ASIAN DEVELOPMENT FOUNDATION COLLEGE

Tacloban City, Leyte, Philippines

GENERAL INORGANIC CHEMISTRY

Introduction

Chemistry: is a Science for the twenty-first century.

● Chemistry has ancient roots, but is now a modern and active, evolving science.
● Chemistry is often called the central science, because a basic knowledge of chemistry is
essential for students in biology, physics, geology and many other subjects.

● Chemical research and development have provided us with new substances with specific
properties. These substances have improved the quality of our lives.

Health and Medicine

Energy
 Page 2

Environment

Materials and Technology

Food and Agriculture

 Page 3

The Structure of Matter

● Chemistry is a study of matter and the changes it undergoes.

 Matter is defined as anything that takes up space and has a mass.

Elements
• An element is the simplest form of matter that
cannot be broken down by chemical means.
• Each element is assigned a chemical symbol.
• The smallest unit of an element is an atom.

Compounds
• Elements combine with other elements to form thousands of compounds.
• A compound is made up of two or more elements that are chemically bonded together.

HCl …… Hydrochloric Acid CO2 …… Carbon dioxide

H2O …… Water

The States of Matter

• Substances have different appearances and physical properties in different states of matter.
 Page 4

Temperature scales

Changes of State of Matter

 Page 5

Melting point and Boiling point

 Page 6

The Atom

NOTE: An atom has no electrical charge.

(+) (-)
Number of protons p (positively charge) = Number of electrons e

Note: The Mass number is the total protons and neutrons.

The Atomic number is the number of protons ONLY.

Isotopes

Isotopes have:
– Different mass number
– The same atomic number
→ the same number of protons,
but different number of neutrons
→ the same number of electrons
→ similar chemical properties,
 but different physical properties

Page 7

The Periodic Table

The elements are arranged in order of increasing atomic number.

● Elements are classified as

a) metals, e.g.
b) metalloids,e.g.
The six elements commonly recognized as metalloids are boron, silicon, germanium,
arsenic, antimony and tellurium
c) Non-metals,e.g.
H Hydrogen O Oxygen S Sulfur Br Bromine
He Helium F Fluorine Cl Chlorine Kr Krypton
 C Carbon Ne Neon Ar Argon I Iodine
N Nitrogen P Phosphorus Se Selenium Xe Xenon

Page 8

At Astatine Ts Tennessine
Rn Radon Og Oganesson

● Group: All atoms in the same group or column (groups 1, 2, 3-8) have the same number of
valence electrons = similar chemical properties
● Period: all elements in the same period have the same number of energy levels (electron
shells)

Groups and Periods

All the different elements are arranged in a chart called the periodic table.

The main features of the table:

 the horizontal rows are called periods

 the vertical columns are called groups
 elements in the same group are similar to each other
 the metals are on the left and the non-metals are on the right (hydrogen is a non-metal but
is often put in the middle)
  the main groups are numbered from 1 to 7 going from left to right, and the last group on
the right is Group 0
 the block in between Group 2 and Group 3 is where the transition metals are placed
 there are only two elements in Period 1 (hydrogen and helium)

Page 9

The zig-zag line in this diagram separates the metals, on the left, from the non-metals, on the right.
Hydrogen is a non-metal but it is often put in the middle.

Most elements are metals, rather than non-metals.

Each element has its own chemical symbol, made from letters. Only elements are found in the periodic
table, never compounds. For example, substances like water and copper sulfate are not in the periodic
table because they are compounds.

Metals and Non-metals

Moving from left to right across a period, the elements become less metallic. This is related to the
increase in the number of electrons in the outer shell of their atoms. The atoms become more likely to
gain or share electrons, rather than lose them when they form compounds.

Metals
 Metals tend to have similar properties. They are always good conductors of electricity, and they
usually share these properties:

 high melting point

 good conductors of heat
  malleable (can be beaten into shape)
 shiny when cut
 ductile (can be pulled into wires)

Page 10

There are some exceptions though. For example, mercury is a liquid at room temperature. The metals in
Group 1, such as lithium, sodium and potassium, are all soft.

The properties of metals can be used to explain typical uses of metals. For example, copper is used for
wiring because it is ductile and a good conductor of electricity. Its ability to conduct heat is not relevant
for this use.

Non-metals
Non-metals have a variety of properties, but very few are good conductors of electricity.
Graphite (a form of carbon) is a rare example of a non-metal that conducts electricity
very well.

Many non-metals have a low melting and boiling point. When non-metals are in a solid state,
they are usually brittle so you can’t beat them into shape.

Transition metals
Transition metals tend to have the typical metallic properties listed above. They also tend to form
colored compounds. The elements and their compounds are often good catalysts.