Page 1 of 6

General Inorganic Chemistry

The Study of Chemistry and Measurements
Reference: Chang, R. (2002). Chemistry 7th edition. NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

THE SCIENTIFIC METHOD

1. Problem Definition
2. Formulating a Hypothesis
a. Hypothesis – a tentative explanation for a set of observations; it must be
testable
3. Experimentation
4. Analysis and Interpretation of Data
5. Conclusion
a. Theory – a unifying principle that explains a body of facts and/or those
laws that are based on them
b. Law – a concise verbal or mathematical statement of a relationship
between phenomena that is always the same under the same conditions

THE STUDY OF CHEMISTRY

Chemistry – the study of the structure, composition, and properties of matter and the
changes it undergoes during a chemical reaction.

The Central Science

 Chemistry is often regarded as the central science because a basic knowledge
about it is essential for other several fields like biology, physics, ecology,
pharmacy, psychology and other fields

Applications of Chemistry
Health and Medicine Energy and the Environment
Food and Agriculture Materials and Technology

CLASSIFICATIONS OF MATTER

Matter – anything that occupies space and has mass

A. Pure Substances
 have uniform properties
 have definite composition
 cannot be separated physically

1. Elements
 cannot be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means
 Examples: carbon C, hydrogen gas H, mercury Hg

2. Compounds
 substances composed of atoms of two or more elements chemically
united in fixed proportions
 can be broken down into simpler substances by chemical means
 Page 2 of 6
General Inorganic Chemistry
The Study of Chemistry and Measurements
Reference: Chang, R. (2002). Chemistry 7th edition. NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

 Examples: salt NaCl, water H2O, carbon dioxide CO2, ferric oxide Fe2O3

B. Mixtures
 consists of two or more substances
 have variable composition
 can be separated by physical means
 the substances retain their distinct identities

1. Homogenous
 composition of mixture has uniform properties
 Examples: salt water, sugar solution, pure air

2. Heterogeneous
 composition of mixture has non-uniform properties
 Examples: marble, concrete

THE THREE STATES OF MATTER

1. Solid
 the molecules are held close together in an orderly fashion with little
freedom of motion
 have definite size and shape

2. Liquid
 the molecules are close together but are not held so rigidly in position and
can move past one another
 has definite volume but takes the shape of the container

3. Gas
 the molecules are separated by distances that are large compared with
the size of molecules
 has neither definite shape nor definite volume
 Page 3 of 6
General Inorganic Chemistry
The Study of Chemistry and Measurements
Reference: Chang, R. (2002). Chemistry 7th edition. NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

MOTION
translational rotational vibrational

The Fourth State, Plasma

 hot, ionized gas particles
 electrically charged
 most common state in the universe
 Example: lightning, stars

PROPERTIES OF MATTER

1. Physical Property
 those that can be measured and observed without changing the
composition or identity of a substance
 Examples: color, density, odor, boiling point, viscosity
2. Chemical Property
 those that describe how a substance may react to form other substances
 Examples: flammability, tendency to rust, pH

CHANGES WHICH MATTER UNDERGOES

1. Physical Change
 involves changing one or more physical properties of a sample of matter
without changing its composition
 Examples: evaporation, crystallization
 Page 4 of 6
General Inorganic Chemistry
The Study of Chemistry and Measurements
Reference: Chang, R. (2002). Chemistry 7th edition. NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

2. Chemical Change
 results in the change in composition of matter
 Examples: burning of paper, rusting of iron

OTHER PROPERTIES OF MATTER

1. Extensive Property
 depends on how much matter is being considered
 Examples: mass, volume, length
2. Intensive Property
 does not depend on how much matter is being considered
 Examples: temperature, density, color, odor, luster, malleability, hardness

MEASUREMENT
 It is the estimation of the magnitude of some attribute of an object, such as its
length or weight, relative to a unit of measurement

Macroscopic Properties
 Can be determined directly
Microscopic Properties
 On the atomic or molecular scale; must be determined by an indirect method

Metric Units – measurements are related decimally by powers of 10.

International System of Units – revised metric system (SI units)

SI BASE UNITS

Base Quantity Name of Unit Symbol

length meter m
mass kilogram kg
time second s
electric current ampere A
temperature Kelvin K
amount of substance mole mol
luminous intensity candela cd
 Page 5 of 6
General Inorganic Chemistry
The Study of Chemistry and Measurements
Reference: Chang, R. (2002). Chemistry 7th edition. NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

PREFIXES USED WITH SI UNITS

PREFIX ABBR. MULT. PREFIX ABBR. MULT.
deci d 10-1 deka da 101
centi c 10-2 hecto h 102
milli m 10-3 kilo k 103
micro μ 10-6 mega M 106
nano n 10-9 giga G 109
pico p 10-12 tera T 1012

COMMON UNITS USED IN CHEMISTRY

Mass – a measure of the amount of matter in an object

Weight – the force of gravity exerting on an object

Volume – it is length cubed

Units: L, mL, cm3, dm3, m3 (SI)
Liter, L – the volume occupied by one cubic decimeter
1 L = 1 dm3 = 1000 mL
1 mL = 1 cm3

Density – the mass of a substance divided by its volume

SI: kg/m3

Other units used for density:

 grams per cubic centimeter (g/cm3) or (g/mL)
o for solid and liquid densities
 Example: 1 g/cm3 – density of water at 4 °C
 grams per liter (g/L) – for gas densities

TEMPARATURE SCALES

Fahrenheit (°F) – defines the normal freezing and boiling points of water to be exactly
32°F and 212°F respectively

Celsius (°C) – divides the range between the freezing point (0°C) and boiling point
(100°C) of water into 100 degrees.

Kelvin (K) – the SI base unit if temperature; it is the absolute temperature scale and
cannot have negative values
 Absolute means that the zero on the Kelvin scale, denoted by O K is the lowest
temperature that can be attained theoretically.
 Page 6 of 6
General Inorganic Chemistry
The Study of Chemistry and Measurements
Reference: Chang, R. (2002). Chemistry 7th edition. NY: McGraw-Hill Companies Inc.

CONVERSIONS OF TEMPERATURES:

1. Degrees Fahrenheit to Celsius

2. Degrees Celsius to Fahrenheit

3. Degrees Celsius to Kelvin

o Based on experimental studies that absolute zero Kelvin = -273.15 °C