Chemistry notes

Chemistry is the scientific discipline involved with elements and compounds composed

of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior and the changes
they undergo during a reaction with other substances.[1][2]
In the scope of its subject, chemistry occupies an intermediate position
between physics and biology.[3] It is sometimes called the central science because it provides a
foundation for understanding both basic and applied scientific disciplines at a fundamental level.
[4]
 For example, chemistry explains aspects of plant chemistry (botany), the formation of igneous
rocks (geology), how atmospheric ozone is formed and how environmental pollutants are degraded
(ecology), the properties of the soil on the moon (astrophysics), how medications work
(pharmacology), and how to collect DNA evidence at a crime scene (forensics).
Chemistry addresses topics such as how atoms and molecules interact via chemical bonds to form
new chemical compounds. There are four types of chemical bonds: covalent bonds, in which
compounds share one or more electron(s); ionic bonds, in which a compound donates one or
more electrons to another compound to produce ions (cations and anions); hydrogen bonds;
and Van der Waals force bonds.

Contents

 1Etymology
 2Modern principles
o 2.1Matter
 2.1.1Atom
 2.1.2Element
 2.1.3Compound
 2.1.4Molecule
 2.1.5Substance and mixture
 2.1.6Mole and amount of substance
o 2.2Phase
o 2.3Bonding
o 2.4Energy
o 2.5Reaction
o 2.6Ions and salts
o 2.7Acidity and basicity
o 2.8Redox
o 2.9Equilibrium
o 2.10Chemical laws
 3History
o 3.1Of definition
o 3.2Of discipline
 4Practice
o 4.1Subdisciplines
o 4.2Industry
o 4.3Professional societies
 5See also
 6References
 7Bibliography
 8Further reading
 9External links

Etymology
The word chemistry comes from alchemy, which referred to an earlier set of practices that
encompassed elements of
chemistry, metallurgy, philosophy, astrology, astronomy, mysticism and medicine. It is often seen as
linked to the quest to turn lead or another common starting material into gold,[5] though in ancient
times, the study encompassed many of the questions of modern chemistry being defined as the
study of the composition of waters, movement, growth, embodying, disembodying, drawing the
spirits from bodies and bonding the spirits within bodies by the early 4th century Greek-Egyptian
alchemist Zosimos.[6] An alchemist was called a 'chemist' in popular speech, and later the suffix "-ry"
was added to this to describe the art of the chemist as "chemistry".
The modern word alchemy in turn is derived from the Arabic word al-kīmīā (‫)الكیمیاء‬. In origin, the term
is borrowed from the Greek χημία or χημεία.[7][8] This may have Egyptian origins since al-kīmīā is
derived from the Greek χημία, which is in turn derived from the word Kemet, which is the ancient
name of Egypt in the Egyptian language.[7] Alternately, al-kīmīā may derive from χημεία, meaning
"cast together".[9]