The document serves as a study guide for an introductory chemistry course focused on hazardous materials, outlining key learning outcomes related to chemistry fundamentals, measurement units, and chemical properties. It emphasizes the importance of understanding elements and compounds, bonding types, states of matter, and the safe handling of hazardous materials. Additionally, it introduces essential systems for classifying chemicals and identifies the roles of regulatory bodies in ensuring safety in environmental health and fire science.

1. UNIT I STUDY GUIDEIntroduction to ChemistryCourse
Learning Outcomes for Unit I
Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:
1. Recognize how to use basic chemistry fundamentals that are
essential in the study of hazardous materials, such as the
common elements by their atomic symbols on the periodic table;
the difference between elements, compounds, and mixtures; how
ionic and covalent bonding influence chemical properties; and
properties of gases, liquids, and solids.
1.1 Use the periodic table to identify the symbols, atomic
number, atomic weights, and general properties of currently
known elements.
1.2 Differentiate between elements, compounds, and mixtures;
ionic and covalent bonding; and physical and chemical changes
or properties.
1.3 Explain the properties of gases, liquids, and solids.
1.4 Determine chemical formulas and molecular weights of
compounds.
1.5 Recognize heat of chemical reactions and how it relates to
the transfer of energy.
2. Identify the common units of measurement used in the
practice of environmental health and safety (EHS) and fire
science (FS), such as concentration, temperature, and pressure.
2.1 Identify the common units of measuring scientific property
or behavior, and convert between units of the same kind
(measure the same property).
2.2 Apply the concepts of concentration, density, specific
gravity, vapor density, vapor pressure, and heat/energy.
9. Demonstrate familiarity with the Global Harmonized System

2. of Classification and Labeling of Chemical Substances (GHS)
and the NFPA system of identifying potential hazards.
9.1 Describe the GHS system.
9.2 Identify the types of hazardous materials represented by the
GHS pictograms.
9.3 Describe the NFPA system of identifying potential hazards.
Reading Assignment
Chapter 1:
Introduction
Chapter 2:
Some Features of Matter and Energy
Chapter 4:
Chemical Forms of Matter
Unit Lesson
Hazardous materials, now commonly known as hazmat, are
present in all facets of life. They can be found at home, in the
workplace, in public places, at shopping malls, and even at
amusement parks. The Merriam- Webster Online dictionary
(n.d.) defines hazmat as, “a material (flammable or poisonous
material) that would be a danger to life or to the environment if
released without precautions” (para. 1). Hazardous materials are
important for the continued operations of our technology-based
society (Meyer, 2014). They have a purpose but can be harmful
if not handled properly. In order to minimize hazards posed by
these materials, their storage, transport, use, and disposal are
heavily regulated by various federal, state, and local agencies.
Despite the myriad regulations, incidents still occur that need to

3. be mitigated for the protection of public health and the
environment.
(
BOS 3640, Interactions of Hazardous Materials
) (
1
)
Hazardous materials are generally classified into the following
categories: corrosive (acids/bases), water- reactive, air-reactive
(pyrophoric), flammable, toxic, explosive, and radioactive. In
this course, we will study their chemical behavior, properties,
and interactions with each other so that we can learn to manage
them properly and/or be able to respond and mitigate incidents
involving them in a safe and timely manner. Most of the
materials in our textbook are viewed from the fire-service
perspective; however, the chemistry will apply across the
parameters and responsibilities of occupational safety and
health as well as environmental management professionals.
Before we get into specifics regarding hazardous materials, we
will first review some basic chemistry fundamentals that are
essential to better understand the various topics covered in this
course. Due to time constraints, only a few selected topics from
Chapters 1, 2, and 4 will be covered in this unit (Unit 1).
Students, however, are encouraged to read all of Chapters 1
through 5 if they need to refresh their knowledge or
understanding of chemistry fundamentals.
Periodic Table: Everybody must have heard of the periodic table
at least once before this class. This table is where all the known
chemical elements are arranged in groups and periods based on
their currently known properties. A copy of a modern version of
this table is included as Figure 4.3 on page 115 of our textbook.
As you can see, the chemical symbols, atomic number, and
weights are included in the table. It is advisable to memorize

4. the symbols of at least the common elements if you are not
already familiar with them.
An element is defined as a substance that is composed of only
one kind of an atom; therefore, it cannot be broken down into a
simpler substance by chemical means (Fire, 1996). An atom, as
you may know, is the smallest particle of an element and is
composed of electrons, protons, and neutrons as shown in the
illustration below.
Meyer (2014) defines atomic number as the number of protons
in an atom, while atomic weight represents an abundance-
weighted sum of the atomic masses of an element’s naturally
occurring isotopes from a specified source. In practice, we use
the atomic weights to get the formula or molecular weights of a
chemical compound. Molecular weight is an important chemical
property because it is used in determining other properties such
as density. An example of how to calculate the molecular
weight is presented in Section 4.16 (page 130).
A substance is any homogeneous material that has a constant
and fixed chemical composition. An element and a compound
are substances. When the material is not a pure substance, it is
called a mixture.
Back to the periodic table, on the version included in the
textbook, each column represents a family of elements. Each
column or family (also called group) is identified by a number
and capital letter, such as IA, 2A, 3B, up to 8A. Another version
of the periodic table, which will not be discussed here, numbers
these columns consecutively, 1 through 18, from left to right
(Meyer, 2014). One use of the periodic table is by just looking
where the elements are located, we can readily tell their general
properties. For example, lithium, in general has similar
chemical properties (water-reactive) as sodium since they both

5. belong to the same family (they are relatives). One popular
family/group that is encountered in the field of hazardous
materials is the halogen family (Group 7A). This family
consists of chlorine, bromine, fluorine, iodine, and astatine;
each of them are very reactive (you can now add astatine in
your vocabulary). The horizontal row in the table is called a
period. In each period, the elements are arranged from left to
right in the order of their increasing atomic number.
Ionic and Covalent Bonding: Two or more elements can
combine to form a chemical compound. An example of a
compound is table salt, sodium chloride (NaCl), which is made
by combining sodium metal (Na)
and yellow chlorine gas (Cl2). These compounds are formed or
joined by a force that chemists refer to as a chemical bond,
meaning that the atoms of the combining elements get attached
to each other. Chemical bonding could be an ionic or covalent
bonding, depending on the number of electrons in the outer
shell of each atom. (Note: The difference in outer shell electron
configurations is beyond what you need to understand for this
course.)
An example of ionic bonding is that of sodium fluoride (NaF) as
illustrated on page 119. An example of covalent bonding is that
of methane (CH4) as illustrated on page 120. Compounds
formed by ionic bonds are called ionic compounds and those
formed by covalent bonds are called covalent compounds. Note
that these compounds have contrasting general properties, which
are summarized in Table 4.6. For example, ionic compounds
generally have higher boiling points, are nonflammable, and are
more soluble in water (Meyer, 2014).
Solids, liquids, and gases: After chemical bonding, the resulting
material (compound) takes on a certain physical form or state
(Schnepp & Gantt, 1998). The three main states (of matter) are

6. solid, liquid, and gas. Basically, a solid has a definite shape and
volume, while a liquid has volume but has no shape. A gas has
neither. A vapor, according to Meyer (2014), is the gaseous
form of a substance that exists as a solid or liquid at normal
ambient temperature. Although not encountered in the study of
hazmat, it is interesting to note that there are two other forms of
matter: namely, plasma and Base-Einstein condensate (Meyer,
2014). These two will not be discussed in this course. However,
the physical state is important when it comes to handling and/or
remediating hazardous material incident sites. It also impacts
the level of protection needed as their behavior is influenced by
their state or form.
Physical and chemical properties: When an element or a
compound gets transformed but the chemical composition is not
changed, the process involves only a physical change (e.g.,
boiling, freezing, pulverizing). The behavior that the substance
exhibits during the physical change is its physical property
(boiling point, freezing point, or temperature). The substance is
still the same.
By contrast, if the process results in a change in the chemical
composition, then it is considered a chemical change/reaction.
Examples of this are combustion and corrosion. Similarly, the
associated properties when undergoing a chemical change are
chemical properties. In the combustion example, one or more
new substances are formed as a result of the burning process.
Units of measurement: We cannot learn chemistry without
understanding some basic math (addition, subtraction,
multiplication, and division). A scientific observation
(measurement) must consist of a number and a scale (unit) for
the measurement to be meaningful (Zumdahl & Zumdahl, 2000).
There are two systems of units that are being used today: the
metric system (SI) and the English (U.S.) system. Units of the
same kind can be converted from one system to the other by

7. using the factor-unit method. See pages 41-42 for examples. It
is more efficient for you to use a conversion Website, but it is
good to practice manually converting between basic units to
improve your understanding and familiarity with the factor-unit
method. In our field, this is very important, and there may be
times when there is no Internet access.
Concentration: This is the amount of a substance present in a
given mass or volume of a mixture. Examples of units of
concentration include the following:
· airborne concentration of contaminants in the air in a room:
milligrams/cubic meter (mg/m3),
· concentration of a constituent such as sulfates in liquid
samples like water: milligrams/liter (mg/L),
· concentration of a constituent such as arsenic in solid media
like soil samples: milligrams/kilogram (mg/kg), and
· can also be expressed in % by mass or volume.
Side note: This is not in the textbook, but it may be useful to
some, especially if taking the CSPs and IH
exams:
Conversion of ppm to mg/m3 and vice versa: ppm =
(��/�3)(24.45),
��
where 24.45 is volume in liters of one gram-mole of a
substance.
Specific terminology is also beneficial in studying hazardous
materials. Density is the mass of a substance divided by the
volume that it occupies. Examples of units of density include

8. the following: pound/gallon
(lb/gal); pound/cubic feet (lb/ft3); and kilogram/cubic meter
(kg/m3). Specific gravity is the mass of a given volume of
matter compared with the mass of an equal volume of water;
this is dimensionless (mass to mass). Vapor density is the mass
of a vapor or gas compared with the mass of an equal volume of
another gas such as air at the same temperature and pressure,
this is also dimensionless (mass to mass). Temperature is a
measurement of how hot or cold; common units are Celsius and
Fahrenheit. Pressure is the force applied to a unit area (e.g.,
pounds/square inch lb/in2 or psi). Heat is the form of energy
transferred from one body to another because of temperature
difference; energy due to atomic or molecular motion in a
chemical. Heat is transferred by conduction, convection, and
radiation.
The Global Harmonization System (GHS) is a unified
international system for the classification and labeling of
chemicals, designed by the United Nations. It was adopted by
the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in
2008 for use on the MSDS (Material Safety Data Sheet). The
following link to the OSHA (n.d.) website details information
on GHS and is provided for further reference
https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghs.html#1.1.
National Fire Protection Association (NFPA) System of
Identifying Potential Hazards: NFPA uses a hazard diamond
shaped figure divided into four color-coded quadrants for rapid
identification of hazards:
· Hazards: health, flammability, chemical reactivity
· Severity: 0 to 4
References

9. Fire, F. (1996). The common sense approach to hazardous
materials (2nd ed.). Tulsa, OK: PenWell. Hazmat. (n.d.). In
Merriam–Webster’s online dictionary. Retrieved from
http://www.merriam-
webster.com/dictionary/hazmat
Meyer, E. (2014). Chemistry of hazardous materials (6th ed.).
Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson.
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). A guide
to the globally harmonized system of classification and
labelling of chemicals (GHS). Retrieved from
https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghs.html#1.1
Schnepp, R., & Gantt, P. W. (1998). Hazardous materials:
Regulations, response and site operations.
Independence, KY: Delmar Cengage Learning.
Zumdahl, S. S., & Zumdahl, S. A. (2000). Chemistry (5th ed.).
Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin Company.
Suggested Reading
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (n.d.). A guide
to the globally harmonized system of classification and
labelling of chemicals (GHS). Retrieved from
https://www.osha.gov/dsg/hazcom/ghs.html#1.1