chemistry 14

CHAPTER 1 Chemistry: The Science of Matter
T ake a look at what’s around you. You don’t have to look far to see an incredible assortment of stuff—everyday, ordinary stuff like this book, a piece of paper, a pencil, a can of soda, puffy white clouds, a pair of jeans, an icecream cone, a photograph, a dog, and dog hair. And maybe there’s a pizza—that wonderful combination of tomato sauce, spices, cheese, and your favorite toppings all carefully layered on a bed of dough and baked in a hot oven until it’s just right.
But what is all this stuff? There’s paper in the book and wood in the pencil. The can is aluminum and the jeans are denim. There’s sauce and che ese and crust in the pizza, but what are paper and wood and denim? What are sauce and cheese and crust made of? Why is one piece of stuff different from another? One way that chemists begin to answer these questions is by classifying matter into categories according to its composition.
Reading Chemistry
Observe the Periodic Table of the Elements on pages 28-29. Write down a few chemical names of elements that seem familiar. Scan the chapter, looking for some of these elements. Note how the element symbols are used to represent different substances. Write down any questions that form.
chemistry online
To find out more about matter, visit the Glencoe Science Web site. Chemistry Around You
There’s a tremendous va riety of different stuff in the universe, and yet everything is the same in one way.
It’s all matter—from a supernova (large exploding star) in a galaxy 30 million light-years away to a piece of sausage on your pizza. How is a supernova different from a
fresh-baked pizza? That’s not too tough—you can’t call on the p hone and order a supernova! But how is a supernova like a pizza? That’s a question that chemistry answers. Chemistry is the science of asking and answering questions about stuff. Why does the cheese melt and a star explode? What makes the crust crisp and the star shine? Chemistry is the what, how, and why of stuff.。