Chem 1030

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Chapter 1: Introduction: Matter and Measurement

Terms
• Chemistry: the study of the properties of materials and the changes that materials
undergo
• Matter: the physical material of the universe that has mass and occupies space
• Elements: the components of matter
• Atoms: each element has a unique type of atom. Atoms are the smallest building
block of elements
• Molecules: a specific arrangement of 2 or more atoms
o Example: H—hydrogen atom; H –hydrogen molecule

H O—water molecule; CH –methane

Classification of Matter
1. States of Matter
a. Gas: no definite shape or volume (very compressible)
b. Liquid: no definite shape; definite volume ( not compressible)
c. Solid: definite shape and volume
2. Pure Substances (Substances) and Mixtures
a. Substance: fixed composition and distinctive properties
i. Elements: can be decomposed into a simpler substance
ii. Compounds: composed of 2 or more elements
b. Mixtures: combination of 2 or more substances where each substance has
its own identity and properties; Example: NaCl (s) + H O (l) NaCl (aq)
dissolved
i. Homogeneous mixtures: solutions (appear uniform throughout)
1. liquid solutions
2. solid solutions (alloys)
3. gas solutions
ii. Heterogeneous mixtures: not uniform appearance, i.e. sand, rocks

Terms
Elements: cannot be decomposed by physical or chemical methods. There are about 112
elements
Compounds: cannot be decomposed by physical methods, but can be decomposed by
chemical methods

Law of Definite Proportions (Constant Composition): the observation that the

elemental composition of a pure compound is always the same
Example: Water is always 89% oxygen and 11% hydrogen by weight. If you had 100 g
of H OO + H there would be 89 g of O and 11 g of H .
* pure substances always have the same ratio of compounds

Properties of Matter
Physical Properties: can measure without changing the identity or composition of the
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substance
Chemical Properties: how the substance can change or react to form other substances
Example: C(s)+O (g) CO(g) OR CO (g); Mg(s) + HCl(g)MgCl (s)+H (g)

Units of Measurement

Quantity Standard SI Units Abbreviation

Mass Kilogram (about 2.2 lbs.) kg

Length Meter (about 1 yd.) m

Kelvin (=°C+273)
Temperature K

Time Second s (sec.)

Amount Mole (6.023*10^23) mol

(Avogadro’s number)

Current Amperes A

Metric Prefixes

Giga G 10^9

Mega M 10^6

Kilo k 10^3

Deci d 10^-1

Centi c 10^-2

Milli m 10^-3

Micro 10^-6

Nano n 10^-9

Pico p 10^-12

Femto f 10^-15

Conversion Factors
1 Gm/10^9 m OR 10^9 m/1 Gm
Temperature
K=°C + 273.15; °C=K-273; °C= (5/9)( °F-32); °F=(9/5)°C+ 32
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Volume
SI unit: m³ (cubic meters)
1 (dm) ³=1 Liter (L)
milliliter (mL) = 10^-3 L
microliter ( L) = 10^-6 L
nanoliter (nL) = 10^-9 L

Density: mass/volume
Units: g/mL; g/cm³; g/cc

Uncertainty in Measurements
Exact numbers: 1000mm=1 m (exactly); 1 yd. =3 ft. (exactly)
Inexact numbers: all measurements; 1 yd =1.0936 m
Precision: how close a number of measurements are to each other
Accuracy: how close measurements are to the true value

Other: Dimensional Analysis