If were gonna talk about chemistry we might as well be on the same wavelength. Because the MASTER OF TERMINOLOGIE over there will go utterly insane if we don't present you with the proper vocabulary, we need to do this. Take it away, my esteemed collegue.
Thank you... I think. So as I said before, Chemistry is the study of matter Matter is a general term applied to...
Matter is STUFF! O.K. we can move on now.
Matter is a general term applied to anything and everything that has both mass and volume-- as my un-esteemed side-kick put it, "stuff." Chemistry is devoted to the study of what matter is, how we can classify it, and how it is affected.
Since we've... No YOU'VE more than adequately explained what matter is, I'll say a little about classification. First off, matter has properties. These properties fall into two catagories. First: how they look; and Second: how they change.
These are called Physical and Chemical properties of matter.
Sure, you can call them that if you want to...
It would be appropriate considering those are the INTERNATIONALLY RECOGINIZED TERMS! Physical properties are those that can be observed w/o altering the identity of the material. Identity refers to the what the substance is eg. Iron or Helium as opposed to shape or quantity. Physical properties are divided into two categories:
Chemical properties are the properties of matter that show how a particular substance will react under given conditions, such as decomopsition, flammiblilty, half-life, and reactivity.
Since we are studying chemistry and not physics, Gabe's long-winded treatise on the difference between chemical and physical properties is a little pointless when it comes to application. In reality, the physical properties are the ones that we need not concern ourselves with because they are the ones that we can observe most readily, and in some instances control. The Chemical properties are (duh!) the focus of chemistry. They are defined by change. There are two types of this:
Physical Change can be made without altering the composition of the substance (what it is made of).
Boiling, melting, breaking, sifting, smashing, grinding, etc, etc, etc-ing, are all physical changes. If I beat Gabe, he is still Gabe, just slightly maimed.
And if I quartered Patrick, I would still have four pieces of Patrick. But a better example might be cutting a sheet of paper in half. Both pieces remain paper, but their form has changed. These changes are more typically easy to reverse...
Chemical changes are the changing of a substance from one to another. These are obviously the ones associated with chemical processes.
Of the two changes, these are much more fun. These wonders of science change one substance to another. Burning is a common, household variety of chemical change. A burnt match is no longer composed entirely of the same wood that it was before it was lit. Chemical changes are generally more permanent and involve the transfer of energy. Chemical changes usually result in the change of odor, color, the realse of a gas, an explosion, etc.
Speaking of energy, energy is the ability to do work or cause change. Patrick for example has no energy. He does no work and changes nothing.
When you said work you meant the scientific definition, or the movement of a given mass over a given space...
Wow! That was almost intelligent!
...So when someone asks me to go to work instead of watching TV, I explain to them that the act of pushing the buttons to change channels IS work.
I take that back.
At any rate, this is about all there is to the basic concepts behind chemistry: Matter; chemical and physical properties (extensive and intensive); change, chemical and physical; and energy. And you got all for one low price! And if you order now: We'll throw in Measurement absolutely free! Call 555-8795 to order now, or click on this link. Measurement
STOP GIVING OUT MY PHONE NUMBER!
| Matter | Physical Property | Chemical Property |
| Intensive Property | Extensive Property | Physical Change |
| Chemical Change | Work | Gabe's Phone Number |