The Science of Life Lecture Series

One thing to know about Chemistry -- and all of science -- is that unless one group of scientists are intentionally trying to experimentally confirm the results of a specific experiment done by another group of scientists, no two scientists typically approach the same question the same way.  Even as this may be the case, all scientists are using the same general scientific method.  The scientific method is the backbone of all scientific experiments and gathering of all scientific knowledge.  In very much the same way all humans look pretty similar (but not exactly the same), the scientific method makes it so the experiments that two different scientists perform on the same concept with look similar, but not exactly the same. When we run an experiment, we start by collecting information.  How do things change if I slowly change this parameter only?  How about if I change that parameter only?  Now that I have the previous two questions answered, now let...

Hello internet, and welcome to the Science of Life General Chemistry lecture series.  In this session, I'll cover some of the properties of the materials in which chemists are interested. Properties There are two types of properties which we deal with in General Chemistry.  There are more types, but there are specifically two that are important for this course.  There are physical properties (properties which do not describe the chemistry of the substance, such as the phase) and chemical properties (which do describe the chemistry of the substance, such as whether or not it's an acid).  Properties can also be classed as either extrinsic (depends on the quantity of the substance, such as the mass) or intrinsic (does not depend on the quantity, such as melting point).  Boiling point is an intrinsic physical property; it doesn't describe the chemistry of the substance (alas the physical part) and the boiling point at that pressure doesn't change with quantit...

Hello internet, and welcome to the General Chemistry Lecture Series from The Science of Life.  This session will cover the basic classifications of matter from a chemical stand-point.  After all, the only way to identify a substance is through the classifications of matter, whether the classification is obvious is obvious or not.  After all, the difference in the water in Flint, Michigan before and after the switch of water sources as well as between Flint water and Detroit water after the switch was obvious, and that obviousness came from the differences in the classifications of the matter coming out of the faucets. Obvious differences in classifications are obvious. There are two principle classification types; physical (phase, temperature, density, for example) and chemical composition (what atoms are present in what arrangement).  I'm going to start off with the physical classifications. Phase (State) The phase of something is merely whether it is a...

Hello internet and welcome to the General Chemistry Lecture Series from the Science of Life. Today, I will cover the study of chemistry, which is the study of the properties, behaviors, and interactions of matter, which is the physical material of the universe. A property, from a chemistry point of view, is any characteristic which helps us to distinguish a substance from other substances.  Examples include the fact that water is liquid distinguished it from ice (a solid), the fact that water is clear distinguishes it from random non-Lemon-Lime soda (a non-clear liquid), the fact that water has a density of 1 kilogram per liter which distinguishes it from sulfuric acid (which has a density of 1.84 kg per liter), the fact that water has a chemical composition of H 2 O which distinguished it from Hydrogen Peroxide (which has a composition of H 2 O 2 ), and the fact that water is tasteless which distinguishes it from hospital coffee.  These are all examples of properties, but i...

Hello internet, and welcome to the introduction to Chapter 1 of General Chemistry.  This chapter is going to set you up for success in chemistry in general, as it will be well used in all chemistry courses.  Most of this chapter will also be used in all of science, but there will be parts which are chem-centric. Chemistry is the study of the materials of the universe and the changes which those materials undergo.  One of the joys of chemistry is seeing how the principles of chemistry applies to all aspects of everyday life, from cooking and burning of gasoline (petrol for my European readers) on the individual level to the development of medications and the growing of crops on the far-reaching end. This first chapter lays down the foundation required for success in any science in general and chemistry in particular.  This includes fundamentals of chemistry, matter, and scientific measurements.  Keep in mind that the information in this lecture series ...

In science, there are many numbers which are either exceedingly large (for example, the number of water molecules in a liter of water) or exceedingly small (for example, the charge, in Coulombs, of a single electron).  This is the nature of the reality we live in.  This is why, in some cases, it is easier to read and right these extremely small and large values in a more compact notation.  Yes, this does somewhat reduce accuracy, but the loss of accuracy has very little baring on the accuracy of the final answer.  The most common compact notation in Social Sciences, Life Sciences, and Physical Sciences is called Scientific Notation . The notation for Scientific Notation is $N \times 10^{n}$, where N is a number which is at least 1 but less than 10 $[1 \le N < 10]$ and n is the magnitude of the number.  There are a couple steps to convert to scientific notation: Place a decimal point in between the first two significant digits of the number. Find the m...