Chemistry
Matters
Hello, my name is Lir Afiq.
Get ready for my
‘CHEMISTRY COMIC’.
LOOK OUT FOR THESE MEDALS.
REMEMBER WHAT IT SAYS NEXT TO THEM.

Let’s figure out...
...what is chemistry?
...and why is chemistry
important?
First of all, what is
chemistry?
Well, chemistry is a special
kind of science.

Chemistry is about MATTER
and the CHANGES to it.
So, what is matter?
EVERYTHING
is made of matter.
It is everything we can
touch, see, smell and taste.

Matter has MASS.
This is measured in WEIGHT.

Matter takes up SPACE.
This is measured in VOLUME.

So, how is
everything made of
matter?
ATOM
Well, the smallest piece of matter
is called an ATOM.
Atoms are tiny.
You cannot see them.
(not real size)
You would need
50 million atoms in
a row to measure
1cm on your ruler.
ATOMS join together to
make MOLECULES!
MOLECULES make up
MATTER!
MATTER
make
There are different types of atoms.
Molecules with the same type of
atoms are called ELEMENTS.
Molecules with different types of
atoms are called COMPOUNDS.
MOLECULES
make
ATOMS

A couple of
examples ....
We breathe in OXYGEN (O).
This is also called O2
because oxygen molecules
have 2 oxygen atoms.
O O
Oxygen
(O2)
H
H
O
We drink WATER.
This is also called H2O
because water molecules have
2 special atoms called hydrogen (H)
and 1 oxygen (O) atom.
Water
H2O
Hmmm...
where did matter come from?
1. In the early days of the universe,
only Hydrogen (H) atoms existed
2. These first Hydrogen (H) atoms
joined up to make whirling gas clouds.
H
He
3. These clouds slowly became thicker
and became stars, just like our sun.
5. Some of these stars exploded.
These are called supernovas. These
shot out new kinds of atoms into
space, like Oxygen (O), Carbon (C),
Gold (Au), Iron (Fe) and many more.
4. Inside these stars, the Hydrogen (H)
atoms made other kinds of atoms like
Helium (He). This made extra energy.
6. These atoms slowly joined up to
make planets, just like Earth and all
living things on it.

So...we are made from
exploding stars!
Exploding
Stars


There are 3 main
STATES OF MATTER:
GASES
(oxygen is an example)
 

LIQUIDS
(water is an example)
SOLIDS
(a piece of wood is an example)
There are some other
states of matter, such
as PLASMA.
There is even
something mysterious
called DARK MATTER
in space. This is
invisible.
Matter can CHANGE states!
CONDENSATION:
when a GAS cools
down it eventually
changes to a LIQUID
GASES
(STEAM)
 

EVAPORATING:
when a LIQUID heats
up it eventually
changes to a GAS
LIQUIDS
(WATER)
FREEZING:
when a LIQUID cools
down it eventually
changes to a SOLID
SOLIDS
(ICE)
MELTING:
when a SOLID heats up
it eventually changes
to a LIQUID
Now, why is
chemistry
important?
Well, let’s find out.
Did you know...
CHEMISTRY MAKES US!

H
H
O
Most of our body is
made of water.
Water
(H2O)
Our body is like a LABORATORY.
There are lots of chemical changes
happening all the time. These make
us, keep us alive, make us grow and
control our movements and feelings.
Did you know...
WE USE CHEMISTRY
24 HOURS A DAY!

Scientists use chemistry to
make new MATERIALS.
Some of these are used for
making houses, the soap and
toothpaste we use in the
morning, our school uniform,
the petrol in our cars, our
books, our computers, our
televisions and our beds.



Did you know...
CHEMISTRY GIVES US
SAFE DRINKING WATER!
Scientists put a special chemical called
CHLORINE (Cl) into water to
destroy bacteria that live in it.
Some parts of the world
have very little rain for fresh water.
Scientists take the salt out of
sea water to make fresh water.
This is called DESALINATION.
Did you know...
CHEMISTRY GIVES US
MORE FOOD!

Scientists use chemistry to help
FERTILISE soil and make it better
for growing crops.
This remakes natural elements in soil like Nitrogen
(N) and Calcium (Ca) that have been carried away
by rain or destroyed by fire or too much farming.
Did you know...
CHEMISTRY KEEPS
US HEALTHY!



Scientists use chemistry to create
MEDICINES. These help to cure
diseases and keep us healthy.

Scientists use chemistry to make new kinds of
ENERGY that are less harmful to our environment.
This is called renewable energy and uses power from
the sun, or wind or sea waves.
So, chemistry is
all around us.
It helps us in
lots of ways.
Chemistry is important.
CHEMISTRY MATTERS.
I HOPE YOU WERE
LOOKING OUT FOR THESE
MEDALS.

Now, it is time for a fun quiz!
First part of the fun quiz is about
‘What is chemistry?’.
For each point, please pick TRUE or FALSE.
1.
Chemistry is about
MATTER and the CHANGES to it.
TRUE
FALSE
2. EVERYTHING is made of matter.
TRUE
FALSE
3. ATOMS make MOLECULES and
MOLECULES make MATTER.
TRUE
FALSE
4. GASES, LIQUIDS and SOLIDS
are STATES of MATTER.
TRUE
FALSE
Second part of the fun quiz is about
‘Why is chemistry important?’.
For each point, please pick TRUE or FALSE.
5. Chemistry MAKES US.
TRUE
FALSE
6. We use chemistry 24 HOURS A DAY.
TRUE
FALSE
7. Chemistry GIVES US SAFE DRINKING
WATER.
TRUE
FALSE
8. Chemistry GIVES US MORE FOOD.
TRUE
FALSE
9. Chemistry KEEPS US HEALTHY.
TRUE
FALSE
I hope you enjoyed my
‘chemistry comic’.
GOODBYE!
