Chemistry is a study of the composition, structure, and properties of matter and of the changes that occur in matter. What is matter? It is the stuff things are made of. One way to think about matter is that particles or objects of matter occupy space, and no two objects can occupy the same space at the same time. Wood, sand, people, water, and air are all examples of matter. Light is no matter; it is a form of energy. The main concern of chemists is with the tiny, submicroscopic building blocks of matter known as atoms and molecules. Atoms are the smallest units that we associate with the chemical behavior of matter and molecules are larger units made up of grouping s of atoms. Ultimately, samples of matter are what they are because of the atoms of molecules that form them.
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"What is Chemistry?" was posted on Monday, July 30th, 2007 at 11:49 pm.