CHEMISTRY
Chemistry is the study of the nature, properties, and composition of matter, and how these undergo changes. The science of matter is also addressed by physics, but while physics takes a more general and fundamental approach, chemistry is more specialized, being concerned with the composition, behavior (or reaction), structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions. It is a physical science which studies various substances, atoms molecules, crystals and other aggregates of matter whether in isolation or combination, and which incorporates the concepts of energy and entropy in relation to the spontaneity of chemical processes.
Chemistry is sometimes called "the central science" because it connects the other natural sciences such as astronomy, physics, material science, biology and geology. The genesis of chemistry can be traced to certain practices, known as alchemy, which had been practiced for several millennia in various parts of the world, particularly the Middle East.
http://chemweb.ucc.ie/what_is_chemistry.htm
GLOSSARY
- Matter: the substance or substances of which any physical object consists or is composed.
- Atoms: the smallest component of an element, consisting of a nucleous containing combinations of neutrons and protons and one or more electrons bound to the nucleus by electrical attraction; the number of protons determinesthe identity of the element.
- Astronomy: the science that deals with the material universe beyond the earth's atmosphere.
- Behavior: the action or reaction of any material under given circumstances
- Processes: a systematic series of actions directed to some end.
Entropy: function of thermodynamic variables, as temperature, pressure, or composition, that is a measure of the energy that is not available for work during a thermodynamic process.
