General Chemistry C1 Summary: C1-1 The Scientific Method The scientific method is a set of procedures used to de velop explanantions

of natural phenomena and possibly to predict additional phen omena. The four basic stages of the scientific method are (1) gathering data thr ough observations and experiments; (2) reducing the data to simple verbal or mat hematical expressions known as natural laws; (3) offering a plausible explanatio n of the data through a hypothesis; (4) testing the hypothesis through predictio ns and further experimentation, leading ultimately to a conceptual model called a theory that explains the hypothesis, often together with ofther related hypoth eses. C1-2 Properties of Matter Matter is defined as anything that occupies space, posse sses mass, and displays inertia. Composition refers to the component parts of a sample of matter and their relative proportions. Properties are the qualities or attributes that distinguish one sample of matter from another. Properties of ma tter can be grouped into two broad categories: physical and chemical. Matter can undergo two types of changes: chemical changes or reactions are changes in comp osition; physical changes are changes in state or physical form and do not affec t composition. C1-3 Classification of Matter The basic building blocks of matter are called atoms . Matter that is composed of a collection of a single type of atom is known as a n element. A sample of matter composed of two or more elements is known as a com pound. A moluecule is the smallest entity of a compound having the same proporti ons of the constituent atoms as does the compound as a whole. Collectively, elem ents and compounds compose the types of matter called substances. Mixtures of su bstances can be classified as homogeneous or heterogeneous. The three states of matter are solid, liquid, and gas. C1-4 Measurement of Matter: SI (Metric) Units Chemistry is a quantitative science, meaning that chemical measurements are usually expressed in terms of a number a nd an accompanying unit. The scientific system of measurement, called the System e Internationale d'Unites (abbreviated SI), involves seven base quantities. Mass describes a quantity of matter. Weight measures the force of gravity on an obje ct; weight is related to, but different from, mass. The temperature scales used by chemists are the Celsius and Kelvin scales. The Fahrenheit temperature scale, commonly used in daily life in the United States, is also used in some industri al settings. The three temperature scales can be related algebraically. C1-5 Density and Percent Composition: Their Use in Problem Solving Mass and volume are extensive properties; they depend on the amount of matter in a sample. Dens ity, the ratio of the mass of a sample to its volume is an intensive property, a property independent of the amount of matter sampled, Density is used as a conv ersion fator in a variety of calculations. C1-6 Uncertainties in Scientific Measurements Measurements are subject to systemat ic and random errors. In making a series of measurements, the degree to which th e measurements agree with one another is know as the precision of the measuremen t, while the degree to which the measurement agrees with hte actual value is ref erred to as the accuracy of the measurement. C1-7 Significant Figures The proper use of significant figures is important in tha t it prevents the suggestion of a higher degree of precision in a calculated qua ntity than is warranted by the precision of the measured quantities used in the calculation. The precision of an answer cannot be greater than the precision of the numbers used in the calculation. In addition to reporting the correct number of significant figures in a calculated quantity, it is important to know the ru

les for rounding off numerical results.