Chemistry Is The: Etymology

Chemistry is the scientific discipline involved with elements and compounds composed
of atoms, molecules and ions: their composition, structure, properties, behavior and the
changes they undergo during a reaction with other substances.[1][2]
In the scope of its subject, chemistry occupies an intermediate position
between physics and biology.[3] It is sometimes called the central science because it
provides a foundation for understanding both basic and applied scientific disciplines at a
fundamental level.[4] For example, chemistry explains aspects of plant chemistry (botany),
the formation of igneous rocks (geology), how atmospheric ozone is formed and how
environmental pollutants are degraded (ecology), the properties of the soil on the moon
(astrophysics), how medications work (pharmacology), and how to collect DNA evidence at
a crime scene (forensics).
Chemistry addresses topics such as how atoms and molecules interact via chemical
bonds to form new chemical compounds. There are four types of chemical
bonds: covalent bonds, in which compounds share one or more electron(s); ionic bonds, in
which a compound donates one or more electrons to another compound to
produce ions (cations and anions); hydrogen bonds; and Van der Waals force bonds.
Contents
Etymology
The word chemistry comes from alchemy, which referred to an earlier set of practices that
encompassed elements of
chemistry, metallurgy, philosophy, astrology, astronomy, mysticism and medicine. It is
often seen as linked to the quest to turn lead or another common starting material into
gold,[5] though in ancient times, the study encompassed many of the questions of modern
chemistry being defined as the study of the composition of waters, movement, growth,
embodying, disembodying, drawing the spirits from bodies and bonding the spirits within
bodies by the early 4th century Greek-Egyptian alchemist Zosimos.[6] An alchemist was
called a 'chemist' in popular speech, and later the suffix "-ry" was added to this to describe
the art of the chemist as "chemistry".
The modern word alchemy in turn is derived from the Arabic word al-kīmīā (‫)الكیمیاء‬. In
origin, the term is borrowed from the Greek χημία or χημεία.[7][8] This may
have Egyptian origins since al-kīmīā is derived from the Greek χημία, which is in turn
derived from the word Kemet, which is the ancient name of Egypt in the Egyptian
language.[7] Alternately, al-kīmīā may derive from χημεία, meaning "cast together".[9]
Modern principles
Laboratory, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne in Germany.
The current model of atomic structure is the quantum mechanical model.[10] Traditional
chemistry starts with the study of elementary
particles, atoms, molecules,[11] substances, metals, crystals and other aggregates of matter.
Matter can be studied in solid, liquid, gas and plasma states, in isolation or in combination.
The interactions, reactions and transformations that are studied in chemistry are usually
the result of interactions between atoms, leading to rearrangements of the chemical bonds
which hold atoms together. Such behaviors are studied in a chemistry laboratory.
The chemistry laboratory stereotypically uses various forms of laboratory glassware.
However glassware is not central to chemistry, and a great deal of experimental (as well as
applied/industrial) chemistry is done without it.
Solutions of substances in reagent bottles, including ammonium hydroxide and nitric acid, illuminated in
different colors
A chemical reaction is a transformation of some substances into one or more different

substances.[12] The basis of such a chemical transformation is the rearrangement of
electrons in the chemical bonds between atoms. It can be symbolically depicted through
a chemical equation, which usually involves atoms as subjects. The number of atoms on the
left and the right in the equation for a chemical transformation is equal. (When the number
of atoms on either side is unequal, the transformation is referred to as a nuclear
reaction or radioactive decay.) The type of chemical reactions a substance may undergo
and the energy changes that may accompany it are constrained by certain basic rules,
known as chemical laws.
Energy and entropy considerations are invariably important in almost all chemical studies.
Chemical substances are classified in terms of their structure, phase, as well as
their chemical compositions. They can be analyzed using the tools of chemical analysis,
e.g. spectroscopy and chromatography. Scientists engaged in chemical research are known
as chemists.[13] Most chemists specialize in one or more sub-disciplines.
Several concepts are essential for the study of chemistry; some of them are:[14]
Matter
Main article: Matter
In chemistry, matter is defined as anything that has rest mass and volume (it takes up
space) and is made up of particles. The particles that make up matter have rest mass as
well – not all particles have rest mass, such as the photon. Matter can be a pure chemical
substance or a mixture of substances.[15]
Atom
Main article: Atom
A diagram of an atom based on the Bohr model
The atom is the basic unit of chemistry. It consists of a dense core called the atomic
nucleus surrounded by a space occupied by an electron cloud. The nucleus is made up of
positively charged protons and uncharged neutrons (together called nucleons), while the
electron cloud consists of negatively charged electrons which orbit the nucleus. In a neutral
atom, the negatively charged electrons balance out the positive charge of the protons. The
nucleus is dense; the mass of a nucleon is approximately 1,836 times that of an electron, yet
the radius of an atom is about 10,000 times that of its nucleus.[16][17]
The atom is also the smallest entity that can be envisaged to retain the chemical
properties of the element, such as electronegativity, ionization potential,
preferred oxidation state(s), coordination number, and preferred types of bonds to form
(e.g., metallic, ionic, covalent).

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Chemistry Is The: Etymology

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Chemistry is the scientific discipline involved with elements and compounds composed

Laboratory, Institute of Biochemistry, University of Cologne in Germany.

A chemical reaction is a transformation of some substances into one or more different

A diagram of an atom based on the Bohr model

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