Chemistry – Basic Concepts

What is Chemistry?
• Study of matter at microscopic level

What is a substance made of?

How does a substance look, feel and smell like? Why?

What happens if two different substances come in contact ?

 Do they form something new? What do we see? Why?
 Or, do they just mix with each other retaining their own identities?
Atoms – the lego blocks
• Everything is made of ATOMS.

• Atoms are like lego blocks – they exist singly or in groups (called
molecules).

• A substance can be made of one type of atom or different types of

atoms.

• There are 110+ different atom types in the universe. They are listed in
the Periodic Table.
What is a chemical reaction?
• A chemical reaction is rearrangement of atoms
• No atoms are created or destroyed in a chemical reaction
• Examples of chemical reaction:
• Sodium + chlorine -> Sodium chloride
• Photosynthesis
• Respiration
• Burning of fire crackers
• Burning of fuel

•
Salt + water - > Salt water x
•
Sugar + water -> sweet water x
•
Sand + salt - > mixture of sand and salt x
Periodic Table
Periodic Table - Modified
 Elements Compounds
- Elements are made of ONLY one type of atoms. -Compounds are made of more than one
- For a few elements the atoms exist singly but for most type of atoms chemically bonded together
elements, the atoms exist in groups of two or more. in fixed ratio.
Mixtures
• Mixtures are two or more different elements and/or compounds
mixed together in no fixed proportion.
Mixtures - Examples

• Salt water
• Sugar water
• Milk and water
• Metal alloys
• Air
• Sand and salt
- Change of state
- Evaporation vs. Boiling
- Evaporation vs. Boiling
Elements, Compounds, Mixtures
Diffusion and factors affecting diffusion
Solubility