UNIT 1- SOME BASIC CONCEPTS OF CHEMISTRY

Chemistry is the branch of science that studies the composition, properties and interaction of
matter.
MATTER:
Anything which has mass and occupies space is called matter.
A. PHYSICAL CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER:
Based on physical state of substance
(i) Solid state (ii) Liquid State (iii) Gaseous state

B. CHEMICAL CLASSIFICATION OF MATTER :

Based upon the composition, matter has been divided into pure substances and mixtures.

PURE SUBSTANCES :
A single substance (or matter) which cannot be separated into other kinds of matter by any
physical process.
Pure substances have been further classified as elements and compounds.
Elements :
An element consists of only one type of particles
Eg : Sodium , Hydrogen etc.
Compounds :
A compound is formed when two or more atoms of different elements combine
Eg : Water ,Ammonia ,Carbon-dioxide etc.

MIXTURES :
Mixture contains two or more components present in it ( in any ratio ).
Mixtures are of two types : homogeneous and heterogeneous.
1. Homogeneous mixture :
 Components completely mix with each other.
 Has uniform composition throughout.
 There are no visible boundaries of separation between the components.
Eg : Sugar Solution , Air.

2. Heterogeneous mixture :
 Components do not completely mix with each other..
 Does not have a uniform composition throughout.
 There are visible boundaries of separation between the various components.
Eg: A mixture of sand and sugar ,grains and pulses along with some dirt etc.

PROPERTIES OF MATTER AND THEIR MEASUREMENT

The properties of Substance can be classified into two categories. They are
1) Physical properties 2) Chemical Properties

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Physical properties :
These are those properties which can be measured or observed without changing the
identity or the composition of the substance.
Eg : Colour , Odour , Melting Point etc.

Chemical Properties :
These are those properties which can be measured or observed only after a chemical
change has taken place. Eg. Acidity, Basicity etc.

UNITS FOR MEASUREMENT :

Fundamental and Basic Units :
Fundamental units are those units which can neither be derived from one another nor they can
be further resolved into any other units.
SEVEN BASIC PHYSICAL QUANTITIES AND THEIR SI UNITS :-

Length Mass Time Temperature Electric Luminous Amount of

Current Intensity Substance
metre (m) kilogram second (s) kelvin (K) ampere candela mole (mol)
(kg) (A) (cd)

MASS : Mass of a substance is the amount of Matter present in it

WEIGHT : The force exerted by gravity on an object.
The mass of a substance can be determined in the lab by using an analytical balance.
1kg = 1000g.

VOLUME : Volume has the units of (length)3 . So in SI System, Volume has units of m3.
A common unit, litre (L) which is not an SI unit, is used for measurement of volume of
liquids
1L = 1000 mL , 1000 cm3 = 1dm3
Volume of liquids can be measured by graduated cylinder , burette, pipette etc.

DENSITY :Density of a substance is its amount of mass per unit volume.

SI unit of density = =

TEMPERATURE :
There are three common scales to measure temperature - (degree Celsius), (degree
Fahrenheit) and K (Kelvin).
The temperatures on two scales are related to each other by the following relationship :

The Kelvin scale is related to Celsius scale as follows :

SCIENTIFIC NOTATION :
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Exponential notation in which any number can be represented in the form where n
is an exponent having positive or negative values and N is number (called digit term)
which varies between 1.000.... and 9.999.....
Eg : 232.508 = 2.32508×102
0.00016 = 1.6×10-4

PRECISION AND ACCURACY :

Precision : Closeness of various measurements for the same quantity.
Accuracy : Agreement of a particular value to the true value of the result.

1 2 Average (g) Conclusion

Student A 1.95 1.93 1.940 Precise, not
accurate
Student B 1.94 2.05 1.995 Neither precise
nor accurate
Student C 2.01 1.99 2.000 Precise and
accurate

SIGNIFICANT FIGURES :
Meaningful digits which are known with certainity.

RULES FOR REPORTING THE SIGNIFICANT FIGURES :

i. All non zero digits are significant
e.g: 4634 has four significant figures, 3.14 has three significant figures.
ii. The zeros to the right of the decimal point are significant
e.g: 3.10 has three significant figures.
iii. The zeros to the left of the first non zero digit in a number are not significant. They
simply indicate the position of a decimal point.
e.g: 0.02 has only one significant figure.
iv. The zeros between two non zero digits are also significant
e.g: 6.001 has four significant figures.
v. The zeros at the beginning of a number are not significant
e.g: 0.618 has three significant figures.
vi. In addition and subtraction, the result should be reported to the same number of
decimal places as that of the term with the least decimal places
e.g: sum 4.1+6.21+7.008=17.318 is reported as 17.3
vii. In multiplication and division, the results should be reported to the same number of
significant figures as the least precise term used in calculation
eg: 2.2120 is reported as 0.024

ROUNDING OFF NON SIGNIFICANT FIGURES:

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i. If the right most digit to be rounded off is more than five, the preceding number is
increased by one .
Eg : 2.16 is rounded off to 2.2
3.35 is rounded of to 3.4
ii. If the right most digit to be rounded off is less than 5, the preceding number is
retained as such
Eg : 4.13 is rounded off to 4.1
iii. If the rightmost digit to be removed is 5, then the preceeding number is not
changed if it is an even number but it is increased by one if it is an odd number.
Eg : 6.35 = 6.4
6.25 = 6.2

DIMENSIONAL ANALYSIS /FACTOR LABEL METHOD / UNIT FACTOR

METHOD:
Converting units from one system to anoter during calculation.
Eg : The volume of a liquid is 5L. what is the volume in m3?
We know that 1L=1000 cm3 and 1m3=(100 cm)3=1000000 cm3.
(5L/1)=(1000 cm3/1L)x(1m3/1000000 cm3)=0.005 m3.

LAWS OF CHEMICAL COMBINATIONS :

1. LAW OF CONSERVATION OF MASS: by Antoine Lavoisier

“ Matter can neither be created nor destroyed”.

2. LAW OF DEFINITE PROPORTIONS : by JosephProust

“A given compound always contains exactly the same proportion of elements by
weight”.

3. LAW OF MULTIPLE PROPORTIONS : by Dalton

“ If two elements can combine to form more than one compound,the masses of one
element that combine with a fixed mass of other element,are in the ratio of small
whole numbers”.

4. GAY LUSSAC’S LAW OF GASEOUS VOLUME :

“When gases combine or are produced in a chemical equation they do so in a simple
ratio by volume provided all gases are at same temperature and pressure”.

5. AVOGADRO’S LAW :
“Equal volumes of gases at the same temperature and pressure should contain equal
number of molecules”.

DALTON’S ATOMIC THEORY :

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1. Matter consists of indivisible atoms.
2. Atoms of a given element have identical properties including identical
mass.Atoms of the different elements differ in mass.
3. Compounds are formed when atoms of different elements combine in a fixed
ratio.
4. Chemical re-action involve reorganization of atoms. These are neither
created nor destroyed in a chemical reaction.

ATOMIC MASS :
One atomic mass unit is defined as a mass exactly equal to one twelfth the mass of one
carbon – 12 atom.
1 amu = 1.66056 g
Eg. Mass of an atom of hydrogen = 1.6736 g

Thus, in terms of amu, the mass of hydrogen atom = g

= 1.0078 amu
= 1.0080 amu
Today , ‘amu’ has been replaced by ‘u’ which is known as unified mass.

AVERAGE ATOMIC MASS :

ISOTOPE RELATIVE ABUNDANCE ATOMIC MASS (amu)

(%)
12
C 98.892 12
13
C 1.108 13.00335
14
C 2×10 -10
14.00317

Average atomic mass of carbon = ( 0.98892)(12u) + (0.01108)(13.00335u) +

(2×10-12) (14.00317u)
= 12.011u
MOLECULAR MASS :
Molecular mass is the sum of atomic masses of the elements present in a molecule. It is
obtained by multiplying the atomic mass of each element by the number of its atoms and
adding them together.
Eg : Molecular mass of CH4 = (12.011u) + 4(1.008u) = 16.043u

PROBLEM :
Calculate the molecular mass of Glucose(C6H12O6 ) molecule.

FORMULA MASS :
Formula mass of NaCl = (23.0u) + (35.5u) = 58.5u

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MOLE CONCEPT AND MOLAR MASSES

One mole is the amount of a substance that contains as many particles or entities as there
are atoms in exactly 12 g (or 0.012 Kg) of the isotope.
 A mole represents Avogadro’s number or 6.022 particles.
 1 mole of carbon atoms = 6.022 carbon atoms
 1 mole of oxygen molecules = 6.022 oxygen molecules
 1 mole of water molecules = 6.022 water molecules

MOLAR MASS :
The mass of one mole of a substance in grams.
Eg : Molar mass of water = 18.02g/mol

PERCENTAGE COMPOSITION OF A COMPOUND :

Percentage composition of a compound is the relative mass of each of the constituent
elements in 100 parts of it by mass.
Mass % of an element =

EMPIRICAL AND MOLECULAR FORMULAE

Empirical formula : represents the simplest whole number ratio of various atoms present in
a compound.
Molecular formula : shows the exact number of different types of atoms presnt in a
molecule of a compound

RELATION BETWEEN EMPIRICAL AND MOLECULAR FORMULAE

Molecular formula = n x Empirical Formula (n is a common factor 1,2,3etc )

Compound Empirical formula Molecular formula Common factor (n)

Benzene CH 6
Acetic acid 2
Glucose 6
Ammonia 1
Copper sulphate 1

PROBLEM :
A compound contains 4.07% Hydrogen , 24.27% Carbon and 71.65% Chlorine.Its molar
mass is 98.96g.What are its empirical and molecular formula ?
STOICHIOMETRY AND STOICHIOMETRIC CALCULATIONS

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 The word ‘Stoichiometry’ , derived from two Greek words ( Stoicheion = element) and
(metron = measure).
Consider the following balanced chemical equation

According to the above chemical reaction,

 One mole of reacts with two moles of to give one mole of
and two moles of
 One molecule of reacts with two molecules of to give one molecule of
and two molecule of
 22.7 L of reacts with 45.4 L of to give 22.7 L of and 45.41 L
of
 16 g of reacts with to give 44 g of and

PROBLEM :
1. Calculate the amount of Water (g) produced by the combustion of 16g of Methane.
2. How many moles of Methane are required to produce 22g Carbon dioxide(g) after
combustion ?

LIMITING REACTANT OR LIMITING REAGENT.

The reactant which gets consumed, limits the amount of product formed is called the limiting
reagent.

PROBLEM :
50.0kg of Nitrogen (g) and 10.0kg of Hydrogen (g) are mixed to produce Ammonia(g).
Calculate the Ammonia formed. Identify the limiting reagent in the production of Ammonia.

REACTIONS IN SOLUTIONS :

MASS PERCENT (W/W%)

Mass percent = Mass of solute x 100

Mass of solution

PROBLEM :
A solution is prepared by adding 2g of a substance to 18g of Water. Calculate the mass per
cent of the solute.

MOLE FRACTION (X)

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The ratio of the number of moles of one component to the total number of moles of all the
components present in the solution.
For a binary solution made up of components A and B

Mole fraction of Mole fraction of

Sum of mole fraction

MOLARITY (M)
It is the number of moles of the solute present in 1 litre of the solution

Molarity (M) = No.of moles of solute

Volume of solution in litres

PROBLEM :
Calculate the molarity of NaOH in the solution prepared by dissolving its 4g in enough Water
to form 250ml solution.

MOLALITY (M)
The number of moles of the solute dissolved in 1 kg of the solvent.

Molality (m) = No .of moles of solute

Mass of solvent in kg

PROBLEM :
The density of 3 M solution of NaCl is 1.25g/ml. Calculate molality of the solution.

ONE MARK QUESTIONS :

1. What is the SI unit of Molarity
2. Define mole.
3. Name the SI unit of amount of substance.
4. Define molefraction.
5. Give an example of a molecule in which the ratio of the molecular formula is six times
the empirical formula.
6. Express 0.00625 in scientific notation.
7. What is an atom according to Dalton’s atomic theory?
8. Define law of conservation of Mass.
9. How is empirical formula of a compound related to its molecular formula?
10. How many oxygen atoms are there in 18g of water?
11. What is limiting reagent ?
12. State Avogadro’s law.
13. What is one a.m.u. or one ‘u’?
14. Define molality?

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 15. Define mole fraction?
16. Define molarity ?
17. Define Gay Lussac’s Law of Gaseous volume?
18. State law of Multiple proportions
19. Define a) Empirical formula
b) Molecular formula
20. State Law of Definite proportions.
21. Define Avogadro Number.
22. Convert 39˚C to Kelvin temperature

OTHER QUESTIONS :
1. Calculate the molar mass of the following :
(i) (ii) (iii)
2. Calculate the number of atoms present in 40g of Sulphur. (Given atomic mass of
S = 32)
3. Calculate the number of moles of CO2 present in 66grams(Atomic mass of C = 12,
O = 16)
4. Calculate the mass per cent of different elements present in sodium sulphate
5. Write any three postulates of Dalton’s Atomic Theory
6. A compound on analysis was found to contain C = 34.6% , H = 3.85% & O = 61.55%
Calculate the empirical formula.
7. Determine the empirical formula and molecular formula of an oxide of iron which has
69.9% iron and 30.1% dioxygen by mass
8. An organic compound contains 75% Carbon , 25% Hydrogen. Calculate its empirical
formula.
9. Calculate the amount of carbon dioxide that could be produced when
i) 1 mole of carbon is burnt in air.
ii) 1 mole of carbon is burnt in 16 g of dioxygen.
iii) 2 moles of carbon are burnt in 16 g of dioxygen.
10. Calculate the mass of sodium acetate required to make 500 mL of
0.375 molar aqueous solution. Molar mass of sodium acetate is 82.0245 g
11. Calculate the atomic mass (average) of chlorine using the following data :
% Natural Abundance Molar Mass
75.77 34.9689
24.23 36.9659
12. In three moles of ethane , calculate the following :
(i) Number of moles of carbon atoms.
(ii) Number of moles of hydrogen atoms.
(iii) Number of molecules of ethane.
13. What is the concentration of sugar in mol if its 20 g are dissolved
in enough water to make a final volume up to 2L?
14. What is the SI unit of mass? How is it defined?
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15. What do you mean by significant figures?
16. Express the following in the scientific notation :
(i) 0.0048 (ii) 234,000 (iii) 8008 (iv) 500.0 (v) 6.0012
17. How many significant figures are present in the following?
(i) 0.0025 (ii) 208 (iii) 5.005 (iv) 500.0 (v) 2.0034
18. Round up the following upto three significant figures :
(i) 34.216 (ii) 10.4107 (iii) 0.04597
19. If the speed of light is ,Calculate the distance covered by light in 2.00
ns.
20. Convert the following into basic units :
(i) 28.7 pm (ii) 15.15 pm (iii) 25365 mg
21. Which one of the following will have largest number of atoms?
(i) 1 g Au (s) (ii) 1 g Na (s) (iii) 1 g Li (s) (iv) 1 g of Cl2 (g)
22. How many significant figures should be present in the answer of the following
calculations?
(i) (ii) (iii) 0.0125 + 0.7864 + 0.0215
23. A jug contains 2L of milk. Calculate the volume of the milk in m3.
24. A solution of Glucose is prepared by dissolving 5g of Glucose in 50g of water. Calculate
the mass percent of Glucose
25. 30g of Urea (NH2CONH2) is dissolved in 171g 0f water. Calculate the mole fraction of
Urea in the solution.
26. 1.26g of oxalic acid crystals are dissolved in 250cm3 of the solution. Calculate its molarity.
27. 15g of Urea(NH2CONH2) is dissolved in 200g water. Calculate the molality of the solution.

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