General Chemistry:

An Integrated Approach
Hill, Petrucci, 4th Edition

Chapter 1
Chemistry:
Matter and Measurement
Mark P. Heitz
State University of New York at Brockport
2005, Prentice Hall, Inc.

Chemistry: Principles and

Applications
Chemical theory and applications are interwoven
like the threads of a fine fabric.
Chlorine gas is an example of a
chemical with many applications.
Understanding the theory makes for
better use of this chemical.
The applications of chemistry, much
like the science itself, undergo
constant change.
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Getting Started: Some Key Ideas

CHEMISTRY
The study of

Composition
whats in it?
E.g., water is 2
parts Hydrogen
and 1 part Oxygen

Structure
how is it
assembled?
E.g., crystals

Properties:
E.g., boiling
point, density,
flammability
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Key Ideas, cont.

Matter = anything that has mass and occupies
space
ATOMS smallest distinctive unit in a sample of matter
MOLECULES larger
units of 2 or more atoms.

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Properties of Matter
Physical property: characteristic displayed by a sample
of matter without undergoing any change in its
composition
e.g., color
Chemical property:
characteristics displayed
as a result of change in
composition
e.g., flammability
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EOS

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Physical and Chemical Changes

Physical Change: changes in appearance but not in
composition
e.g., sublimation of ice in the winter
Chemical Change: changes resulting in altered
composition and/or molecular structure
e.g., spoilage of foods

EOS

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Classifying Matter

Chapter 1: Chemistry

Matter Classifications
Substance type of matter
with fixed composition that
does NOT vary from sample to
sample
Element substance that
cannot be broken down
Compound substance made
up of atoms of two or more
elements, with the different
kinds of atoms combined in
fixed proportions
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Matter Classifications ...

A mixture has no fixed
composition; its composition
may vary over a broad range
A solution is a mixture that is
homogeneous, which means
that its composition and
properties are the same
throughout
A heterogeneous mixture varies
in composition and/or properties
from one part of the mixture to
another
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Chemical Symbols
A one- or two-lettered designation derived from the
name of the element
Most symbols are based on English names:
Hydrogen = H

Neon = Ne Chromium = Cr

Note that the first letter is always capitalized and the

second is lowercase
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Chemical Symbols
In some cases, symbols come from Latin names

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Scientific Methods
A hypothesis is a tentative explanation or
prediction concerning some phenomenon
Tested via experiments

A theory provides explanations of observed

natural phenomena and predictions that can be
tested by further experiments
A scientific law is a summary of observed
patterns in large collections of data, often
expressed mathematically
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Models
Models are tangible items or
representative pictures of atoms
and molecules

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Scientific Measurements and Units

All measurements contain two essential pieces
of information:
a number (the quantitative piece)
a unit (the qualitative piece)
The number 60 is somewhat meaningless
without units. Consider this for ones wages:
$ per week
$ per hour
which is preferable?!
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Scientific Measurements and Units

Scientists worldwide use common measurement units
called the International System of Units (SI)

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Common SI Prefixes
Examples:
Gigahertz (GHz)
Megabytes (MB)
Terawatts (TW)

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Measuring Volume
Volume units typically use the Liters base unit
Very convenient for
measuring the volume of
irregularly shaped
containers

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Measuring Volume, cont.

Regularly shaped
objects can use a
variant of the volume
unit cubic distance
units
e.g., m3, cm3, etc.

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Comparing Temperature Scales

Some Celsius/Fahrenheit
equivalents
b.p. of water
Room-temperature
f.p. of water

100/212
20/68
0/32

The SI unit for temperature is

Kelvin (K).
Note that a change of 1 C = 1 KEOS
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Precision and Accuracy in

Measurements
Precision refers to how closely individual scientific
measurements agree with one another.
Accuracy refers to the closeness of the average of a
set of scientific measurements to the correct or
most probable value.
Sampling errors occur when a group of scientific
measurements do not represent the entire population
of the variable being studied.
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Precision & Accuracy Illustrated

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Significant Figures
All digits in a number that are known with
certainty plus the first uncertain digit
The more significant digits obtained, the better the
precision of a measurement
The concept of significant figures applies only to
measurements
Exact values have an unlimited number of
significant figures
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Rules for Zeros in

Significant Figures
Zeros between two other significant digits ARE
significant
e.g., 10023
A zero preceding a decimal point is not significant
e.g., 0.10023
Zeros between the decimal point and the first nonzero
digit are not significant
e.g., 0.0010023
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Rules for Zeros in

Significant Figures
Zeros at the end of a number are significant if they are
to the right of the decimal point
e.g., 0.1002300
1023.00
Zeros at the end of a number may or may not be
significant if the number is written without a decimal
point
e.g., 1000. compared to 1000
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Rules for Significant Figures

in Calculations
KEY POINT: A calculated quantity can be no
more precise than the least precise data used in
the calculation
and the reported result should reflect this fact
Analogy: a chain is only as strong as
its weakest link
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Significant Figures
in Calculations
Multiplication and Division:
the reported results should
have no more significant
figures than the factor with the
fewest significant figures
1.827 m 0.762 m = ?
0.762 has 3 sigfigs so the
reported answer is 1.39 m2
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Significant Figures
in Calculations
Addition and Subtraction: the reported results
should have the same number of decimal places as the
number with the fewest decimal places
NOTE - Be cautious of
round-off errors in multistep problems. Wait until
calculating the final answer
before rounding.
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A Problem-Solving Method
Chemistry problems usually require calculations,
and yield quantitative (numerical) answers
The unit-conversion method is useful for
solving most chemistry problems the
focus here is on unit equivalents
For example,
1 inch = 2.54 cm
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Other Equivalents and

Conversion Factors
A conversion factor
is the fractional
expression of the
equivalents
1inch
2.54 cm
or
2.54 cm
1inch

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Two Examples
How many cm are in 26 inches?
2.54 cm
26 in
= 66 cm
1 in

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Density
Density is the ratio of mass per
unit volume of a substance
mass
m
d

Volume V

common units are...

g
g
g
d 3 or
or
cm
mL
L
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Densities of Common Substances

Note that since
density is a ratio,
it can also be a
conversion factor
e.g., Cu is 8.94 g
1 cm3
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Further Remarks on
Problem Solving
Estimation useful for determining if an
answer is reasonable
The balloon has an
approximate
volume of (30 cm)3
= 27,000 cm3
= 27,000 mL or 27 L
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Summary of Concepts
Scientific knowledge is testable, reproducible,
explanatory, predictive, and tentative.
The scientific method involves making observations,
forming hypotheses, gathering data by doing
experiments, and formulating theories and laws.

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Summary of Concepts, cont.

Matter is made up of atoms and molecules and can be
subdivided into two broad categories: substances and
mixtures

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Summary of Concepts
Four basic quantities of measurement: mass,
length, time, and temperature
Special attention should be paid to the
concept of significant figures in reporting
calculated quantities
Precision and accuracy are important
indicators of the validity and plausibility of
a set of measurements
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Summary of Concepts
Physical properties and changes exhibit no
change in composition, only appearance
Chemical properties and changes exhibit
changes in composition quantities
Many chemistry problems can be solved
using the unit-conversion method

EOS

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