Academic Chemistry
Mr. Gensits
Class Notes 1/27/2016
Unit One Introduction to Chemistry
Chemistry – the study of the composition of matter and the changes
that matter undergoes
Matter – anything that has mass and takes up space
Branches of Chemistry
Organic Chemistry
The study of all chemicals containing carbon.
Inorganic Chemistry
The study of all chemicals that, in general, do not contain carbon.
Biochemistry
The study of the chemical processes that take place in organisms.
Analytical Chemistry
The area of study that focuses on the composition of matter.
The study of the composition, structure, and properties of matter,
especially on the atomic/molecular level.
Physical Chemistry
This branch figures out how and why a chemical system behaves as it
does.
Studies the mechanism, the rate, and the energy transfer that occurs
when matter undergoes a change.
Approaches to Chemistry
Pure Chemistry
The pursuit of chemical knowledge for its own sake.
Applied Chemistry
Research that is directed toward a practical goal or application.
Why Study Chemistry?
Chemistry Explains...
1. Cooking
Chemistry explains the changes that occur in food as it cooks, the
rotting process, how to preserve food, how your body metabolizes food,
and the interaction of ingredients in the foods we eat.
2. Cleaning
Chemistry can be used to determine what cleaner is best for a
particular purpose. What cleaner should be used for dishes, in the
laundry, on your body, or anyway else throughout your home. Chemistry
explains how detergents, soaps, bleaches, and other cleaners act.
3. Medicine
Chemistry describes the interaction of vitamins, supplements, and drugs
with your body. New medical treatments and medicines are researched
and developed using chemical principles and knowledge.
4. Environmental Issues
How does a particular chemical adversely affect the environment? What
can be done to clean up chemical waste? Can clean technologies be
developed and by what process? Chemistry is at the heart of
environmental problems and their solutions.