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Fundamentals of Chemistry: A Historical and Conceptual Overview, Study notes of Chemistry

This lecture notes document provides an introduction to chemistry, its fundamental questions, and major historical developments. It covers the concept of matter, the atomic theory, and the scientific method. The document also discusses the states of matter and their classification, as well as the separation of mixtures and pure substances.

Typology: Study notes

Pre 2010

Uploaded on 08/19/2009

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Ch 100: Fundamentals for Chemistry
Chapter 1: Introduction
Lecture Notes
What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is often described as the “central”
science
Chemistry is the study of matter
Matter is the “stuff” that makes up the universe, i.e.
anything that has mass and occupies space
The fundamental questions of Chemistry are:
1. How can matter be described?
2. How does one type of matter interact with other
types of matter?
3. How does matter transform into other forms of
matter?
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Ch 100: Fundamentals for Chemistry

Chapter 1: Introduction

Lecture Notes

What is Chemistry?

  • Chemistry is often described as the “central”

science

  • Chemistry is the study of matter
  • Matter is the “stuff” that makes up the universe, i.e.

anything that has mass and occupies space

  • The fundamental questions of Chemistry are:
    1. How can matter be described?
    2. How does one type of matter interact with other types of matter?
    3. How does matter transform into other forms of matter?

Major Developments in Chemistry I

~400 BC: Democritus proposed the concept of the “atom” ~300 BC: Aristotle developed 1

st comprehensive model of matter ~700 AD: Chinese alchemists invent gunpowder 1661: Robert Boyle proposed the concept of elements 1770-90: Lavoisier proposed the concept of compounds & the Law of Mass Conservation 1774: Priestly isolates oxygen 1797: Proust proposed the Law of Definite Proportions 1803: Dalton re-introduces the concept of the atom and establishes Dalton’s Laws 1869: Mendeleev creates the 1

st Periodic Table 1910: Rutherford proposes the “nuclear” model of the atom 1915: Bohr proposes a “planetary” model of the hydrogen atom 1920: Schroedinger publishes his wave equation for hydrogen 1969: Murray Gell-Mann proposes the theory of QCD (proposing the existence of quarks)

Major Developments in Chemistry II

Discovery of subatomic particles:

1886: Proton (first observed by Eugene Goldstein) 1897: Electron (JJ Thompson) 1920: Proton (named by Ernest Rutherford) 1932: Neutron (James Chadwick)

Other Important Discoveries:

1896: Antoine Henri Becquerel discovers radioactivity 1911: H. Kamerlingh Onnes discovers superconductivity in low temperature mercury 1947: William Shockley and colleagues invent the first transistor 1996: Cornell, Wieman, and Ketterle observe the 5th state of matter (the Bose-Einstein condensate) in the laboratory

Provides a Basis for

Further Experimentation

Tentative Explanation

of Certain Facts

Hypothesis

Considerable Evidence or Facts

Support It

Explanation of the

General Principles of Certain Phenomena

Theory

EXPLANATIONS

Simple Statement

of Natural Phenomena

No Exceptions

Under the Given

Conditions

Law

Bottom Line: The Scientific Attitude

  • All hypotheses must be testable (i.e. there

must be a way to prove them wrong!!)

  • Scientific: “Matter is made up of tiny particles

called atoms”

  • Non-Scientific: “There are tiny particles of

matter in the universe that will never be

detected”

The Particulate Nature of Matter

  • Matter is the tangible substance of nature, anything

with mass that occupies space

  • At the most fundamental level, matter is discrete or

particulate in nature

  • The smallest, most basic units of matter are called

atoms

  • All matter is thus comprised of individual atoms, or

specific combinations of atoms called molecules

  • Molecules can be broken apart into their constituent

atoms but atoms cannot be further broken apart and still retain the properties of matter

  • Matter can exist in one or more physical states (or

phases)

Separation of Matter

  • A pure substance cannot be broken down into its

component substances by physical means only by a

chemical process

  • The breakdown of a pure substance results in

formation of new substances (i.e. chemical change)

  • For a pure substance there is nothing to separate (its

only 1 substance to begin with)

  • Mixtures can be separated by physical means (and also

by chemical methods, as well)

  • There are 2 general methods of separation

1. Physical: separation based on physical properties

  1. Filtration
  2. Distillation
  3. Centrifugation

2. Chemical: separation based on chemical properties