Chemistry as the Science of Atoms and Molecules - Essay Example

The smallest combination of atoms which has independent existence is called a molecule. A molecule consists of several atoms held together by covalent or ionic bonds. Several non-metal elements exist as molecules. As an example, hydrogen atoms at room temperature exist in diatomic form. The molecular formula is made up of the chemical symbols representing each element in the molecule and numbers showing how many atoms of each element are present. The molecular formula for hydrogen is H2, and for carbon dioxide it is CO2.

Molecules vary in size and complexity; some organic compounds are made up of a huge number of atoms. It is to be observed that elements or compounds that have molecular structure have low melting points that can be attributed to the weak covalent bonds in operation. Atoms combine to form molecules, due to the chemical bonds present between them. The number of hydrogen atoms or their equivalent, a given atom combines with is called its valence. This is precisely the number of bonds a given atom forms.

The amount of energy that is required to break a bond is known as the bond energy. The different types of chemical bonds are ionic, covalent, metallic and hydrogen bonds. The new substances are formed when chemical reactions take place between the given substances. When a reaction takes place energy is either absorbed or released, but the total molecular weight remains the same. In a chemical reaction, the properties of substances are lost. As an example water consists of hydrogen and oxygen.

However water is not inflammable or does it aid in combustion, but hydrogen is highly inflammable and oxygen supports combustion. The energy that is stored in chemical bonds, is a measure of the strength of the given bond. It can also be considered as the energy that is required to break the bond per mole of the substance. As an example, the C-H bond energy in methane can be considered to be breaking a molecule of methane into a carbon radical and four hydrogen radicals. The discovery, development and application of sustainable chemical reactions that create no waste or generate only benign wastes are classified as green chemistry.

The notion that poisonous toxins, once created can be disposed of easily without entering the environment is highly unrealistic. Once formed, these substances will surely be introduced into the environment. Green chemistry aims to overcome this problem, by not creating the toxins in the first place itself. As they say, prevention is better than cure, it is better to employ the techniques of green chemistry rather than to figure out ways how to safely dispose of toxins after they are formed. Green chemistry albeit promising faces many challenges which are of social, business, political and technological nature.

Also, the problem of creating manufacturing processes that are optimized from an economical perspective is of primary importance. Green chemistry aims to reduce the environmental damage that is meted out as a result of industrial chemical processes and promises a sustainable future for the entire human race. Organic Chemistry is the branch of chemistry that deals with carbon compounds. Life forms consist of organic compounds. The property of carbon to form long chains is the reason why a large number of organic compounds exist.

Typically, each carbon atom in an organic compound forms 4 covalent bonds with other carbon atoms or other atoms such as hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen or sulfur.