Chapter One: Matter and Life

What is Chemistry and Why is it important?

Introduction to Matter and the Elements

Relationships between chemistry and other disciplines
 Three States of Matter

Solid: A substance that has a definite shape and volume

Liquid: A substance that has a definite volume but

changes shape to fill its container

Gas: A substance that has neither a definite volume nor

a definite shape
 Definitions

Physical Change: A change that does not affect the chemical

makeup of a substance or object. For example, ice melting or
water boiling.

Chemical Change (or chemical reaction): A change in the

chemical makeup of a substance. For example, wood
burning.
 Classification of Matter

Matter

Mixtures Substances

Substance: A substance that has a uniform chemical

composition throughout.

Mixture: A blend of 2 or more substances; each of which

retains its chemical identity.
CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER (summarized in Fig 1.4 below)
Important Definitions of Matter

A substance can be classified as an element or a compound

Element: A fundamental substance that can not be broken

down chemically into any simpler substance.

Compound (chemical compound): A pure substance that can

be broken down into simpler substances by chemical
reactions. Compounds are composed of two or more elements.
Elemental Composition of the Earth’s Crust and the Human Body

Earth’s Crust Human Body

oxygen 46.1% oxygen 61%

silicon 28.2% carbon 23%

aluminum 8.2% hydrogen 10%

iron 5.6% nitrogen 2.6%

hydrogen 0.14% calcium 1.4%

 The Periodic Table

Group or Family: a vertical column in the periodic table

Period: a horizontal row in the periodic table

The three main sections of the periodic table:

1)metals, 2)metalloids, and 3)nonmetals

Metals: typically shiny solids; good conductors of heat and electricity

Metalloids: have properties in-between metals and nonmetals
Nonmetals: may exist as solids, liquids, or gases. Not good
conductors of heat and electricity
Rules for Periodic Table Symbols

1.Usually the first one or two letters of the element’s name makes
up its symbol. Such as H for hydrogen or He for helium.
Note that some compounds are named from Latin or other languages.
For example natrium is the name for sodium in Latin and thus
this element has the symbol Na.

2. Only the first letter is capitalized in two letter symbols.

3. Symbols can be combined to produce chemical formulas such

as H2O for water. The subscript tells us how many hydrogen
for each oxygen.
 The Two Worlds of Chemistry: Macroscopic and Microscopic

Macroscopic: this is the large scale world that we can see

easily around us with our eyes.

Chemists study the properties and transformations of matter

by measuring relatively large quantities. For example, we can
hold a chunk of copper metal in our hand and observe its
properties. Copper is an element that is a shiny solid.

Microscopic: this is the small scale world that we can not see
with our eyes.

In the microscopic world, chemists are concerned with

the smallest unit of copper and observing its properties and
transformations. The smallest unit of copper is an atom.
Further Understanding of Compounds and Elements

Compounds Elements

Ionic Molecular
Compounds Compounds Atoms (or some
diatomic molecules)

Molecules
Ions

Atoms
L. C. McAtee, 2002
Important Definitions of Matter

atom: the smallest and simplest particle of an element.

All elements are made up of small particles called atoms.

molecule: two or more atoms held together by covalent

bonds. Alternatively, a molecule is defined as the smallest
unit of an element or compound that has the chemical
properties of the element or compound. Molecules are
electrically neutral (not charged).
Location of Diatomic elements in the periodic table
 More on the Classification of Matter

When atoms of nonmetals combine to form a compound,

a molecular compound results. For example, water, H2O, is
a molecular compound because it is composed of the two
nonmetals hydrogen and oxygen. The smallest unit of a
molecular compound is a molecule.

When metals combine with nonmetals to form a compound,

an ionic compound results. For example, salt, NaCl is an
ionic compound because it is composed of the metal sodium
and the nonmetal chlorine.
Chemical Formula: A notation for a chemical compound using
element symbols and subscripts to show how many atoms
of each element are present.

The chemical formula for water is H2O.

H2O indicates that two hydrogen and one oxygen
atoms combined together to produce one water molecule.
When no subscript is given for an element a subscript
of ‘1’ is understood.