The document discusses the significance of chemistry in nursing, emphasizing its role in understanding medication reactions and patient care. It outlines various classifications of matter (solids, liquids, gases, and plasma) and their properties, as well as the classification of substances into pure substances and mixtures. Additionally, it covers fundamental atomic theory, the structure of atoms, and the organization of the periodic table, providing insights into the building blocks of chemistry.

1. Basic Concepts of
Chemistry
BIO-104 Biochemistry for nurses
By Alia Rafique

2. Importance of Chemistry in nursing
Chemistry
• Chemistry is the branch of science that deals with the composition, structure
and properties of matter.
• Chemistry is also called the science of atoms and molecules.
• Chemistry is the study of matter and the changes it undergoes.
Nursing
• Nursing is a profession within the healthcare sector focused on the care of
individuals, families and communities so they may attain, maintain or recover
optimal health and quality of life.
• Nurses may be differentiated from the other healthcare providers by their
approach to patient care, training and scope of practice.

3. Importance of Chemistry in nursing
• Chemistry in nursing is very important, as it sets the basis for understanding
the medications that are being administered to certain patients
• Nurses must understand how particular medicines will react in different
patients. This helps to avoid wrong combinations of drugs that can lead to
adverse effects.
• Nursing programs feature different chemistry courses, including
biochemistry, pharmacology, general level chemistry and organic chemistry.
All of these courses play an important role in helping nurses understand
different organic compounds, chemical equations, chemical reactions and
chemical processes.
• Therefore, chemistry knowledge allows nurses to understand the effects of
different medicines when used alone or in combination with others.

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• The nurse must understand the present condition of the patient, importance
and difference in sodium, potassium, chloride, bicarbonate, oxygen and
many other elements and electrolytes in the body. This understanding will
guide the nurse to identify if there is an electrolyte imbalance.
• Thus, it is vital for nurses to have the skills to take care of their patients
emotionally, but it is also important that the nurse have the necessary
knowledge to interpret data regarding the patient condition to treat
physically accurately and in a timely manner.

5. Matter
• The term matter refers to anything that occupies space and has mass. All
matter is made up of substances called elements, which have specific
chemical and physical properties and cannot be broken down into other
substances through ordinary chemical reactions.

6. Classification of matter
There are two ways of classifying the matter:
(A) Physical Classification
Matter can exist in three physical states:
• Solids
• Liquids
• Gases.
(B) Chemical classification
Based upon the composition, matter can be divided into two main types:
• Pure Substances
• Mixtures.

7. Physical classification
• Depending on temperature and
some other factors, matter can
exist in several states. The most
common states are known as:
• Solid
• Liquid
• Gas
• Plasma

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1. Solids
• The solid state is one of the fundamental states of matter.
• Solids differ from liquids and gases by the characteristic of rigidity.
• The molecules of solids are tightly packed because of strong intermolecular
forces; they only oscillate about their mean positions.
• Whereas, liquids and gases possess the property of fluidity and can easily
flow.
• Solids can be defined as the state of matter which has definite shape and
volume and has a rigid structure.
• Solids possess the least compressibility and thermal expansion.
Example: Iron (Fe)

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2. Liquid
• The molecules in a liquid are closely packed due to weak intermolecular forces.
• These forces are weaker than solids but stronger than that of gases.
• There is much space in between the molecules of liquids which makes their
flowing ability easy.
• Liquids can easily acquire the shape of a vessel, and they have a fixed volume.
• Conversion of solids into liquids takes place when we increase the temperature
of solids to a point where solids begin to melt.
• Generally, the density of liquid lies between the density of solids and gases.
Compressibility and thermal expansion of liquids are slightly higher than that of
solids.
Example: Water (H2O)

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3. Gases
• In this state of matter, distances between the molecules are large.
• The intermolecular forces experienced between them are negligible.
• Thus, translatory, rotatory and vibratory motions are observed prominently
in gases.
• Gases do not have any fixed shape or volume.
• They also possess high compressibility and thermal expansion.
Example: Oxygen (O2)

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4. Plasma
• Plasma has neither a definite volume nor a definite shape.
• Plasma often is seen in ionized gases, but it is distinct from a gas because it
possesses unique properties. Free electrical charges (not bound to atoms or
ions) cause the plasma to be electrically conductive.
• The plasma may be formed by heating and ionizing a gas.
• Examples include stars, lightning, fluorescent lights, and neon signs

12. Chemical classification
1. Pure substances:
• A pure substance may be defined as a single substance (or matter) which
cannot be separated by simple physical methods. Pure substances can be
further classified as:
(i) Elements (ii) Compounds
(i) Elements:
• An element consists of only one type of particles.These particles may be
atoms or molecules.
• For example, sodium, copper, silver, hydrogen, oxygen etc. are some
examples of elements.They all contain atoms of one type. However, atoms
of different elements are different in nature.

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(ii) Compounds:
• It may be defined as a pure substance containing two or more elements combined
together in a fixed proportion by weight and can be decomposed into these
elements by suitable chemical methods. Moreover, the properties of a compound
are altogether different from the constituting elements.
• The compounds have been classified into two types.These are:
(i) Inorganic Compounds:
• These are compounds which are obtained from non-living sources such as rocks
and minerals. A few examples are: Common salt, marble, gypsum, washing soda
etc..
(ii) Organic Compounds:
• Organic Compounds are the compounds which are present in plants and animals.
All the organic compounds have been found to contain carbon as their essential
constituent. For example, carbohydrates, proteins, oils, fats etc.

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2. Mixtures:
• The combination of two or more elements or compounds which are not
chemically combined together and may also be present in any proportion, is
called mixture.
• Examples of mixtures are: milk, sea water, petrol, lime water, paint glass,
cement, wood etc.
• Mixtures are of two types:
i. Homogeneous mixtures: A mixture is said to be homogeneous if it has a
uniform composition throughout and there are no visible boundaries of
separation between the constituents. For example: A mixture of sugar
solution in water has the same sugar water composition throughout and
all portions have the same sweetness.

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ii. Heterogeneous mixtures:
• A mixture is said to be heterogeneous if it does not have uniform
composition throughout and has visible boundaries of separation between
the various constituents.
• The different constituents of a heterogeneous mixture can be seen even with
naked eye.
• For example: When iron filings and sulphur powder are mixed together, the
mixture formed is heterogeneous. It has greyish-yellow appearance and the
two constituents, iron and sulphur, can be easily identified with naked eye.

16. Structure of Atom and PeriodicTable
Atom:
• Atom is the basic building block of chemistry. Most of the atom is empty space. The
rest consist of positively charged nucleus of protons and neutrons surrounded by a
cloud of negatively charged electrons.
Periodic table:
• The periodic table is a table that logically organize all the known elements.
• Each row is named “period” where all of the elements have the same number of
atomic orbitals.
• Each column is called “group” where the elements have the same number of
electrons in the outer orbital.

17. Early models of Atomic theory
1. John Dalton (1766-1844)
• John Dalton’s theory of the atom started out as a solid sphere with no
charges
• Proposed the atomic theory by investigating atomic weights of atoms
2. J.JThomson (1898-1903)
• Determines that an atom is made up of negative electrons embedded in a sea
of positive charges .

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3. Ernest Rutherford (1911)
• Rutherford did some experiments with thin metal foils and found that the
positive charge is located within a central nucleus.

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4. Neil Bohr (1913)
• Neils Bohr worked under Rutherford but found problems with his theory.
• He ultimately determined that Electrons are in circular orbits with increasing
energy.

20. Atoms form Ions
• Ions: formed when an atom loses or gains one or more electrons(- or +
charge)
• Cation: formed when an atom loses an electron (+ charge)
• Anion: formed when an atom gains an electron (-charge)

21. PeriodicTable
• Modern PeriodicTable organized by the atomic number of the elements
• Dmitri Mendeleev began organizing elements by their physical and chemical
properties (1860’s)
• Mendeleev produced the first periodic table
• Called the periodic table because a periodic, or repeating pattern of properties
of the elements
• Each element has a specific location according its atomic structure. Each row
and column has specific characteristics.

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Period:
• Each row of the periodic table is called a
period. If you read from left to right one
proton and one electron are added from one
element to the next
Group/Family:
• Each column of the table is called a group or
family. Elements in a group share similar
properties.
• Groups/Families are read from top to bottom

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• Each column is called a group where the elements have the same number of
electrons in the outer orbital. Those outer electrons are also called valence
electrons.
• They are the electrons involved in chemical bonds with other elements. Every
element in the first column (group one) has one electron in its outer shell. Every
element in the second column (group two) has two electrons in the outer shell.
• Hydrogen (H) and helium (He), in its neutral form, does not have a neutron. There is
only one electron and one proton. Helium (He) is very stable with only two
electrons in its outer orbital (valence shell). Even though it only has two electrons,
it is still grouped with the noble gases that have eight electrons in their outermost
orbitals, their valence shell is full.

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• The atomic number is the number of protons (equal to the number of electrons
in a neutral atom) in the atom
• Atomic mass number is the sum of the number of protons and neutrons in the
atom.
• Atomic mass = Average mass of the isotopes, also known as atomic weight.