Chemistry I

Chapter 1 – Section 1: pg. 2-6

Chemistry is the study of matter and how it changes.

Matter is anything that has mass and takes up space.

We will mainly study how matter changes via chemical reactions and physical changes.

The major sub-disciplines of chemistry are:

- organic chemistry- inorganic chemistry- analytical chemistry- physical chemistry- biochemistry

Organic chemistry studies molecules that contain carbon.

Styrene – an organic molecule which is used to make polystyrene plastics

Inorganic chemistry studies compounds which do not contain carbon. (Exceptions include simple carbon compounds like CO2 or CN-)

Sulfur hexafluoride, or SF6 is an inorganic molecule and a gas at room temperature.

Analytical chemistry main goal is to determine the composition (amount/substance) of unknown samples. Main other fields fit here:

-Toxicology- Pharmacology- Forensics

NMR, or Nuclear Magnetic Resonance is a tool of analytical chemistry. It helps determine the structure of molecules.

Physical chemistry is the union between chemistry and physics. It describes the physical reality of molecules, atoms, etc.

Studying how much heat substances release falls under the realms of physical chemistry.

Biochemistry is the union between biology and chemistry. It studies the chemistry of living organisms.

DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the molecule of heredity. What it looks like and what it does would be studied by biochemists.

Subfields of Chemistry – Mini Poster Project

MATERIALS: Everyone is to obtain one sheet of manila tag-board.

Other supplies are available upon request:- Glue- Construction paper- Colored pencils- Tape- Stapler- Scissors

OBJECTIVE: Individually create a mini-poster about one of the subfields of chemistry. You must include a description of the subfield, one visual that represents that type of chemistry, and one paragraph (5-8 sentences) that describes a modern use of that subfield.