What is Chemistry?

At one time it was easy to define chemistry. The traditional definition goes something like this: Chemistry is the study of the nature, properties, and composition of matter, and how these undergo changes. That served as a perfectly adequate definition as late as the 19 !s, when natural science "the systematic knowledge of nature# seemed quite clearly divisi$le into the physical and $iological sciences, with the former $eing comprised of physics, chemistry, geology and astronomy and the latter consisting of $otany and %oology. This classification is still used, $ut the emergence of important important fields to study such as oceanography, paleo$otany, meteorology, pharmacy and $iochemistry, for e&ample, have made it increasingly clear that the dividing lines $etween the sciences are no longer at all sharp. Chemistry, for instance, now overlaps so much with geology "thus we have geochemistry#, astronomy "astrochemistry#, and physics "physical and analytical chemistry# that it is pro$a$ly impossi$le to devise a really good modern definition of chemistry, e&cept, perhaps, to fall $ack on the operational definition: Chemistry is what chemists do' Chemistry plays an important part in all of the other natural sciences, $asic and applied. (lant growth and meta$olism, the formation of igneous rocks, the role played $y o%one in the atmosphere, the degradation of environmental pollutants, the properties of lunar soil, the medical action of drugs, esta$lishment of forensic evidence: none of these can $e understood without the knowledge and perspective provided $y chemistry. )ndeed, many people study chemistry so that they can apply it to their own particular field of interest. *f course, chemistry itself is the field of interest for many people, too. +any study chemistry not to apply it to another field, $ut simply to learn more a$out the physical world and the $ehaviour of matter from a chemical viewpoint. ,ome simply like -what chemists do- and so decide to -do it- themselves. Chemistry is a way of studying matter. .hat is matter/ As is true with many of those words which are really $asic to science, matter is hard to define. )t is often said that matter is anything which has mass and occupies space. 0ut then what are -mass- and -space-/ Although we can define these, the process yields very little insight into what matter is. ,o let us 1ust say that matter is anything which has real physical e&istence2 in a word matter is 1ust stuff. )ron, air, wool, gold, milk, aspirin, monkeys, ru$$er, and pi%%a 3 these are all matter. ,ome things which are not matter are heat, cold, colours, dreams hopes, ideas, sunlight, $eauty, fear, and &3rays. 4one of these is -stuff-2 none is matter. A sample of matter can $e either a pure su$stance or a mi&ture. A pure su$stance has a fi&ed, characteristic composition an a fi&ed, definite set of properties. (ure su$stances are for e&ample copper, salt, diamond, water, ta$le sugar, o&ygen, mercury, vitamin C, and o%one. A pure su$stance may $e a single element, such as copper or o&ygen, or a compound of two or more elements in a fi&ed ratio, such as salt " 9. 5 6 sodium and 7!.77 6 chlorine# or ta$le sugar "58.11 6 car$on, 7.59 6 hydrogen, and :1.51 6 o&ygen#. A mi&ture is a collection of pure su$stances simply mi&ed together. )ts composition is varia$le, as are its properties. ;&amples of mi&tures are milk, wood, concrete, saltwater, air, granite, motor oil, chocolate, and elephants. A pure su$stance can $e a solid, a liquid, or a gas2 these are the three states of matter A solid maintains its volume and shape2 a liquid, its volume only2 and a gas, neither. ,olids tend to $e hard and unyielding2 liquids maintain their volumes and flow to adopt the shapes of their containers. The a$ility to flow is called fluidity, and so gases and liquids are called fluids.

*ne of the goals of chemistry is to $e a$le to descri$e the properties of matter in terms of its internal structure, the arrangement and interrelationship of its parts. This word, structure, sometimes refers to the physical arrangement of particles, such as atoms or molecules in space. At other times it is used to indicate some other arrangement, such as the arrangement of energy levels of an electron in an atom. The structure of matter determines its properties. (roperties can $e classed as either physical or chemical. A physical property of a su$stance can $e characteri%ed without specific reference to any other su$stance and usually descri$es the response of the su$stance to some e&ternal influence, such as heat, light, force, electricity, etc. (hysical properties include $oiling point, melting point, thermal "heat# conductivity, colour, refractive inde&, viscosity, reflectivity, hardness, tensile strength, and electrical conductivity. A chemical property, on the other hand, descri$es a chemical change: the interaction of one su$stance with another , or the change of one su$stance into another. )ron rusts in a moist environment, unrefrigerated milk turns sour, wood $urns in air, photographs $leach when e&posed to sunlight for a long time, dynamite e&plodes 3 each of these is a chemical property $ecause each involves chemical change. <uring chemical changes, su$stances are actually changed into other su$stances. The simultaneous disappearance of some su$stances "called the reactants# and appearance of others "the products# is characteristic in chemical change "chemical reaction#. Chemical changes are generally characteri%ed $y pronounced internal structural rearrangements. (hysical changes are not characteri%ed $y the transformation of one su$stance into another, $ut rather $y the change of the form of a given su$stance. The $ending of a piece of copper wire fails to change the property of copper into another su$stance2 crushing a $lock of ice leaves only crushed ice2 melting an iron nail yields a su$stance still called iron: These are all usually accepted as physical changes. (roperties of matter may also $e categori%ed as either macroscopic or microscopic. A macroscopic property descri$es characteristics or $ehaviour of a sample which is large enough to see, handle, manipulate, weigh, etc. A microscopic property descri$es the $ehaviour of a much smaller sample of matter, an atom or molecule for instance.. +acroscopic and microscopic properties are often different. A $anana is yellow, $ut we do not use colour to descri$e an atom. ,ome properties, on the other hand, can $e either microscopic or macroscopic2 mass is one of these.

Branches of chemistry analytical chemistry, astrochemistry, biochemistry, chemurgy, cytochemistry, electrochemistry, geochemistry, histochemistry, immunochemistry, inorganic chemistry, kinetics, magnetochemistry, neurochemistry, nuclear chemistry, organic chemistry, petrochemistry, phonochemistry, photochemistry, physical chemistry, phytochemistry, radiochemistry, stereochemistry, stoichiometry, thermochemistry, zoochemistry, zymurgy