1. Introduction to Chemistry
Introductory Chemistry: Concepts & Connections 4th Edition by Charles H. Corwin
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Introduction to Chemistry
Christopher G. Hamaker, Illinois State University, Normal IL
© 2005, Prentice Hall

2. Chemistry: The Central Science
Most other sciences demand an understanding of basic chemical principles, and Chemistry is often referred to as the Central Science
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3. Evolution of Chemistry
The Greeks believed in four basic elements, Earth, Air, Fire, and Water
All substances were combinations of these four basic elements
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4. Scientific Investigations
Science is the methodical exploration of nature followed by a logical explanation of the observations.
Scientific investigation entails:
planning an investigation
carefully recording observations
gathering data
analyzing the results
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5. 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 my rejected, revised, or elevated to the status of a scientific principle.
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6. Conclusions Continued
After sufficient evidence, a hypothesis becomes a scientific theory.
A natural law is a measurable relationship.
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7. 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
Inorganic chemistry is the study of all other substances that don’t contain carbon
Biochemistry is the study of substances derived from plants and animals
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8. 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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9. Problem Solving Connect the 9 dots using only four straight lines.
Experiment until you find a solution.
However, we have used 5 straight lines.
No matter which dot we start with, we still need 5 lines.
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10. Problem Solving Are we confining the problem?
We need to go beyond the 9 dots to answer the problem.
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11. Conclusions
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.
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