What Are the Structure and Properties of Matter?

Matter constitutes much of the observable universe. Though observable, light is not ordinarily considered matter. Matter consists of the physical material of the universe; it is anything that has mass and takes up space.

Matter is what objects are made up of, and it consists of identifiable chemical elements. These elements are made of atoms, which are made of protons, neutrons, and electrons. The computer you are using, your body, the clothes you are wearing, and the air you are breathing are all examples of matter.

Matter can't be destroyed; it can only be converted from one state to another. This is the Law of Conservation of Matter.

Matter can exist in four distinct states at the macroscopic level: solid, liquid, gas, and plasma. Matter can further be classified as mixtures, elements, compounds, or solutions.

Numerous experiments by scientists have shown that the great variety of matter in the known universe is due to combinations of a little more than 100 elementary substances, called elements. As we proceed through this lesson, we will observe the many relationships between the properties of matter and the structure and composition of matter due to the different elements the matter contains.

Image Credit: NASA Hubble Gallery

Chemistry

Chemistry is the study of everything that happens in nature: the composition, properties, and interaction of matter. Chemistry is divided into two primary types: organic and inorganic. Organic chemistry concerns anything that contains carbon, including living organisms. Inorganic chemistry deals with all other elements.

History of Chemistry

The word chemistry comes from the Egyptian word keme, meaning earth. The recognition of chemistry as distinct from alchemy [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alchemy ] is usually marked as the starting point of the history of chemistry. This critical distinction was first made by Robert Boyle in his work The Sceptical Chymist (1661).

Both chemistry and alchemy are concerned with the nature of matter and the transformation of matter. In contrast to alchemists, however, chemists apply the scientific method to their observations of the natural world. It wasn't until Robert Boyle's distinction and scientific foundation of chemistry that chemistry was established as a legitimate scientific field of study.

Learn more about the history of chemistry: