property.

If Physical, identify whether intensive or extensive.
• Odor
• Acidity
• Hardness
• Flammability
Changes of matter:

1. Physical change – a change in physical state (appearance), no new

substance is formed
Example:
- melting an ice cube: When the ice is exposed at room temperature
it will become liquid but when you put it again in the freezer it will go
back as ice and it remains water.
- crumpling of paper, cutting the hair, mixing water and oil, chopping
an apple
- breaking a pane of glass (the chemical composition of the glass
remains the same)
2. Chemical change – there is a change in atomic structure ,a new
substance is formed and it cannot go back to its original form.
Example:
- burning/fire: When you are burning wood the wood turns into
ashes but you cannot turn ashes into wood.
- cooking food: Cooking changes the properties of food. Cooked
food cannot go back to its raw form.
- rusting of iron
- dissolving the salt in water (the salt dissociates into its ions (from
NaCl into Na+ and Cl-) so a chemical change occurs)