Introduction to Chemistry

Introduction to Chemistry

• Chemistry is the science that studies the composition, structure, properties, and changes of matter
• Chemistry is also interested in the energy involved in these changes
• Matter is made up of particles
• Composition describes what something is made up of
• Structure describes how the material's particles are arranged and how they are attached to one another
• Properties describe the characteristics of matter
• Chemistry is divided into three major branches: inorganic, organic, and physical chemistry

Branches of Chemistry

• Inorganic chemistry: Studies elements and their compounds
• Organic chemistry: Studies carbon-containing compounds, excluding some carbon oxides, carbides, and carbonates
• Physical chemistry: Studies the effect of substance structure on its physical properties

Further Points

• Organic chemistry deals with carbon compounds, excluding some oxides, carbides, and carbonates
• Examples of carbon compounds are carbon monoxide (CO), carbon dioxide (CO2), trioxo-carbonate(IV) salts, hydrogen trioxo-carbonate, dicarbides, etc
• Pure and applied chemistry are further divisions of chemistry. Pure chemistry involves studying basic concepts, while applied chemistry uses the findings from pure chemistry for various applications.