Fundamentals of Chemistry Concepts

Aug 4, 2024

Class 11 Chemistry - Chapter 1: Basic Concepts of Chemistry

Importance of Chemistry

  • Chemistry is fundamental to understanding various substances and their interactions.
  • Discusses how chemical combinations and laws affect our daily lives.

Key Concepts Introduced

  • Significant Figures: Importance in measurements and calculations.
  • Elements: Basic substances that cannot be broken down.
  • Mixtures: Combinations of two or more substances.
  • Chemical Combination: How elements combine to form compounds.
  • Laws of Chemical Combination: Five major laws governing chemical reactions.

Laws of Chemical Combination

  1. Law of Conservation of Mass:
    • Discovered in the 1740s-1780s.
    • States that in a chemical reaction, mass is neither created nor destroyed.
    • The mass of the reactants equals the mass of the products.
    • Example:
      • Carbon + Oxygen → Carbon Dioxide
      • Atomic mass of Carbon = 12, Oxygen = 16.
      • Calculation: 1 C (12) + 2 O (16x2 = 32) = 44 (Reactants) = 44 (Products).

Practice Problem

  • Question:
    • 1.5 grams of ethane combusting produces 44 grams of carbon dioxide and 2.7 grams of water.
    • Show that the reaction obeys the law of conservation of mass.

Steps to Solve:

  • Write the balanced reaction for the combustion of ethane.

Note: Further calculations and details can be added as per the reaction to prove the law of conservation of mass.