Keys to the Study of Chemistry

These are vocabulary words reviewed in the first chapter of the General Chemistry I Textbook from Professor Mandzuik's Spring Semester Class.

Chemistry: the study of…

properties of matter

interactions between matter

changes of matter

energy associated with those changes

Matter

anything that has mass and occupies space (i.e has volume)

Composition

specifies the types and amounts of simpler substances that make up a sample of matter

Substance

has definite, fixed composition, and distinct properties (i.e. either an element or a compound)

Mixture

is composed of a physical intermingling of two or more substances and whose composition is variable (i.e. might contain more, or less, of its various constituent substances) aqueous solutions

Macroscopic Properties

can be measured directly

Submicroscopic Properties

are deduced indirectly from microscopic measurements

We create models that relate to macroscopic measurements/ properties to microscopic properties

Consistently, understanding of the submicroscopic level properties helps us to account for and explain macroscopic behavior

The classification of matter is according to its…

Physical state and composition

Physical state

solid, liquid, gas

Composition

substance, mixture, homogeneous & heterogeneous

Kinetic Energy

is related to motion

Potential Energy

is related to the position in a force field