1

ESSENTIAL
CONCEPTS AND
FUNDAMENTAL
MEASUREMENTS IN
CHEMISTRY
 1

At the end of this lesson, you are expected to:

• Differentiate the different types of solution.

• Determine the various separation techniques of a mixture,
• Explain the processes that states of matter undergo, and
• Perform measurement conversion (larger to smaller or vice-versa, and
English to Metric or vice-versa).
1
 1

According to the American Chemical Society (ACS), chemistry is the study

of matter, defined as anything that has mass and takes up space, and the
changes that matter can undergo when it is subject to different
environments and conditions (Lim, 2020). Matter does not include photons
(light), heat, sound, thought, and microwave radiation.
1
1
1
 1

• PURE SUBSTANCES are further broken down into elements and

compounds.

• MIXTURES are physically combined structures that can be separated into

their original components. A chemical substance is composed of one type
of atom or molecule. A mixture is composed of different types of atoms or
molecules that are not chemically bonded.

o A heterogeneous mixture is a mixture of two or more chemical

substances where the various components can be visually distinguished.
sand and water, mixtures of sand and iron filings, a conglomerate rock,
water and oil, a salad, trail mix, mixtures of gold powder and silver powder.

o A homogeneous mixture is a type of mixture in which the composition is

uniform, and every part of the solution has the same properties
 1

• SOLUBILITY - is a property referring to the ability for a given substance, the

solute, to dissolve in a solvent. It is measured in terms of the maximum
amount of solute dissolved in a solvent at equilibrium. There are three (3)
conditions of a solution, namely:

1. A saturated solution contains the maximum amount of solute that will

dissolve at that temperature. Any further addition of solute will result in
undissolved solid on the bottom of the container.
2. An unsaturated solution contains less than the maximum amount of
solute that can be dissolved at that temperature.
3. A supersaturated solution contains more than the maximum amount of
solute that can be dissolved at that temperature. It is unstable and the
solute will usually begin to crystallize, especially if disturbed.
1
Factors Affecting Solubility 1

1. Temperature - Basically, solubility increases with temperature. It is the

case for most of the solvents.
2. Polarity - (Nature of Solvent and Solute) • In most cases solutes dissolve
in solvents that have a similar polarity.
3. Pressure
• Solid and liquid solutes: For majority of solid and liquid solutes, pressure
does not affect solubility.
• Gas solutes: As for gasses the Henry's law states that solubility of gas is
directly proportional to the pressure of this gas. This is mathematically
presented as: p = kc, where k is a temperature dependent constant for a
gas
4. Molecular or Particle Size - The larger the molecules of the solute are, the
larger is their molecular weight and their size.
5. Stirring - does not influence solubility of a substance, but everyone knows
that if he puts sugar in his tea and does not stir, it will not dissolve.
Separation Techniques 1

1. Handpicking - This method involves simply picking out all the unwanted
substances by hand and separating them from useful ones.
2. Threshing - This method is mostly done during the harvesting of crops.
3. Winnowing - When the grains are collected from the process of
threshing, it needs to be cleared out of husks and chaffs before it is
turned into flour.
4. Sieving or Sifting - It is done to separate mixtures that contain substances
mostly of different sizes.
5. Evaporation or Heating - is a technique that is used in separating a
mixture usually a solution of a solvent and a soluble solid.
6. Filtration or Sedimentation - The most common method of separating a
liquid from an insoluble solid is the filtration.
7. Separating Funnel - Separating funnel is used mainly to segregate two
immiscible liquids.
 1

8. Magnetic Separation - When one substance in the mixture has some

magnetic Process properties then this method is quite useful.
9. Simple Distillation - is a method for separating the solvent from a solution.
10.Fractional Distillation - Separating 1 liquid from a mixture of different
liquids that have different boiling points. It is a method for separating a
liquid from a mixture of two or more liquids.
11.Chromatography - Paper chromatography is a method for separating
dissolved substances from one another.
1
 1

Matter has two properties: physical and chemical properties. Physical

properties can be observed or measured without changing the
composition of matter. Physical properties are used to observe and
describe matter. Physical properties of materials and systems are often
described as intensive and extensive properties.
 1

Methods of Heat Transfer

Heat is transferred via solid material (conduction), liquids and gases

(convection), and electromagnetic waves (radiation). Heat is usually
transferred in a combination of these three types and seldomly occurs on its
own.
1
 1
Measurement and Measurements Conversion

In science, a measurement is a collection of quantitative or numerical data

that describes a property of an object or event. A measurement is made by
comparing a quantity with a standard unit. The modern International
System of Units (SI) bases all types of physical measurements on seven base
units:

1. the kilogram (kg), for mass

2. the second (s), for time
3. the Kelvin (K), for temperature
4. the ampere (A), for electric current
5. the mole (mol), for a substance
6. the candela (cd), for luminous intensity
7. the meter (m), for distance
1
 7

END OF LESSON 1