Introduction to Chemistry

• Chemistry - the branch of science that studies MATTER, what it is and how it changes
• MATTER - anything that occupies space
• Chemistry investigates the properties of matter, how they interact, and how they change
• Organic Chemistry - the study of carbon-containing compounds in both living and non-living things
• Carbon-containing compounds - a chemical substance that has carbon atoms
• Inorganic Chemistry - the study of everything except carbon-based compounds
• Biochemistry - the study of chemical processes that happen inside living things
• Physical Chemistry - the study of chemical systems as they apply to physics concepts
• Nuclear Chemistry - the study of chemical changes in the nucleus (center) of an atom.
• Atom - the smallest unit of matter
• organic compounds - contain carbon and hydrogen bonds
• Scientific Inquiry - the process of using evidence from observations and experiments to create an explanation
• Background research - involves reviewing the findings of past scientists to create a HYPOTHESIS
• Scientists test their hypothesis by making OBSERVATIONS and comparing them to their PREDICTIONS, guesses of what might happen based on previous observations
• Observation can be QUANTITATIVE, made in the form of measurements
• Observations can be QUALITATIVE describing color, odor, shape, or some other physical characteristics
• The findings of a scientific inquiry are called RESULTS
• Pure Science - the search for knowledge or facts. It uses theories and predictions to understand nature.
• Applied Science - Using knowledge in a practical way. Related to engineering and technology.
• Types of Scientific Investigations

  1. Pure Science
  2. Applied Science
• Model - a representation of a particular situation using something else to represent it
• Physical Model - something that can be built, such as a molecule that is made of marshmallows, gumdrops, and sticks

  
• Computer Model - a three-dimensional simulation of an object or a chemical reaction

  
• Mathematical Model - calculations involving a particular mathematical equation

  
• Theory - a proposed explanation that is based on an examination of facts. It is a scientist's explanation of the facts
• Law of Conservation of Mass - this law states that during chemical reaction, matter is neither created nor destroyed, just rearranged
• Law - a rule based on observation of a process in nature that behaves the same way, each and every time
• Law - describes what happens
• Theory - describes why something happens