Chemistry: Definition, Areas, Fields, and Environmental Impact

Posted on Jan 3, 2025 in Chemistry

Definition of Chemistry

Central science of all experimental sciences. It studies the composition, structure, properties, and behavior of matter and the changes it undergoes in interactions.

Areas of Study of Chemistry

Organic: The branch of chemistry that deals with the structure, properties, and reactions of compounds that contain carbon.

Inorganic: The study of the synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds.

Analytical: The study of the separation, identification, and quantification of the chemical components of natural and artificial materials.

Physical: The study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of physics.

Biochemistry: The study of chemical processes within, and relating to, living organisms.

Fields of Study of Chemistry

In the food industry: To study the interactions of food and food processing methods.

In the cosmetics industry: To study the chemical reactions between human skin and makeup, and to innovate cosmetics because makeup is just a combination of chemicals.

In brain function: Neurochemistry is the brain chemistry. Because the brain works by chemical reactions between one neuron and another.

In muscle function: Muscles move because of a rapid chemical reaction caused in the brain, which is related to neurochemistry.

In the nutrition process: Because the nutrition process is based on chemical reactions of nutrients, hormones, and acids to make mental and physical balances.

Environmental Chemistry

Definition: A chemistry discipline that involves information from natural sciences such as ecology, biology, and geology, and social sciences such as economics, politics, and ethics.

Reasons for studying it: To learn how we are affecting the Earth’s life support systems, or to solve and evaluate environmental problems.

Natural Services:

• Climate Control
• Water Resources and Purification
• Recycling Vital Chemicals
• Soil formation and renewal
• Renewable energy resource
• Non-renewable mineral resources
• Non-renewable energy resource
• Waste removal and detoxification
• Natural pest and disease control
• Biodiversity and gene pool
• Potentially renewable matter resources

Resources Found on Earth:

• Air, water, and soil
• Biological resources – plants and animals
• Raw materials (like minerals)
• Space and land
• Wind, geothermal, tidal, and solar energy

Spheres:

Major Environmental Problems:

Matter Classification

Matter can be classified into macroscopic and microscopic classifications.

Macroscopic:

1. Homogeneous system: Matter that we CAN’T separate or differentiate easily at simple sight. Example: a milkshake, because we don’t see the milk, the ice cream, and the chocolate.
2. Heterogeneous system: Matter that we CAN separate or differentiate easily at simple sight. Ex: a salad, because we can take the tomatoes or the croutons from the lettuce.

Microscopic:

1. Pure substance: A sample of matter that consists of one component with definite physical and chemical properties and a definite composition.
   • Elements: Substances with one type of atom, found in the periodic table. Ex: Carbon (C)
   • Compounds: Two or more atoms joined together chemically. Ex: H₂O (water)
2. Mixtures: Two or more substances that are not chemically combined; they can be separated using physical methods.
   • Solution: A solute dissolved in a solvent, is homogeneous and transparent. Ex: Alka-Seltzer, sugar in water.
   • Suspension: Small pieces of solid spread through a liquid, is heterogeneous and translucent. Ex: muddy water, sand in water.
   • Colloid: A substance divided into minute particles dispersed through a second substance, is heterogeneous and opaque. Ex: milk or jelly.

Solutions

• The solvent is in a higher amount and dissolves the solute.
• The solute is dispersed in the solvent.
• Particles are non-visible.
• We can’t distinguish the solute and the solvent.
• It’s homogeneous and transparent.
• TYPES OF SOLUTIONS:
  • According to the amount of solute: dilute, concentrated, saturated, and supersaturated.