2022-2023

Semester 2

SEHH2008: Chemistry and Modern Living

Lecturer: Mr. Baldur Woo
BNurs, RN, MSc in Mkt and Sales Mgt, MMedSC

Lecture 1: Introduction and Science and Technology

30/1/2023
Reference

• Recommended Textbook:

1. American Chemical Society. (2017). Chemistry in Context: Applying Chemistry to Society. (9th ed.), McGraw Hill.

2. Hill, J.W., McCreary, T.W., & Kolb, D.K. (2016). Chemistry for Changing Times: Pearson New International Edition. (14th ed.), Pearson.

• References:

1. Beard, J.M. (2013). Environmental Chemistry in Society. (2nd ed.), CRC Press.

2. Goncharuk, V.V. (2014). Drinking Water: Physics, Chemistry and Biology. Springer.

3. Provost, J.J., Colabroy, K.L., Kelly, B.S., Wallert, M.A. (2016). The Science of Cooking: Understanding the Biology and Chemistry Behind Food
and Cooking. John Wiley and Sons.

4. Seager, S.L., Slabaugh, M.R., & Hansen, M.S. (2018). Chemistry for Today: General, Organic, and Biochemistry. (9th ed.), Cengage.

5. Tro, N.J. (2015). Chemistry in Focus: A Molecular View of Our World. (6th ed.), Cengage.
What is Chemistry?

• Chemistry is the study of matter and its changes.

• Everything we do involves chemistry.

Science and Technology

• Science is the process of seeking an understanding of

underlying principles of nature. It involves two facets:
technological (or factual) and philosophical (or theoretical).

• Technology is the direct application of knowledge to solve problems.

Science grew out of natural philosophy or the philosophical
speculation about nature.

• Baconian Dream and Carsonian Nightmare:

• The dream of Francis Bacon: science would solve the world’s

problems and enrich human life with new inventions, thereby
increasing happiness and prosperity.

• Rachel Carson published Silent Spring in 1962. She proposed

that the use of chemicals to control insects threatened the
destruction of all life.
What is Science? (1)

• Science has five characteristics. Science is

1. Testable

2. Reproducible

3. Explanatory

4. Predictive

5. Tentative

• Scientific hypotheses are testable explanations of observed data. These hypotheses are tested by designing
and performing experiments.
What is Science? (2)

• Scientific laws summarize large amounts of scientific data and provide descriptions of natural
phenomena(e.g., Law of Gravity, Law of Conservation of Mass/Matter, etc.)

• Many scientific laws can be stated mathematically. i.e., Boyle’s Law (PV = k) → Pressure multiplied by
volume equals some constant k that is the first scientific laws in the world discovered in 1662.

• A scientific theory is a set of tested hypotheses that explain natural phenomena.

• Scientific theories are the best current explanation for natural phenomena. Theories are always tentative and
may change as observations of nature change
How the scientists live?
Scientific Research (1)

• Basic research involves the search for knowledge for its own sake. The findings of basic
research may someday be applied to a specific problem in industry or the environment.

• Applied research involves studying a specific problem in industry or the environment.

Scientific Research (2)

• Example of basic research:

1. A study looking at how alcohol consumption impacts the brain

2. A study to discover the components making up human DNA

3. A study searching for the causative factors of cancer

4. A study on the origination of cryptocurrency

• Example of applied research:

1. A study trying to decrease fraud on social media platforms

2. A study searching for ways to encourage high school graduates to attend college

3. A study to find ways to make car tires last longer

Critical Thinking and Validity

• You can test the validity of a claim by using the FLaReS test:

1. Falsifiability

2. Logic

3. Replicability

4. Sufficiency

• If a claim passes all four FLaReS tests, then it may be true. Though it can still be proven false. If it fails even
one of the tests, it is likely to be false.
Chemistry: The Study of Matter and Its Changes

• Chemistry is the study of matter and its changes.

• Matter is anything that has mass and also volume.

• Mass is the measure of the amount of matter in an object.

• Weight is the measure of the gravitational force on the matter in an object.

Physical Properties and Physical Changes (1)

• Physical properties are those properties of a substance that can be observed without changing
the substance.

• Physical changes are changes in which the chemical identity of the substance is not changed.
Examples are melting and freezing
Physical Properties and Physical Changes (2)
Chemical Properties (1)

• Chemical properties are those properties of a substance that can only be studied by forming new
substances.

Chemical
Chemical properties are properties that can be
observed or measured when a substance
undergoes a chemical change.
A chemical reaction needs to be conducted to
show the property.
Chemical properties are connected to the
chemical bonds of a substance.
It can be used to predict how substances
react.
Physical
Physical properties are properties that can be
observed without bringing a chemical change.
No chemical reaction is needed here.
Physical properties do not have such a
relationship.
It is mostly used in identifying or describing the
substance.
Chemical Properties (2)
Matter (1)

• In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up
space by having volume.

• Classification of Matter:

1. A solid has a definite shape and volume.

2. A liquid has a definite volume, but has no definite shape.

3. A gas has neither definite volume nor definite shape.

Matter (2)
Matter (3)

• Elements are composed of one type of atom.

• Atoms are the smallest particle of an element.

• Elements are represented by chemical symbols. Examples are Cl, H, and Mg.
Matter (4)

• Compounds are made of two or more elements chemically combined.

• Many compounds exist as groups of atoms bonded together as a unit. These units are called
molecules.

• A mixture is a physical blend of two or more substances.

1. Homogeneous mixtures are uniform in composition.

2. Heterogeneous mixtures are not uniform in composition.

Measurement of Matter (1)

• Mass: The SI base unit of mass is the kilogram (kg).

• Length: The SI base unit of length is the meter (m).

• Volume: The SI base unit of volume is the cubic meter (m3).

• Time: The SI base unit of time is the second (s).

Measurement of Matter (2)

• Density is defined as the amount of matter in a given amount of space.

• d = m/V
Measurement of Matter (3)