Introduction To Chemistry

1. Chemistry is the science that describes matter - its properties, the changes it undergoes, and the energy changes that accompany those processes.

2. Chemistry is the central science.

3. Chemistry is a quantitative science based on experimentation. (Section 1.2) See Figure 1.7.

B. Five Traditional Branches of Chemistry:

1. Organic chemistry = chemistry of covalent compounds of carbon and hydrogen and their derivatives.

2. Inorganic chemistry = the study of the huge variety of substances that fall outside the realm of organic materials.

3. Analytical chemistry = the identification of substances present and their amounts in a sample.

4. Physical chemistry = applies methods of physics to the properties of matter and the accompanying energy changes.

5. Biochemistry = the study of the chemistry of processes in living organisms.