anorganic chemistry

• Inorganic Chemistry is defined as the chemistry of everything except hydrocarbons, including metals, minerals, organometallics, and carbon
• Inorganic compounds can contain bridging ligands, carbon-centered metal clusters, and aromatic rings
• Organic compounds mainly consist of C and H atoms, while inorganic compounds can have any atom except C and H directly bonded together
• Organic compounds mainly exist as covalent molecules and are non-electrolytes, while most inorganic compounds are ionic and are electrolytes
• Organic compounds usually do not dissolve in water due to hydrophobicity, while most inorganic compounds can dissolve in water due to the presence of ionic bonds
• Organic compounds are mostly colorless, while most inorganic compounds are colorful
• Organic compounds have low melting and boiling points and usually decompose on heating, while inorganic compounds have higher melting and boiling points and usually don't decompose on heating
• Organic compounds are inflammable, while inorganic compounds are usually noninflammable
• Inorganic compounds are used as catalysts, pigments, coatings, surfactants, medicines, fuels, and more
• Atom: the smallest unit quantity of an element that is capable of existence, either alone or in chemical combination with other atoms of the same or another element
• Atoms are composed of protons, electrons, and neutrons
• The mass of an atom is concentrated in the nucleus, which is about 10^-15 m in radius, while the atom itself is about 10^5 times larger
• Mass number A: number of protons + number of neutrons
• Atomic number Z: number of protons in the nucleus = number of electrons
• Isotopes are nuclides of a particular element that differ in the number of neutrons and, therefore, their mass number
• The Periodic Table consists of 118 known elements
• Elements are arranged from left to right and top to bottom in order of increasing atomic number
• Horizontal rows on the periodic table are called periods, indicating the number of valence orbitals for elements in that row
• Columns or groups represent elements with the same number of valence electrons in the outermost orbital shell
• Group 1: Alkali metals are soft, ductile, good conductors of electricity and heat, and very reactive
• Group 2: Alkaline earth metals are soft, silvery metals found in the earth's crust, can conduct heat and electricity, and can be made into sheets
• Group 3-12: Transition metals are hard, dense, good conductors of heat and electricity, and can be bent easily
• Group 13: The Boron Group consists of elements that are good conductors but rarely found in nature, with aluminum being an exception
• Group 14: The Carbon Group elements are widely found in nature, except Flerovium, and their compounds are usually toxic
• Group 15: Pnictogens include Nitrogen, Phosphorus, Arsenic, Antimony, Bismuth, and Moscovium, with the latter being a synthetic element
• Group 16: Chalcogens include Oxygen, Sulfur, Selenium, Tellurium, Polonium, and Livermorium, with the last two being synthetic or rare elements
• Group 17: Halogens are non-metals with low melting and boiling points, poor conductors, and exhibit all three states of matter at room temperature
• Group 18: Noble gases are unreactive, colorless gases constituting around 0.96% of the atmosphere, with various uses in lighting, welding, and space exploration
• Major periodic trends include electronegativity, ionization energy, electron affinity, atomic radius, melting point, metallic character, and effective nuclear charge
• These trends exist due to the similar atomic structure of elements within their respective groups or periods and the periodic nature of elements
• Electronegativity measures an atom's tendency to attract and form bonds with electrons
• Electronegativity increases from left to right across a period of elements
• Electronegativity decreases from top to bottom down a group
• Noble gases, lanthanides, and actinides are exceptions to the general trends of electronegativity
• Transition metals have little variance in electronegativity values due to their metallic properties affecting their ability to attract electrons
• The most electronegative element is fluorine, with 3.98 Pauling units
• Ionization energy is the energy required to remove an electron from a neutral atom in its gaseous phase
• Ionization energy generally increases from left to right within a period due to valence shell stability
• Ionization energy generally decreases from top to bottom within a group due to electron shielding
• Noble gases have high ionization energies due to their full valence shells