All Topics  
General chemistry

 

   Email Print
   Bookmark   Link






 

General chemistry



 
 
General chemistry (sometimes called "gen chem" for short) is a course often taught at the high school and introductory university level. It is intended to serve as a broad introduction to a variety of concepts in chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
 and is widely taught. At the university level, it is also sometimes used as a weed out course for disciplines (sometimes related, sometimes not) which are perceived to require a high level of intellectual rigor or large course loads.






Discussion
Ask a question about 'General chemistry'
Start a new discussion about 'General chemistry'
Answer questions from other users
Full Discussion Forum



Encyclopedia


General chemistry (sometimes called "gen chem" for short) is a course often taught at the high school and introductory university level. It is intended to serve as a broad introduction to a variety of concepts in chemistry
Chemistry

Chemistry is the science concerned with the composition, structure, and properties of matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during chemical reactions....
 and is widely taught. At the university level, it is also sometimes used as a weed out course for disciplines (sometimes related, sometimes not) which are perceived to require a high level of intellectual rigor or large course loads. It is also one of the few chemistry courses in most universities that does not explicitly explore a particular discipline such as organic chemistry
Organic chemistry

Organic chemistry is a discipline within chemistry which involves the science study of the structure, properties, composition, chemical reaction, and preparation of chemical compounds that contain carbon....
 or analytical chemistry
Analytical chemistry

Analytical chemistry is the study of the chemical composition of natural and artificial materials. Unlike other major sub disciplines of chemistry such as inorganic chemistry and organic chemistry, analytical chemistry is not restricted to any particular type of chemical compound or chemical reaction....
.

General chemistry courses typically introduce concepts such as stoichiometry
Stoichiometry

Stoichiometry is the calculation of quantitative relationships of the reactants and Product in a balanced chemical reaction .Etymology...
, prediction of reaction products, thermodynamics
Thermodynamics

In physics, thermodynamics is the study of the conversion of heat energy into different forms of energy ; different energy conversions into heat energy; and its relation to macroscopic variables such as temperature, pressure, and volume....
, nuclear chemistry
Nuclear chemistry

Nuclear chemistry is a subfield of chemistry dealing with radioactivity, nuclear processes and nuclear properties.* It is the chemistry of radioactive elements such as the actinides, radium and radon together with the chemistry associated with equipment which are designed to perform nuclear processes....
, electrochemistry
Electrochemistry

Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron Electrical conductor and an ionic conductor , and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution....
, chemical kinetics
Chemical kinetics

Chemical kinetics, also known as reaction kinetics, is the study of reaction rate of chemical processes. Chemical kinetics includes investigations of how different experimental conditions can influence the speed of a chemical reaction and yield information about the reaction mechanism and transition states, as well as the construction of ma...
, and many of the rudiments of physical chemistry
Physical chemistry

Physical chemistry is the application of physics to macroscopic, microscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems within the field of chemistry traditionally using the principles, practices and concepts of thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics and kinetics....
. Though the list of subjects covered is typically broad, leading some to criticize both the class and the discipline as encouraging memorization, most general chemistry courses are firmly grounded in several fundamental physical rules for which the primary challenge is understanding when the rules are applicable.

Concepts Taught

  • Stoichiometry
    Stoichiometry

    Stoichiometry is the calculation of quantitative relationships of the reactants and Product in a balanced chemical reaction .Etymology...
  • Conservation of energy
    Conservation of energy

    The law of conservation of energy states that the total amount of energy in an isolated system remains constant. A consequence of this law is that energy cannot be created or destroyed....
  • Conservation of mass
    Conservation of mass

    The law of conservation of mass/matter, also known as law of mass/matter conservation says that the mass of a closed system will remain constant, regardless of the processes acting inside the system....
  • Law of constant composition
  • Gas laws
  • Nuclear chemistry
    Nuclear chemistry

    Nuclear chemistry is a subfield of chemistry dealing with radioactivity, nuclear processes and nuclear properties.* It is the chemistry of radioactive elements such as the actinides, radium and radon together with the chemistry associated with equipment which are designed to perform nuclear processes....
  • Solubility
    Solubility

    Solubility is often seen as a property of a substance; for instance the solubility of a solid substance usually refers to the concentration of the substance in a liquid that has reached equilibrium with the substance in solid phase ....
  • Acid-base chemistry
  • Chemical bonding
  • Chemical kinetics
    Chemical kinetics

    Chemical kinetics, also known as reaction kinetics, is the study of reaction rate of chemical processes. Chemical kinetics includes investigations of how different experimental conditions can influence the speed of a chemical reaction and yield information about the reaction mechanism and transition states, as well as the construction of ma...
  • Thermodynamics
    Thermodynamics

    In physics, thermodynamics is the study of the conversion of heat energy into different forms of energy ; different energy conversions into heat energy; and its relation to macroscopic variables such as temperature, pressure, and volume....
  • Electrochemistry
    Electrochemistry

    Electrochemistry is a branch of chemistry that studies chemical reactions which take place in a solution at the interface of an electron Electrical conductor and an ionic conductor , and which involve electron transfer between the electrode and the electrolyte or species in solution....
  • Chemical equilibria
    Chemical equilibrium

    In a chemical process, chemical equilibrium is the state in which the Activity or concentrations of the reactants and products have no net change over time....