Map of Chemistry

• • Origin of Elements
  • The universe is made of matter, and, ignoring the dark matter, it is 98% helium and hydrogen
  • Billions of years ago, super giant stars fused hydrogen and helium into all the other elements before exploding them into the universe, this is where all the other elements come from
  • These elements grouped together in a vast array of different molecules, and these molecules combined in a large assortment of arrangements, simple and complicated
• • Origin of Chemistry
  • Chemistry is the subject that studies this matter in all of its forms and how it all interacts, from simple particles to proteins and DNA
  • The first major chemical reaction known to be observed and done by early humans was the discovery of fire
  • We used fire to cause other chemical reactions like when cooking food, making metal from ores, smelting glass, etc.
  • A lot/ most of our advancements from here were on the back of Chemistry, like metal working, manufacturing fertilizer, or making new materials or drugs.
• • Matter
  • Atoms
  • The Periodic Table organizes all the different known types of atoms, called chemical elements
  • Elements in each column have similar chemical properties
  • Atoms are made of protons and neutrons in the nucleus with electrons surrounding them
  • Most of Chemistry is due to how these electrons behave
  • By joining atoms you get molecules and different kinds of molecules are called chemical compounds
• • Chemical Compounds
  • Different kinds of molecules are called chemical compounds
  • Ex: Hydrogen, Oxygen, Water, Carbon Dioxide, Ammonia
  • Chemical Compounds usually have very different chemical properties to the elements they are made of
  • Ex: Hydrogen explodes, Oxygen is a necessity for fire, but a hydrogen + 2 oxygen's = water (H2O)
  • Compounds don't have to be made of a single molecule
  • Many solids like metals or salts have a crystal structure, made of repeating groups of atoms called unit cells
  • With Several substances together, you get a mixture
  • like the air we breathe or a cake
• • Atoms bond together in several different ways where they reduce their combined energy by stealing or sharing electrons, or moving them into different configurations. Examples:
  • Convalent Bond
  • Ionic Bonding
  • Hydrogen Bonding
  • Va Der Waals Bonding
  • A universal rule in science is everything is always trying to minimize their energy. Bonding is one way atoms achieve that.
• • Energy
  • Understanding how energy moves around in chemical substances is vital to understand when reactions will or will not happen.
  • Ex: Wood wont react with oxygen to start burning spontaneously, but if you give it enough energy to begin with, it will
• • Another Example where energy is important is where you can speed up a reaction between two other compounds by introducing a Catalyst
  • The catalysts make it more energetically favorable, thus speeding up the reaction.
  • An example of a catalyst is Potassium Iodide mixed into Hydrogen Peroxide
• • Phases
  • Energy also determines when compounds will exist in different forms, states of matter; solid, liquid, gas, etc.
• • Which form, state, matter will be found in depends on the temperature that they are at and the pressure that they are under.
  • The values vary for each material, but typically things are solid at low temps and/or high pressure, and gas at high temps and/or low pressure.
• • Another interesting state of matter is plasma, which is where you rip electrons off atoms in a gas to make them ions, this is how we make neon lights.
• • Reversible Reactions
  • if there are a number of chemical compounds which can react to each other back and forth, there can be swings between one substance and another
• • Equilibrium
  • where the amount of each substance is constant, even tho a reaction is taking place
  • This can also happen with phase changes/ when states of matter are changing
• • Theoretical Chemistry
  • Attempts to Explain the structure of atoms and molecules, and how they interact using mathematical methods.
  • Very closely related to theoretical physics and Quantum Chemistry, and often use’s techniques in computational chemistry
  • Feynman Diagrams
• • Organic Chemistry
  • Looks at the structure and behavior of the molecules of life
  • Typically built from a small set of specific atoms:
  • Carbon
  • Hydrogen
  • Oxygen
  • Nitrogen
  • a few others
  • Also look to make new organic compounds with useful properties
• • Organic Compounds all contain Carbon, and the carbon-hydrogen bond is the most common in this field of study
  • Examples of application of organic chemistry in industry:
  • fertilizers
  • pesticides
  • lubricants
  • plastics
  • Examples of application of organic chemistry in consumer world:
  • flavorings
  • fragrances
  • preservatives
  • drugs/ pharmaceuticals
• • BioChemistry
  • Looks at the chemistry of living organisms
  • Can study inorganic components like:
  • water
  • minerals (ex: Iron)
  • but also looks at the biggest most complex molecules like:
  • proteins
  • fats
  • dna
  • At the more complex part of study you mix into molecular biology, which looks into how life emerges from chemical processes inside cells
• • Within Biochemistry there are 4 main classes of molecules called biomolecules:
  • Carbohydrates
  • Used for structures and storing energy
  • Lipids
  • Make up fats
  • Proteins
  • Large molecules made from amino acids that have a huge array of different functions in the body
  • Nucleic Acids
  • Used to convey genetic information