Organic, Inorganic & Physical Chemistry

There are three fields of study in chemistry--organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry. Organic chemistry deals with the study of compounds made up from carbon forms, such as those found in living beings. Inorganic chemistry covers compounds not found in plants or animals and therefore classed as inorganic (noncarbon compounds). Physical chemistry addresses the actions of chemistry that are resolved using the laws of physics.

Chemical change can be harnessed in two ways. It can be used to break down materials into their constituent parts and to form new materials from individual elements. Scientists call the former "analysis" and the latter "synthesis." One example in which analysis is invaluable is in the determination of the active ingredients in botanical medicines, which often can then be synthesized commercially, usually at a lower cost and at no danger to vulnerable plant populations, such as in the rain forests.

Initial examination is employed to classify matter into two categories: "heterogeneous" and "homogeneous." Heterogeneous matter has a composition or texture that is not uniform throughout; that is, some parts may not have the same properties as other parts. Homogeneous matter, on the other hand, does not vary in its properties. Yet, both types of matters are mixtures, because it is possible to separate out different components by basic physical (as opposed to chemical) tests. If physical means do not work, than the item is a "substance," on whic

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n, 1990, p. 46). Using this information to depict a chemical reaction includes going back to Lavoisier's law of conservation, which illustrates that the formulas used in creating a compound and the formula for the compound itself along with any by-products must be equivalent, that is, the chemical equations must balance. The formulas on the left-hand side of the arrow are the reactants, and the ones on the right-hand side are the products, as in the equation showing phosphorus reacting with chlorine to give phosphorus pentachloride: P4 + 1OC12 ---- > 4PC15. In this equation, the "10" before the chlorine and the "4" before the phosphorus pentachloride are the "coefficients." They serve to keep the equation in balance by showing that an equal number of moles of each element appear on both sides. A balanced chemical equation details the quantitative relationships between the masses of reactants and products, and the study of these relationships is called stoichiometry. Every chemical reaction can proceed in either direction; however, a state of equilibrium is said to have been reached if the concentrations of the reactants and products do not change even though the forward and reverse reactions are taking place (Meislich, Nech

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