INTRODUCTORY CHEMISTRY

Concepts and Critical Thinking

Sixth Edition by Charles H. Corwin
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Chapter 1
Introduction to
Chemistry
by Christopher Hamaker
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Evolution of Chemistry
The Greeks believed
in four basic
elements:
1. Earth
2. Air
3. Fire
4. Water
All substances were
combinations of
these four basic
elements.

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Scientific Investigations
Science is the methodical exploration of nature
followed by a logical explanation of the
observations.
Scientific investigation entails the following
activities:
Planning an investigation
Carefully recording observations
Gathering data
Analyzing the results
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The Scientific Method
The scientific method is a systematic investigation
of nature and requires proposing an explanation
for the results of an experiment in the form of a
general principle.
The initial, tentative proposal of a scientific
principle is called a hypothesis.
After further investigation, the original hypothesis
may be rejected, revised, or elevated to the status
of a scientific principle.
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Applying the Scientific Method
Step 1: Perform a planned experiment, make
observations, and record data.

Step 2: Analyze the data and propose a tentative
hypothesis to explain the experimental observations.

Step 3: Conduct additional experiments to test the
hypothesis. If the evidence supports the initial
proposal, the hypothesis may become a theory.
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Applying the Scientific Method,
Continued
After sufficient evidence, a hypothesis becomes a
scientific theory.
A natural law is a measurable relationship.
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Critical Thinking: Reactions with Oxygen
What do burning wood, rusting iron, and
exploding gasoline have in common?

All three are examples of combustion.

Combustion is a chemical reaction of a substance
with oxygen.

Rusting is a slow reaction, burning is a rapid
reaction, and an explosion is an instantaneous
reaction.
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Modern Chemistry
Chemistry is a science that studies the
composition of matter and its properties.
Chemistry is divided into several branches:
Organic chemistry is the study of substances
containing carbon.
I norganic chemistry is the study of all other
substances that dont contain carbon.
Biochemistry is the study of substances derived from
plants and animals.
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Learning Chemistry
Different people learn
chemistry differently.
What do you see in the
picture?
Some people see a vase on a
dark background; some people
see two faces.
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Problem Solving
Connect the dots using only four straight lines.
Experiment until
you find a solution.
Did you have to use
five straight lines?
No matter which
dot we start with,
we still need five
lines.
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Problem Solving, Continued
Are we confining the problem?
We need to
go beyond
the nine dots
to answer
the problem.
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Chemistry: The Central Science
Knowledge of chemistry is important to
understanding the world around us.
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Chapter Summary
Scientists use the scientific method to investigate
the world around them.
Experiments lead to a hypothesis, which may lead
to a scientific theory or a natural law.
Chemistry is a central science with many
branches.
The impact of chemistry is felt in many aspects of
our daily lives.