1. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
General Chemistry
Lecture 0
What Is Chemistry ?
2. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Chemistry: Definition and Scope
• Chemistry is the science of composition,
structure, and properties of matters and the
changes that matters undergo.
Matter is anything that has mass and volume.
It can be perceived by our senses and measured by
instruments such as weight, size, color, and smell.
Examples: water, air, tree, and earth
The change of matter is accompanied by energy,
such as heat and radiation (light), either absorbed or
released by the matter.
Energy has no mass, so it is not a matter.
3. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Importance of Chemistry
• Chemistry is the “central science”
Essential to our way of life.
The air we breathe, the food we eat, etc.
Together with mathematics and physics, chemistry is
one of the fundamental sciences that provide
systematic and scientific methods
to build knowledge of matter,
to develop new materials (e.g. polymers, drugs, silicon
chips, lasers) , and
to understand the nature of the universe.
Essential for studying other disciplines such as
biology, geology, ecology, and medicine.
4. Study of Chemistry
• Chemistry is the study of the properties, compositions, and
interactions of matter and the changes it undergoes.
• The scope of chemistry
Analytical chemistry for measurements of chemical properties,
compositions, and any chemical phenomenon.
Biochemistry to study the processes and matter associated with living
things such as metabolism, respiration, and reproduction.
Inorganic chemistry to study the metallic and metalloid substances
such as the steel production, battery, semiconductors, and ceramics.
Organic chemistry to study matters that are composed of carbon,
hydrogen, and other non-metal elements such as the petroleum,
polymers, and plastics.
Physical chemistry to study fundamental principals of behaviors of
matter such as the atomic and molecular structures, and gas laws.
Nuclear chemistry to study the reactions of nuclei, their applications,
and safety issues. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
5. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Applications of Chemistry
• Health
• Medicine
• Energy
• Material Development
• Technology
• Food and Agriculture
• Environment
6. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Applications to Health
• Dietary studies
Food analysis, food calories, and healthier food.
• Pollution studies
Air, water, land, and food pollutions.
• Sanitation systems
Protect people from infectious diseases.
• Drug testing
• Genome decoding (human & other species)
Genetic inheritance
Genetic information is stored in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
Mechanism of aging
7. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Applications to Medicine
• Drug research
For example: cisplatin for anticancer
Platinum electrode inhabits the cell division in bacteria
discovered by Dr. Rosenberg of MSU.
• Surgery with anesthesia
• Vaccines and antibiotics
• Genome therapy
To understand and hopefully cure cancer, AIDS,
arthritis, and other diseases.
Stem cell research
Drug research
8. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Applications to Energy
• Fossil fuels
Coal, petroleum, natural gas, etc.
• Nuclear energy
Fission: Nuclear power plants
Fusion: Provide clean energy, but fusion is still in the research
stage for finding ways to control and regulate it.
• Alternative energy sources
Convert solar energy to electricity by using photovoltaic cells
Solar energy is abundant and nearly limitless.
Fuel cells
Wind turbines that convert kinetic energy to electricity
Ocean waves for generating electricity
Hot spots for generating energy
9. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Applications to Material Development
• Dyes for use in textile, printing, and painting industries
• Adhesives (super glue, Post-It notes, etc.)
• Polymers (rubber, nylon, Teflon, etc.)
• Ceramics (cookware, insulator, art works, etc.)
• Solid state materials (semiconductor, silicon chip, light emitting
diode, etc)
• Fiber optics for information transmission (e.g. Internet)
• Liquid crystal (computer display, watch, etc.)
• Lasers (He-Ne, Ar, etc.)
• Superconductor
Materials have no electrical resistance and can conduct electricity with no
energy loss (Copper loses about 20%).
• Nano-materials (buckminsterfullerene C60, C70, and C76, and
Buckytubes, etc.)
10. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Applications to Technology Advancement
• Computers are made by solid state silicon chips and memories.
• Fiber optics and lasers for information transmission in Internet
By using different wavelengths of light, it can carry audio, data, and
video information at the same time.
• Light emitting diode (LED), charge couple devices (CCD), and
liquid crystal display (LCD) for image systems such as TV and
monitors.
• Superconductor for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI),
levitated trains, and nuclear fusion.
• Nano-technology
Optical computer, molecular computer, and drug design.
• Genetic engineering
Food, drug, pesticide, etc.
11. Henry R. Kang (1/2010)
Applications to Food & Agriculture
• Specialized fertilizers
More efficient to grow crops
Less harmful to environment
Increase production
Selectively kill weeds
• Better pesticides
Less harmful to environment and living species
• Bio-engineering (genetically modified) crops
Better yield and larger crops
Higher frequency (more crops per year)
Insect protected crops
Long-term safety is not yet known
12. Damages to Environment
• Advancements in materials and technologies also create
detrimental consequences to the environment; major
ones are :
Disposal of used electronic, plastic, and medical products and
wastes.
Burning fossil fuels causes global warming and pollution.
Oil spills and oil refinery accidents.
Nuclear energy produces radioactive wastes.
Nuclear disasters.
Excessive uses of fertilizes and pesticides are harmful to the
land, water, and living species
Hydroelectricity, solar-panel farms, and wind-turbine farms
distort ecological balance.
Henry R. Kang (3/2014)
13. Damages to Environment from Wastes
• Plastics wastes created an island the size of Rhode Island in Pacific ocean.
Plastic bags for grocery and other products.
Used tires and used clothing.
• Chlorofluorocarbons (CFCl3, CF2Cl2, C2F3Cl3, etc.) for hair spray diffuse to
stratosphere that reacts with ozone, O3, under UV light cause O3 depletion.
Polar ozone hole
• Disposal of used electronic devices
Computers, cell phones, TV, monitors, etc.
Cause detrimental health problems for people who dispose them in
underdeveloped countries.
• Harmful medical disposal.
• The wastes of fertilizes and pesticides are harmful to the land, water, and
living species.
e.g. DDT to eagles and humans.
Henry R. Kang (8/2014)
14. Damages to Environment
from Fossil Fuels
• Burning fossil fuels produce green-house gas such as CO2 that
causes global warming.
More severe weather disasters.
• Burning fossil fuels produce SO2 and SO3 for forming acid rains.
Damage trees.
• Driving cars produce NO and NO2 that create smog (air
pollution).
• Oil spills (water pollution)
1989 Exxon-Valdez spill, 1991 Gulf war, 2010 BP oil spill, etc.
• Oil refinery accidents
2007 BP refinery blast at Texas.
2012 Chevron refinery accident at Richmond, CA.
2015 Exxon-Mobil refinery explosion at Torrance, CA. Henry R. Kang (3/2015)
15. Damages to Environment
from Nuclear Energy
• Nuclear energy produces radioactive wastes.
Long half-life
Transport wastes
Store wastes
• Nuclear disasters
Three Mile Island, U.S. 1979
Chernobyl, Ukraine (USSR) 1986
Fukushima, Japan 2011
Henry R. Kang (1/2012)
16. Applications to Environment Improvement
• Alternative energy sources
Solar energy, wind, ocean wave, etc.
• Fuel-efficient automobiles.
More effective catalytic converters.
Hybrid cars and electric cars
Better battery and electricity storage capacity.
Fuel-cell cars
• Better ways to dispose nuclear, technological,
medical, and human wastes.
• Safe fertilizes and pesticides.
Henry R. Kang (8/2010)