CHEM104 Lecture: Chapter 1 Overview - Introduction to Chemistry

Instructor

• Dorothy Swain

Key Concepts Covered

What is Chemistry?

• Definition from the textbook: Chemistry is the study of matter and its transformations.
• Chemistry involves the study of atoms and molecules.
• Known as the "central science" because it connects to various other sciences such as biology, physics, geology, and astronomy.
• Chemistry contributes to understanding everything in the world around us.

Matter and Its Transformations

• Matter: Anything that has mass and takes up space.
• Chemistry helps define matter, its categories, structures, properties, and transformations.

The Periodic Table of Elements

• A critical tool in chemistry.
• Lists all chemical elements arranged by atomic structure progression.
• Will be discussed in greater detail in Chapter 2.

Importance of Capitalization in Chemistry

• Capitalization in chemical symbols is significant.
  • Example: Cobalt = Co (solid, shiny metal) vs. Carbon Monoxide = CO (poisonous gas).
• Each element's symbol has one capital letter.
  • Example: Co = Cobalt (single element), CO = Carbon Monoxide (two elements).

Diatomic Elements

• Elements that naturally pair in twos in chemical contexts.
• Seven diatomic elements: Hydrogen, Nitrogen, Oxygen, Fluorine, Chlorine, Bromine, Iodine.
• Elements ending in "-gen" or "-ine" are diatomic.

Classification of Matter

• Matter can be classified as either:
  • Pure Substance: Element or compound.
  • Mixture: Homogeneous or heterogeneous.
• Detailed exploration of these categories to follow in the next lecture segment.

Conclusion

• The lecture sets the foundation for understanding chemistry as a discipline and its relevance to various scientific areas.
• The next lecture will delve deeper into the classification of matter and chemical symbols.