What is Chemistry?

What is chemistry?

     In my previous entry I explain briefly that all have chemistry. Now the question is what is chemistry?

     Basically, Chemistry is the study of the matter, its properties and how and why substances combine or separate to form other substances. As I said before many people think of chemists as being white-coated scientists mixing strange liquids in a laboratory, but the truth is we are all chemists. Now, I am going to present a list of two things that I realize we all do without being conscious that we are changing physical or chemical properties of the matter.

  1.   From mix milk with coffee to sweeten the coffee we are doing chemistry. To mix milk with coffee we are mixing two liquids with different chemical and physical properties, they interact and produce a good taste to us.

How we know that this is change in the properties of liquids? Because if we taste only milk or only coffee we can realize that the tastes are different than when they are mixed. Also we can see that milk is white and the coffee is dark brown, so they have different colors which mean that they have different physical properties. Then when we mix it and we have prepared our coffee with milk, this is called a physical change of the matter.

Now, if we sweeten the coffee, we can see that the sugar dissolves into the mix. We again change the physical properties of the sugar because it passes from solid to liquid. Why  it is a physical change? Because if we changed the state of the matter of the sugar. We are not changing the chemical properties because we have the same sugar, if that would be a chemical change the sugar become to another thing. For example:

   2.  When we are into the woods. When we are into the wood and we turn on a wood fire we are doing a chemical change to the matter. Why? Because a log burning in a fire with the presence of heat and oxygen is transformed into carbon dioxide, water vapor, and ash. Now, we do not have the log because it becomes another thing: ash. And if we want our log again we have to find another one because we can’t reverse the ash to the log.

Usually, we can identify a physical change with key words as dissolves, state change, color change, odor change, and change in volume…etcetera. And a chemical change with words like: combustion, energy, oxidation, corrosion, etcetera.

     Summarizing, every day we practice chemistry doing physical and chemical changes to the matter. 

Now, I invite you to see the photos and the video below. If you want read more about chemistry click on the links in the references or copy and paste the link in search bar.

Thank you very much and have a nice week,

-Stephanie

References: video from: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gCbqjs-pqJo

http://www.livescience.com/45986-what-is-chemistry.html