INTRODUCTION TO CHEMISTRY

What is chemistry?
 Chemistry is the study of the particles that make up matter and the changes that
the particles can undergo.
 By studying chemistry, we discover what the particles themselves are made of,
and also how they behave. This helps chemists to make new substances, such as
new medicines or materials, which help us in our everyday lives.
What do chemists do?
i. They investigate the structure of matter.
ii. They investigate the properties of matter
iii. They investigate how matter changes
Branches of chemistry
There are five major branches of chemistry.
1. Analytical chemistry
 This branch of chemistry investigates what substances are made of. Analytical
chemistry helps chemists to identify the chemicals that are present in a sample,
well as measure the quantity of each chemical. For example, an analytical
chemist can identify whether a sample of water has salt in it and, if so, how
much. Analytical chemistry is therefore very useful in the treatment of water,
the identification of poisons, the analysis of ore from copper mines, and the
production of soaps and detergents.
2. Physical chemistry
 In this branch of chemistry, the link between chemistry and physics is strong.
Physical chemistry is the study of the physical characteristics of materials, and
how they react with other materials. For example, a physical chemist may study
oil molecules to learn why oil is slippery, and why oil and water do not mix.
3. Organic chemistry
 This is the study of substances that contain carbon. Such substances are the
basis of life and there are millions of them. Organic chemists have also
produced many organic molecules that we do not find in nature, such as
plastics.
4. Inorganic chemistry
 This is the study of substances that do not contain carbon- and there are more
than a million of these, too. Water, glass, cement and salt are a few examples
of inorganic substances that we use in our daily lives.
5. Biochemistry
 "Bio" means life, so biochemistry is the study of the chemical nature of living
matter. Therefore, in this branch of chemistry, chemists investigate the
chemical compounds and energy changes in biological systems. For example,
biochemical reactions take place for our bodies to use the food that we eat.
 All of these branches of chemistry overlap with one or two others.

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  There are also specialized branches of chemistry such as nuclear chemistry which
is about the chemical effects of radioactive elements such as uranium.
Exercise
1. Describe what chemistry is.
2. List the three things that chemists do in their line of work, and give an example of
each.
3. Briefly explain each of the five main branches of chemistry.
The importance of chemistry
Knowledge of chemistry has great importance in our everyday lives.
Agriculture
• Fertilizers: Farmers use fertilizers made from chemical elements such as nitrogen,
phosphorus and potassium to improve soil quality.
• Herbicides and pesticides: Farmers also use herbicides and pesticides to improve
the yield of the crop.
• Medicines and food supplements for livestock: Farm animals need medicines
and supplements to keep them healthy.
• Processing agricultural products: Agricultural products must be processed so that
they can be consumed. For example, a number of chemical processes are needed to
extract sugar from sugar cane.
Industry
• Mining: We apply chemistry to extract minerals such as copper from copper ore.
• Plastics: Plastics are made from crude oil or coal. Plastic materials are made into a
wide range of products, such as food containers, plastic bags, water pipes, chairs and
tents.
• Construction: The building industry uses cement which is manufactured from
limestone.
• Medicines: Many medicines are chemical substances that were first identified in
plants. Chemists make copies of these substances in a laboratory, and make sure that
the medicines can be produced on a large scale.
• Other examples of chemistry in industry are fuels produced from crude oil and the
manufacture of textiles, clothes, paint, soap and toothpaste.
In the home
• Cooking: You combine ingredients, and add energy (heat) to make a final product - a
hot, cooked meal.
• Water: Tap water has been chemically treated to make it safe to drink.
• Cleaning products: Household soaps and detergents are designed to do the best job
possible.
The challenges of chemical industrial activities
While we can use the products of chemistry to benefit society, it can also do harm.

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• For example, we can use explosives to break up the ore in mines, but this can cause
damage to the natural landscape.
Harm to the environment
Although chemicals can improve our living conditions, they can also cause pollution.
• Some chemical industries, such as the plastics manufacturing industry, produce
harmful by-products in the process: These by-products must be stored safely or
changed into less harmful substances. If not, there is a danger that they can pollute
the soil and water systems.
• Sometimes, a product that is useful to humans is dangerous to the environment:
Plastic products are extremely useful, but plastic bags, for example, can end up as
litter. Because plastic does not degrade (break down) very much over time, the
plastics remain in the natural environment for a long time. Animals are especially
harmed by plastics in the environment.
But, if we use chemical processes to recycle waste products, we can avoid this
environmental damage. Plastics, glass and paper are easily recycled into new products.
Exercise
1. Make a list of ten items that you use every day that involved a chemical
2. Name two agricultural activities in Zambia that show how important chemistry is.
(If necessary, do some research to find out how chemistry plays a role in these
activities.)
3. Name two industrial activities in Zambia that show how important chemistry is. (If
necessary, do some research to find out how chemistry plays a role in these
activities.)
4. List at least five different types of pollution that you see in your neighbourhood.
5. Suggest ways to reduce the types of pollution that you listed in question 4.
Safety in the laboratory
Chemists follow certain rules when they perform experiments in a laboratory. This
ensures the safety of everyone in and around the laboratory. Most accidents in the
laboratory are due to carelessness and ignorance.
• Always observe the following rules when you are in a laboratory:
1. Do NOT eat or taste anything in the laboratory.
2. Do NOT enter the laboratory without permission.
3. Do NOT carry out any experiments without permission, and never carry out
experiments alone.
4. Do NOT run inside the laboratory.
5. Do NOT leave any apparatus on the floor or in the passage ways.
6. Do NOT eat or drink in the laboratory.
7. Always keep your work space and apparatus clean and tidy, and put pieces of
apparatus back where you found them.

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8. Do NOT pour chemicals down the sink. Ask your teacher how to dispose chemicals
correctly.
9. Always make sure that the laboratory is well ventilated.
10.When mixing acids and water, always add the acid to the water and not the other
way round.
11.Tell your teacher immediately if you have an accident in the laboratory. If you have
a burn, cut or chemical splash, wash it with lots of water and then report it to your
teacher.
12.If there is a serious emergency, such as a fire, walk calmly out of the laboratory.
Do NOT run to the exit and do not panic.