際際滷

際際滷Share a Scribd company logo

What is-chemistry -s_v1_83m_s1

Rebekah Dirks
Rebekah Dirks

Chemistry began as alchemy, with early alchemists attempting to transform metals like lead into gold. While this goal was not achievable, alchemists helped develop techniques and equipment now fundamental to modern chemistry. Key figures like Robert Boyle and Antoine Lavoisier helped establish chemistry as a scientific discipline using experimentation and quantification. Today, chemists study matter and its transformations to develop useful materials, clean the environment of toxins, and work towards curing diseases.

1 of 6
Download to read offline
What Is Chemistry? Say Thanks to the Authors Click http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (No sign in required)
To access a customizable version of this book, as well as other interactive content, visit www.ck12.org CK-12 Foundation is a non-pro鍖t organization with a mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the FlexBook速, CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high-quality educational content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an adaptive environment for learning, powered through the FlexBook Platform速. Copyright 息 2013 CK-12 Foundation, www.ck12.org The names CK-12 and CK12 and associated logos and the terms FlexBook速 and FlexBook Platform速 (collectively CK-12 Marks) are trademarks and service marks of CK-12 Foundation and are protected by federal, state, and international laws. Any form of reproduction of this book in any format or medium, in whole or in sections must include the referral attribution link http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (placed in a visible location) in addition to the following terms. Except as otherwise noted, all CK-12 Content (including CK-12 Curriculum Material) is made available to Users in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution/Non- Commercial/Share Alike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/), as amended and updated by Creative Commons from time to time (the CC License), which is incorporated herein by this reference. Complete terms can be found at http://www.ck12.org/terms. Printed: April 15, 2013
www.ck12.org Concept 1. What Is Chemistry? C ONCEPT 1 What Is Chemistry? Lesson Objectives The student will: give a brief history of how chemistry began. list some new materials produced by chemists. Vocabulary chemistry Introduction During medieval times, a group of people known as alchemists began looking for ways to transform common metals, such as lead, copper, and iron, into gold. Can you imagine how much money you would make if you could go to the store, buy some iron nails, and turn them into gold? Youd be rich in no time! The Origin and Evolution of Chemistry Alchemists experimented with many different kinds of chemicals, searching for what they termed the philosophers stone a legendary substance necessary for transforming common metals into gold (see Figure 1.1). We now know that there is no such thing as a philosophers stone, nor is there any chemical reaction that creates gold from another metal. We know this because we now have a much better understanding of how the matter in our universe behaves. Nevertheless, those early alchemists kindled interest in chemical transformations and inspired the development of modern chemistry. FIGURE 1.1 This painting shows an alchemist in search of the philosophers stone. Chemistry is the scienti鍖c study of matter and the changes that it undergoes. Its no coincidence that the word chemistry looks a lot like the word alchemy. Early alchemists were commonly known as chemists, and over 1
www.ck12.org time, people started referring to their work, particularly the more legitimate forms of it, as chemistry. While it may seem strange, in many ways it is appropriate that our word for the present-day study of matter comes from the early practice of alchemy. A lot of the techniques and equipment fundamental to modern chemistry were actually developed by early alchemists. Alchemy was practiced in China and India and later in the Arab world and Europe. The origin of the word alchemy, however, is something of a mystery. Certainly, early Europeans derived the term alchemy from the Arabic word al-kimia, meaning the art of transformation (of course, the transformation that alchemists were primarily concerned with involved the creation of gold). Most of what we know today about early alchemy is based on translations of Arabic documents, as the Muslim alchemists were among the 鍖rst to keep careful notes about their experiments. Even though our earliest records of alchemy come from the Arab Empire, some scholars believe that Arabs adopted alchemy and the word al-kimia from the Greeks around 650 AD. The Greeks, in turn, may have learned of alchemy from the Egyptians. Khem was an ancient name for Egypt, and the Egyptians of early history were known as masters at the art of working with gold. Its very likely that al-kimia is actually a distorted version of the word al-kimiya, meaning the art of the land of Khem, or the art of Egypt. Medieval Europeans were similarly fascinated by alchemy. Unfortunately, many alchemists in Europe borrowed ideas from the more mystical of the Arabian alchemists, and, as a result, European alchemy quickly became associated with wizardry, magic, and the search for the philosophers stone. It wasnt until the late 17th century that European chemists began applying the scienti鍖c method (see the lesson The Process of Science for a more detailed discussion about the scienti鍖c method). Robert Boyle (1627 1691) was the 鍖rst European chemist to do so, using quantitative experiments to measure the relationship between the pressure and the volume of a gas. His use of scienti鍖c methods paved the way for other European chemists and helped to establish the modern science of chemistry. The man who would greatly advance the development of modern chemistry was Antoine Lavoisier (1743 - 1794). Considered the father of modern chemistry, Lavoisier (seen in Figure 1.2) discovered that although matter may change its shape or form, its mass always remains the same. As a result, he would state the 鍖rst version of the law of conservation of mass. Lavoisier also wrote the 鍖rst extensive list of elements, including oxygen and hydrogen, and helped to reform chemical nomenclature. FIGURE 1.2 Antoine Lavoisier is considered to be the father of modern chemistry due to his many contributions to chemistry. 2
www.ck12.org Concept 1. What Is Chemistry? What Chemists Do You might wonder why the study of chemistry is so important if you cant use it to turn iron into gold or to develop a potion that will make you immortal. Why didnt chemistry die when scientists like Boyle and Lavoisier proved alchemy was nothing but a hoax? Although we cant use chemistry to make gold or to live forever, modern chemistry is still very powerful. There may be no such thing as a potion that cures all diseases, but many chemists today are working to develop cures for speci鍖c diseases, including HIV/AIDS and various forms of cancer. Chemists apply information about matter and the changes it undergoes to improve our lives in many different ways. Modern chemists study not only chemicals that can help us, but also chemicals that can hurt us. For example, environmental chemists test the air, soil, and water in our neighborhoods to make sure that we arent exposed to heavy metals (such as mercury or lead) or chemical pesticides. Moreover, when environmental chemists do 鍖nd dangerous substances, they use their knowledge of chemistry to clean up the contamination. Similarly, every time you buy packaged food from the grocery store, you can be sure that many tests have been done by chemists to ensure those foods dont contain any toxins or carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals). Chemists are also responsible for creating many important materials that we use today. In addition, many technolo- gies rely on chemistry as well. In fact, 鍖at-screen LCD televisions, cubic zirconium rings, and energy-ef鍖cient LED lights are all thanks to our improved understanding of chemistry. One of the huge breakthroughs in recent history has been the discovery of plastics (see Figure 1.3). Initially, plastic was made by chemically modifying cellulose, a naturally occurring chemical found in plants. As chemical knowledge developed, however, scientists began to realize that plastics had special properties. On a microscopic scale, plastics are composed of thousands of tiny chains of molecules all tangled up together. Scientists reasoned that if they altered the chemicals in these chains but still managed to keep the chains intact, they could make new plastics with new properties. Thus began the plastic revolution! FIGURE 1.3 Some common objects made of plastic. Semiconductors are another class of new materials whose development is largely based on our improved under- standing of chemistry. Because scientists know how matter is put together, they can predict how to 鍖ne-tune the chemical composition of a semiconductor in order to make it absorb light and act as a solar cell, or to emit light and act as a light source. Weve come a long way from our early days of producing bronze and steel. Nevertheless, as our understanding of chemistry improves, we will be able to create even more useful materials than the ones we have today. 3
www.ck12.org Lesson Summary Chemistry began as the study of alchemy. Most alchemists were searching for the philosophers stone, a fabled substance that could turn common metals into gold. Chemistry is the scienti鍖c study of matter and the changes that it undergoes. The word chemistry comes from the Arabic word al-kimia, meaning the art of transformation. Chemists apply information about matter and the changes it undergoes in many different ways to improve our lives. Further Reading / Supplemental Links The learner.org website allows users to view the Annenberg series of chemistry videos. You are required to register before you can watch the videos, but there is no charge to register. The video called The World of Chemistry relates chemistry to other sciences and daily life. http://learner.org/resources/series61.html Review Questions 1. What was the origin of the word chemistry? 2. Name at least two new materials created by chemists in the last 40 years. References 1. . TheAlchymist. 2. . AntoineLavoisier. 3. . PlasticObjects. 4

More Related Content

What is-chemistry -s_v1_83m_s1

  • 1. What Is Chemistry? Say Thanks to the Authors Click http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (No sign in required)
  • 2. To access a customizable version of this book, as well as other interactive content, visit www.ck12.org CK-12 Foundation is a non-pro鍖t organization with a mission to reduce the cost of textbook materials for the K-12 market both in the U.S. and worldwide. Using an open-content, web-based collaborative model termed the FlexBook速, CK-12 intends to pioneer the generation and distribution of high-quality educational content that will serve both as core text as well as provide an adaptive environment for learning, powered through the FlexBook Platform速. Copyright 息 2013 CK-12 Foundation, www.ck12.org The names CK-12 and CK12 and associated logos and the terms FlexBook速 and FlexBook Platform速 (collectively CK-12 Marks) are trademarks and service marks of CK-12 Foundation and are protected by federal, state, and international laws. Any form of reproduction of this book in any format or medium, in whole or in sections must include the referral attribution link http://www.ck12.org/saythanks (placed in a visible location) in addition to the following terms. Except as otherwise noted, all CK-12 Content (including CK-12 Curriculum Material) is made available to Users in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution/Non- Commercial/Share Alike 3.0 Unported (CC BY-NC-SA) License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/), as amended and updated by Creative Commons from time to time (the CC License), which is incorporated herein by this reference. Complete terms can be found at http://www.ck12.org/terms. Printed: April 15, 2013
  • 3. www.ck12.org Concept 1. What Is Chemistry? C ONCEPT 1 What Is Chemistry? Lesson Objectives The student will: give a brief history of how chemistry began. list some new materials produced by chemists. Vocabulary chemistry Introduction During medieval times, a group of people known as alchemists began looking for ways to transform common metals, such as lead, copper, and iron, into gold. Can you imagine how much money you would make if you could go to the store, buy some iron nails, and turn them into gold? Youd be rich in no time! The Origin and Evolution of Chemistry Alchemists experimented with many different kinds of chemicals, searching for what they termed the philosophers stone a legendary substance necessary for transforming common metals into gold (see Figure 1.1). We now know that there is no such thing as a philosophers stone, nor is there any chemical reaction that creates gold from another metal. We know this because we now have a much better understanding of how the matter in our universe behaves. Nevertheless, those early alchemists kindled interest in chemical transformations and inspired the development of modern chemistry. FIGURE 1.1 This painting shows an alchemist in search of the philosophers stone. Chemistry is the scienti鍖c study of matter and the changes that it undergoes. Its no coincidence that the word chemistry looks a lot like the word alchemy. Early alchemists were commonly known as chemists, and over 1
  • 4. www.ck12.org time, people started referring to their work, particularly the more legitimate forms of it, as chemistry. While it may seem strange, in many ways it is appropriate that our word for the present-day study of matter comes from the early practice of alchemy. A lot of the techniques and equipment fundamental to modern chemistry were actually developed by early alchemists. Alchemy was practiced in China and India and later in the Arab world and Europe. The origin of the word alchemy, however, is something of a mystery. Certainly, early Europeans derived the term alchemy from the Arabic word al-kimia, meaning the art of transformation (of course, the transformation that alchemists were primarily concerned with involved the creation of gold). Most of what we know today about early alchemy is based on translations of Arabic documents, as the Muslim alchemists were among the 鍖rst to keep careful notes about their experiments. Even though our earliest records of alchemy come from the Arab Empire, some scholars believe that Arabs adopted alchemy and the word al-kimia from the Greeks around 650 AD. The Greeks, in turn, may have learned of alchemy from the Egyptians. Khem was an ancient name for Egypt, and the Egyptians of early history were known as masters at the art of working with gold. Its very likely that al-kimia is actually a distorted version of the word al-kimiya, meaning the art of the land of Khem, or the art of Egypt. Medieval Europeans were similarly fascinated by alchemy. Unfortunately, many alchemists in Europe borrowed ideas from the more mystical of the Arabian alchemists, and, as a result, European alchemy quickly became associated with wizardry, magic, and the search for the philosophers stone. It wasnt until the late 17th century that European chemists began applying the scienti鍖c method (see the lesson The Process of Science for a more detailed discussion about the scienti鍖c method). Robert Boyle (1627 1691) was the 鍖rst European chemist to do so, using quantitative experiments to measure the relationship between the pressure and the volume of a gas. His use of scienti鍖c methods paved the way for other European chemists and helped to establish the modern science of chemistry. The man who would greatly advance the development of modern chemistry was Antoine Lavoisier (1743 - 1794). Considered the father of modern chemistry, Lavoisier (seen in Figure 1.2) discovered that although matter may change its shape or form, its mass always remains the same. As a result, he would state the 鍖rst version of the law of conservation of mass. Lavoisier also wrote the 鍖rst extensive list of elements, including oxygen and hydrogen, and helped to reform chemical nomenclature. FIGURE 1.2 Antoine Lavoisier is considered to be the father of modern chemistry due to his many contributions to chemistry. 2
  • 5. www.ck12.org Concept 1. What Is Chemistry? What Chemists Do You might wonder why the study of chemistry is so important if you cant use it to turn iron into gold or to develop a potion that will make you immortal. Why didnt chemistry die when scientists like Boyle and Lavoisier proved alchemy was nothing but a hoax? Although we cant use chemistry to make gold or to live forever, modern chemistry is still very powerful. There may be no such thing as a potion that cures all diseases, but many chemists today are working to develop cures for speci鍖c diseases, including HIV/AIDS and various forms of cancer. Chemists apply information about matter and the changes it undergoes to improve our lives in many different ways. Modern chemists study not only chemicals that can help us, but also chemicals that can hurt us. For example, environmental chemists test the air, soil, and water in our neighborhoods to make sure that we arent exposed to heavy metals (such as mercury or lead) or chemical pesticides. Moreover, when environmental chemists do 鍖nd dangerous substances, they use their knowledge of chemistry to clean up the contamination. Similarly, every time you buy packaged food from the grocery store, you can be sure that many tests have been done by chemists to ensure those foods dont contain any toxins or carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals). Chemists are also responsible for creating many important materials that we use today. In addition, many technolo- gies rely on chemistry as well. In fact, 鍖at-screen LCD televisions, cubic zirconium rings, and energy-ef鍖cient LED lights are all thanks to our improved understanding of chemistry. One of the huge breakthroughs in recent history has been the discovery of plastics (see Figure 1.3). Initially, plastic was made by chemically modifying cellulose, a naturally occurring chemical found in plants. As chemical knowledge developed, however, scientists began to realize that plastics had special properties. On a microscopic scale, plastics are composed of thousands of tiny chains of molecules all tangled up together. Scientists reasoned that if they altered the chemicals in these chains but still managed to keep the chains intact, they could make new plastics with new properties. Thus began the plastic revolution! FIGURE 1.3 Some common objects made of plastic. Semiconductors are another class of new materials whose development is largely based on our improved under- standing of chemistry. Because scientists know how matter is put together, they can predict how to 鍖ne-tune the chemical composition of a semiconductor in order to make it absorb light and act as a solar cell, or to emit light and act as a light source. Weve come a long way from our early days of producing bronze and steel. Nevertheless, as our understanding of chemistry improves, we will be able to create even more useful materials than the ones we have today. 3
  • 6. www.ck12.org Lesson Summary Chemistry began as the study of alchemy. Most alchemists were searching for the philosophers stone, a fabled substance that could turn common metals into gold. Chemistry is the scienti鍖c study of matter and the changes that it undergoes. The word chemistry comes from the Arabic word al-kimia, meaning the art of transformation. Chemists apply information about matter and the changes it undergoes in many different ways to improve our lives. Further Reading / Supplemental Links The learner.org website allows users to view the Annenberg series of chemistry videos. You are required to register before you can watch the videos, but there is no charge to register. The video called The World of Chemistry relates chemistry to other sciences and daily life. http://learner.org/resources/series61.html Review Questions 1. What was the origin of the word chemistry? 2. Name at least two new materials created by chemists in the last 40 years. References 1. . TheAlchymist. 2. . AntoineLavoisier. 3. . PlasticObjects. 4