DLS 211 – Selected Topics in Chemistry

WILBERT R. QUINTUA
MAEd, Science

Module 1

Lesson1: Chemistry: An Overview

1. Explain the importance of Chemistry.

Chemistry has a reputation for being a complicated and boring science, but for the most part, that reputation is
undeserved. Fireworks and explosions are based on chemistry, so it's definitely not a boring science. If you take classes
in chemistry, you'll apply math and logic, which can make studying chemistry a challenge if you are weak in those areas.
However, anyone can understand the basics of how things work... and that's the study of chemistry. In a nutshell, the
importance of chemistry is that it explains the world around you.
Cooking: Chemistry explains how food changes as you cook it, how it rots, how to preserve food, how your body uses the
food you eat, and how ingredients interact to make food.
Cleaning: Part of the importance of chemistry is it explains how cleaning works. You use chemistry to help decide what
cleaner is best for dishes, laundry, yourself, and your home. You use chemistry when you use bleaches and disinfectants
and even ordinary soap and water. How do they work? That's chemistry.
Medicine: You need to understand basic chemistry so you can understand how vitamins, supplements, and drugs can
help or harm you. Part of the importance of chemistry lies in developing and testing new medical treatments and
medicines.
Environmental Issues: Chemistry is at the heart of environmental issues. What makes one chemical a nutrient and
another chemical a pollutant? How can you clean up the environment? What processes can produce the things you need
without harming the environment?
We're all chemists. We use chemicals every day and perform chemical reactions without thinking much about them.
Chemistry is important because everything you do is chemistry! Even your body is made of chemicals. Chemical reactions
occur when you breathe, eat, or just sit there reading. All matter is made of chemicals, so the importance of chemistry is
that it's the study of everything.
2. Can you identify the early Greek Scientists who contributed to the development of Chemistry?
 Thales of Melitus
 Empedocles
 Aristotle
 Democritus
3. Can you enumerate some important breakthroughs during the alchemical period?
 Philosopher stone
 Ways to prepare chemicals
 Preparation of pure alcohol and strong acids
 Foundations of chemical researches
 Medicinal substances
4. Who discovered oxygen? Hydrogen? Carl W. Scheele/Henry Cavendish
 5. Why is Lavoisier called the father of Chemistry?
In 1783, he was the first person to succeed in determining the composition of water and in synthesizing the compound
from its elements. Lavoisier coined name as oxygen in the year of 1778 and hydrogen in the year of 1783 and also
predicted silicon in the year of 1778. He helped construct the metric system, put together the first extensive list of
elements, and helped to reform chemical nomenclature. Lavoisier was also the first to establish that sulfur was an element
(1777) rather than a compound. Lavoisier made advancements in mineralogy, ballooning, street lighting, and even
established a model farm. He carefully weighed the reactants and products in a chemical reaction, which was a crucial
step in the advancement of chemistry. He showed proofs of the first version of the law of conservation of mass.
Antoine Lavoisier contributed to early ideas on composition and chemical changes by believing that radicals combine with
oxygen in reactions. He also introduced the possibility of allotropy in chemical elements when he discovered that diamond
is a crystalline form of carbon. Lavoisier investigated the composition of water and air, which at the time were considered
elements. He determined that the components of water were oxygen and hydrogen and with the help of experiments he
concluded the water to be compound not an element on 12 November 1783.
6. What are the five branches of Chemistry?
 Organic Chemistry
 Inorganic Chemistry
 Physical Chemistry
 Analytical Chemistry
 Biochemistry
Lesson 2: Matter and Its Properties

1. Intrinsic boiling point is 100 degree Celsius, freezing point is 0 degree Celsius
Extrinsic-colorless, follows the shape of its container
2. Physical properties of nail-hardness
Chemical property of nail-rusting/oxidation
3. Indications of chemical change-rot, rust, ferment, decay, grow
4. Acetone in gas state is a vapor because it has pressure in different temperatures.
5. Example of evaporation
 When the trigger is pulled on a fire extinguisher, this releases the carbon dioxide into a lower-pressure
environment. In this new setting, the liquid carbon dioxide quickly turns into gas. In other words, it evaporates.
 Pot tea gets cool over time due to evaporation - hot molecules on the surface gets evaporated taking away heat
with them.
 Wet clothes dry in sun due to evaporation - the water in wet clothes takes heat energy from sun and gets
evaporated.
 Evaporation of perspiration from body - Sweat on our body evaporates taking away heat from our body
 Drying of a mopped floor
 Drying of wet hair after some time
6. Compounds we see everyday
 Gasoline
 Vinegar
 Salt
 Sodium fluoride
 Acetone
 Gasoline
 7. The salad is heterogeneous mixture because it is made up of different fruits.

Module 2 – Units of Measurements

1. (one trillionth) of a second

2. From what unit is a measure of volume derived? cubic meter
3. The normal body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius. In degrees Kelvin it is 310.15
4. Under what circumstances could a series of measurements of the same quantity be precise bur inaccurate? The
measurements taken can all be exact and close together, but in reality the true value ends up being something not even
close to the precise measurements.
5. Do the following operations and give the answer to the correct number of significant figures.
a. 7.85 m X 0.31 m = 2.4335
b. 82.2 m + 9.35 m + 8.6 m = 100.15
c. 34.61m – 17.5 = 17.11
d. 0.365 m ÷ 0.02 = 18.25
e. 2.8562 m X 0.70m = 1.99934

6. How many significant figures are in each of the following measurements?

a. 567 cm - 3

b. 0.678 m - 3

c. 40506 mm - 5

d. 4800 g - 4

e. 4.58000 m - 3
Module 3

Lesson 1: Dalton’s Atomic Theory

1. Which of the following statements are correct? Rewrite the incorrect statements to make them correct.
1. John Dalton developed an important atomic theory in the early 1800s. CORRECT
2. INCORRECT Dalton said that elements are composed of small indivisible particles called atoms.
3. INCORRECT Dalton said that atoms of the same elements are identical.
4. INCORRECT Dalton claimed that atoms of different elements cannot be changed into atoms of another element as a
result of chemical reaction.
5. All of Dalton’s theory is still considered valid until today. CORRECT

Lesson 2: The Discovery of Atomic Structure

1. What postulates of Dalton’s theory are not acceptable now? Explain.

Take for example the postulate that atoms are indestructible. That postulate has been proven wrong, however that (the
destruction of atoms) happens during nuclear reactions, not chemical ones. For all the purposes of chemical reactions,
Dalton's theory is still adequate. There is nothing in chemical reactions which invalidates Dalton's theory. Chemical
reactions depend solely on how many electrons are in each orbital in an atom, and Dalton's theory deals exactly with that.
All of Dalton's postulates are based upon this fact.
1) We now know that atoms are divisible and are composed of smaller, subatomic particles (electrons, protons, and
neutrons). Some of these, in turn, are formed from more energetic particles called quarks. Atoms are also subdivided by
nuclear decay and fission into other atoms.
2) Atoms of an element are not necessarily identical in mass - elements have isotopes (atoms with this same proton
number but different numbers of neutrons) which means that atoms of an element do not have to have the same mass.
2. What experimental evidence led Rutherford to conclude that
a. The nucleus of the atom is positively charged?
Rutherford deduced that the atomic nucleus was positively charged because the alpha particles that he fired at the
metal foils were positively charged, and like charges repel. Alpha particles consist of two protons and two neutrons,
so they are positively charged.
b. The atom consists of mostly empty space?
Since most of the alpha particles passed straight through the gold foil without any deflection, most of the space within
the atoms is empty

Lesson 3: The Structure of Atoms

1. Write the isotopic notation of an atom containing

a. 27 protons, 32 neutrons and 27 electrons

Co
59

27

b. 110 neutrons, 74 electrons and 74 protons

W
184

74
2. What are the number of protons, neutrons and electrons in each of the following?
a. Br – 35 protons, 45 neutrons and 35 electrons
b. Ba – 56 protons, 82 neutrons and 56 electrons
c. Fe – 26 protons, 30 neutrons and 24 electrons
Module 4

Lesson 1: The Earth’s Atmosphere

1. The Role of atmosphere in the:

a. Hydrologic cycle - The atmosphere due to its mobility and its capacity to promote phase transitions which lead to
precipitation, forces, in a way, the terrestrial branch through the two common boundary hydrological elements: the
evaporation and precipitation. The atmosphere is responsible for the transport of water from the oceans into the
continents. The atmosphere plays an important role in modulating the precipitation and also in the radiative force at
the land surface, through the radiative effects of clouds, trace gases including carbon dioxide, water vapor and
aerosols. They profoundly alter the radiative proprieties of the atmosphere. Clouds are the prime regulator of the
energy exchanges in the atmosphere. Their feedbacks are the greatest uncertainty in modelling the general
circulation of the atmosphere.
b. Stability of Erath’s Temperature- the composition of a planet's atmosphere also influences its temperature,
particularly the concentration of greenhouse gases present.
c. Protecting living things from UV radiation-The ozone layer or ozone shield refers to a region of Earth's stratosphere
that absorbs most of the Sun's ultraviolet (UV) radiation. It contains high concentrations of ozone (It is a pale blue gas
with a distinctively pungent smell. It is an allotrope of oxygen that is much less stable than the diatomic allotrope.
Ozone is formed from dioxygenation by the action of ultraviolet light and also atmospheric electrical discharges, and
is present in low concentrations throughout the Earth's atmosphere.
2. According to NASA, the gases in Earth's atmosphere include:
Nitrogen — 78 percent
Oxygen — 21 percent
Argon — 0.93 percent
Carbon dioxide — 0.04 percent
Trace amounts of neon, helium, methane, krypton and hydrogen, as well as water vapor
3. Atmospheric pressure reduces with altitude for two reasons - both related to gravity.
The gravitational attraction(*) between the earth and air molecules is greater for those molecules nearer to earth than
those further away - they have more weight - dragging them closer together and increasing the pressure (force per unit
area) between them.
Molecules further away from the earth have less weight (because gravitational attraction is less) but they are also
'standing' on the molecules below them, causing compression. Those lower down have to support more molecules above
them and are further compressed (pressurised) in the process.

Lesson 2: Chemistry of the Troposphere

1. Acid rain results when sulfur dioxide (SO2) and nitrogen oxides (NOX) are emitted into the atmosphere and transported by
wind and air currents. The SO2 and NOX react with water, oxygen and other chemicals to form sulfuric and nitric acids.
These then mix with water and other materials before falling to the ground.
2. Rain water collects impurities as it falls from the atmosphere. One of these impurities is atmospheric carbon dioxide, or
CO2, which is a weak acid. It is possible for rain to combine with other substances in the atmosphere that will increase the
 alkalinity of its pH, such as suspended soil dust, but most rain water ultimately has a pH between five and seven, making
it slightly acidic.
3. Soil -Rain water collects impurities as it falls from the atmosphere. One of these impurities is atmospheric carbon dioxide,
or CO2, which is a weak acid. It is possible for rain to combine with other substances in the atmosphere that will increase
the alkalinity of its pH, such as suspended soil dust, but most rain water ultimately has a pH between five and seven,
making it slightly acidic.
Bodies of Water- Acid rain has a tendency of altering the pH and aluminum concentrations, in turn, greatly affecting the
pH concentration in surface waters and in consequence, fish and other aquatic life-forms are hugely affected. At pH levels
below 5, most fish eggs cannot hatch.
Building Materials- Acid rain has corrosive effects because it eats into metals and stone. As a result, it has led to
weathering of buildings, corrosion of metals, and peeling of paints on surfaces. Building structures made of marble and
limestone are mostly affected by acid rain as the acid eats the calcium compounds in the structures. This effect has
damaged buildings, gravestones, statues and historic monuments. Metals like steel, bronze, copper, and iron are also
corroded by acid rain.
4. The formation of photochemical smog involves three primary ingredients: nitrogen oxides, hydrocarbons and sunlight. The
nitrogen oxides and hydrocarbons are by-products of fossil fuel-burning energy plants, and they can even come from
natural processes, but the main source is the internal combustion engines in gasoline-powered automobiles.
5. The role of water vapor in the troposphere in:
a. Maintaining the heat balance- Water vapour is of central importance to energy flows within the climate system, by
modulating the transmission of radiative energy between the surface, atmosphere and space and also through
transferring latent heat from the surface (evaporation) to the atmosphere (precipitation)1 following transport of
moisture within the atmosphere.
b. Atmospheric chemical reactions of some gases- Water vapor is known to be Earth’s most abundant greenhouse gas,
but the extent of its contribution to global warming has been debated. Using recent NASA satellite data, researchers
have estimated more precisely than ever the heat-trapping effect of water in the air, validating the role of the gas as a
critical component of climate change.
6. Carbon Dioxide is an effective greenhouse gas. A greenhouse gas is a gas that is above the Earth's atmosphere and acts
like glass. If you think about a greenhouse, the glass allows for heat to come in, but it reflects some heat back off. In a
similar way, the Earth has it's "window," and the Earth is the stuff inside.
 DLS 211 – Selected topics in Chemistry

WILBERT R. QUINTUA
MAEd, Science
Final Examination

1. C
2. B –CO2
3. A –twice the original
4. C- proton, neutron and electron
5. C-13 protons, 14 neutrons and 13 electrons
6. C-photosynthesis
7. B-14 k gold
8. C-heat is released
9. A-same number of protons as the other isotopes of hydrogen
10. B-117
11. B-it uses a system prefixes
12. B-2.0 cubic centimeter
13. A-nitrogen
14. A-it has 11 protons
15. C-atoms of the same elements are of different size, form and mass
16. B-a basic solution
17. C-exothermic reaction
18. B-exactly 70 grams
19. A-equal to 7