Inorganic Chemistry

Study Notes

Branch of chemistry that deals with the study of inorganic compounds, which are typically derived from mineral sources
Inorganic compounds are typically considered to be any compound that is not an organic compound, which means they do not contain carbon-hydrogen bonds
Subfields of inorganic chemistry:
- Main group chemistry: deals with the chemistry of main group elements (groups 1-12 of the periodic table)
- Transition metal chemistry: deals with the chemistry of transition metals (d-block elements)
- Lanthanide and actinide chemistry: deals with the chemistry of lanthanide and actinide elements (bottom left of the periodic table)
Important inorganic compounds:
- Acid-base chemistry: deals with the reaction of acids and bases to form salts and water
- Coordination compounds: complexes formed between a central metal atom and surrounding ligands
- Oxides: compounds containing oxygen, often used in catalysis and materials science

Branch of chemistry that deals with the physical principles underlying chemical reactions and processes
Focuses on the application of physical laws and concepts to understand chemical systems
Subfields of physical chemistry:
- Thermodynamics: deals with the relationships between heat, work, and energy
- Kinetics: deals with the rates of chemical reactions
- Quantum mechanics: deals with the behavior of atoms and molecules at the atomic and subatomic level
- Spectroscopy: deals with the interaction of matter with electromagnetic radiation
Important physical chemistry concepts:
- Energy: the ability to do work, measured in units such as joules (J) or kilojoules (kJ)
- Entropy: a measure of the disorder or randomness of a system
- Equilibrium: a state in which the rates of forward and reverse reactions are equal
- Catalysis: the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction using a catalyst

Deals with the study of inorganic compounds derived from mineral sources
Inorganic compounds lack carbon-hydrogen bonds
Subfields include:
- Main group chemistry (groups 1-12 of the periodic table)
- Transition metal chemistry (d-block elements)
- Lanthanide and actinide chemistry (bottom left of the periodic table)
Important inorganic compounds include:
- Acid-base chemistry (acids and bases react to form salts and water)
- Coordination compounds (complexes formed between a central metal atom and ligands)
- Oxides (compounds containing oxygen, used in catalysis and materials science)

Deals with the physical principles underlying chemical reactions and processes
Focuses on applying physical laws and concepts to understand chemical systems
Subfields include:
- Thermodynamics (heat, work, and energy relationships)
- Kinetics (rates of chemical reactions)
- Quantum mechanics (atomic and subatomic behavior)
- Spectroscopy (matter's interaction with electromagnetic radiation)
Important physical chemistry concepts include:
- Energy (ability to do work, measured in joules or kilojoules)
- Entropy (measure of disorder or randomness)
- Equilibrium (state where forward and reverse reaction rates are equal)
- Catalysis (increasing reaction rates using a catalyst)