INORGANIC

CHEMISTRY
Inorganic
Chemistry,studyofthestructure,
properties, and reactions of the chemical
elements and their compounds. Inorganic
chemistry does not include the investigation
of hydrocarbonscompounds composed of
carbon and hydrogen that are the parent
material of all other organic compounds. The
study of organic compounds is called organic
chemistry.

INORGANIC
CHEMISTRY

Inorganicchemistshave
made
significant
advances in understanding the minute
particles that compose our world. These
particles, called atoms, make up the
elements, which are the building blocks of all
the compounds and substances in the world
around us. Just as the entire English language
is constructed from combinations of the 26
letters in the alphabet, all chemical
substances are made from combinations of
the 112 chemical elements found on the
periodic table.

INORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
Ninetyelementsareknown to occur in nature,
and 22 more have been made artificially.
Elementswhich include substances such as
oxygen, nitrogen, and sulfurcannot be
broken into more elementary substances by
ordinary chemical means. The elements are
arranged in the periodic table in rows from
the lightest element (hydrogen) to the
heaviest (ununbium). These rows are split so
that elements with similar chemical properties
fall in the same columns.

INORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
Thesmallestrepresentative unit of an element is
an atom (see Atom). (For example, the smallest
representative of the element helium (He) is a
helium atom.) When atoms that come in close
contact have a sufficiently large attractive force, a
chemical bond, or binding link, forms between
them. The combination of two or more atoms
bonded together is called a molecule. A molecule
is the smallest particle of a substance possessing
the specific chemical properties of that substance.
For example, an atom of oxygen (O) combines
with two atoms of hydrogen (H) to form a water
molecule (H2O). While molecules of H2O possess
the properties of water, individual oxygen and

INORGANIC
CHEMISTRY
Muchofchemistrycan be described as
breaking substances apart and putting
chemical components together to form
new substances. This process is
accomplished by breaking chemical
bonds between atoms and creating
new bonds, a process known as a
chemical reaction.

IMPORTANT
INORGANIC
Advancesininorganic chemistry have made
CHEMISTRY
significant contributions
to modern living. For
instance, synthetic fertilizers manufactured
from inorganic chemicals have increased
worldwide
crop
production.
Inorganic
substances used to fabricate silicon chips help
power the global information age. Engineers
use metal alloys in automobiles and aircraft to
make them lighter and stronger. Companies
also use inorganic compounds to fabricate
concrete, steel, and glassmaterials used to
construct buildings, infrastructure, and other
public works around the world.

IMPORTANT
INORGANIC
Theremainingfivemost
commonly produced inorganic
chemicals (which frequently interchange rankings in
production volume)
are also used in a wide variety of
CHEMISTRY
applications. Sodium hydroxide (NaOH), commonly
called lye, is used in the manufacture of paper, soap,
detergents, and synthetic fibers, and is also a caustic
material used as a drain cleaner. Chlorine (Cl 2) is used
to manufacture vinyl chloride plastic, to disinfect
drinking water, and to bleach paper during
manufacturing. Phosphoric acid (H3PO4) is used to give
soft drinks a tart flavor and to make fertilizers. Sodium
carbonate (Na2CO3), more commonly known as soda
ash, is used in the production of glass, paper, and
textiles. Nitric acid (HNO3) is used to make synthetic
fibers, such as nylon; explosives, such as nitroglycerin
and TNT (trinitrotoluene); and is also combined with