Organic Chemistry

• Chemistry is the study of matter and its properties and how matter changes
• It is a natural science dealing with the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of substances

Organic Chemistry

• Organic chemistry studies carbon-containing compounds, mainly hydrocarbons and their derivatives
• Carbon can form stable chains and rings, leading to many organic molecules
• Key topics:
  • Alkanes, alkenes, alkynes are hydrocarbons differing based on single, double, and triple bonds respectively
  • Functional groups: atoms or groups of atoms in molecules causing characteristic chemical reactions; examples include alcohols, ketones, and amines
  • Isomerism: compounds share a molecular formula, but differ in structural formulas or spatial arrangements
  • Reaction mechanisms: step-by-step sequences of elementary reactions causing specific overall chemical changes
  • Spectroscopy: methods for determining the structure/properties of organic molecules using electromagnetic radiation
• Common organic reactions:
  • Addition reactions: two or more molecules combine into a larger one
  • Elimination reactions: a molecule loses atoms or groups of atoms
  • Substitution reactions: an atom or group of atoms in a molecule is replaced by another atom or group of atoms
  • Rearrangement reactions: a molecule’s atoms reorganize

Inorganic Chemistry

• Inorganic chemistry studies the properties/behavior of non-organic compounds
• The field includes:
  • Metals, nonmetals, coordination compounds, minerals, and organometallic compounds
• Key inorganic chemistry concepts:
  • Coordination chemistry: studies compounds between metal ions and ligands
  • Solid-state chemistry: studies synthesis, structure, properties, and applications of solid materials
  • Bioinorganic chemistry: examines the roles of metals in biological systems
  • Acid-base chemistry: includes aqueous and non-aqueous systems and Lewis acid-base theory
• Common inorganic materials:
  • Transition metal oxides, semiconductors, ceramics, and catalysts
• Applications of inorganic chemistry:
  • Utilized in catalysis, materials science, pigments, coatings, medicine, and agriculture

Physical Chemistry

• Physical chemistry uses physics principles to study chemical systems
• It explains the relationships between matter's structure/properties, and energy changes during chemical reactions
• Core areas:
  • Thermodynamics: studies energy and its transformations
  • Kinetics: studies reaction rates and mechanisms
  • Quantum mechanics: describes matter's behavior at the atomic/subatomic level
  • Statistical mechanics: connects microscopic properties of molecules to macroscopic properties of bulk materials
  • Spectroscopy: studies the interaction between matter and electromagnetic radiation
• Key physical chemistry concepts:
  • Chemical equilibrium: forward and reverse reaction rates are equal
  • Reaction rates: how quickly reactants change into products
  • Intermolecular forces: attractive/repulsive forces between molecules
  • Phase transitions: changes between solid, liquid, and gas states
• Applications of physical chemistry:
  • Used in new materials development, understanding biological processes, improving industrial chemical processes, and designing energy sources