What is matter? What are the classes of substances. The difference between organic and inorganic substances

In life, we are surrounded by various bodies and objects. For example, in the premises this window, door, table, lamp, cup, on the street - car, traffic light, asphalt. Any bodies or objects consist of a substance. This article will talk about what is a substance.

What is chemistry?

It is a science of nature, studying organic and inorganic substances, their structure, properties and transformations as a result of chemical reactions. Chemistry belongs to one of the vast areas of natural science and deals with the study of interactions between molecules and atoms. It gives a clear idea of what a substance is, and is very closely related to physics and biology, and therefore refers to the natural sciences.

The Importance of Chemistry in Human Life

Minerals, living organisms, rocks and atmosphere consist of different ratios of the same elements. The main difference between living and non-living nature is what molecules formed from certain chemical elements. The life cycle of our biosphere will be based on a cycle of chemical elements.

Human life is impossible without the goods of industry (food products, vitamins, medicines, cosmetic substances, artificial fibers, building materials, varnishes and paints, mineral fertilizers, and much more).

Molecules and atoms

Any substances consist of very small particles, called molecules (from Latin - mass). All molecules consist of even more microscopic particles - atoms, or more precisely, from nuclei, which are surrounded by internal and external electrons forming chemical bonds. Atoms have a definite mass, and therefore the composition of matter is constant. The main features of the structure of the molecule were found in the course of scientific research on chemical reactions, the analysis of chemical compounds and the application of physical methods. The atoms in the molecules are connected by chemical bonds. Microscopic particles in the molecule can be both positive and negatively charged.

The concept of matter

What is matter? The substance is considered to be what all bodies and objects in the surrounding nature consist of. Any substances contain molecules, and molecules, in turn, consist of atoms. For example, an iron nail will be a body, and iron - a substance. Any substances possess a certain set of physical and chemical properties.

Physical characteristics include characteristics that distinguish certain substances from others. These include: aggregate state, density, solubility, color, gloss, temperature (boiling or melting), electrical conductivity.

Chemical properties - the properties of substances to react and manifest themselves in chemical processes (reactions).

The task of chemistry is acquaintance with the physical and chemical properties of matter.

Varieties of substances

There are classes of substances that Are simple and complex. To the simple are substances that consist of atoms of a single chemical element. For example, molecules of inert gases (neon, argon, oxygen, bromine, iodine). To the complex can be attributed all the substances that were formed due to the combination of different atoms (water, sodium chloride, carbon dioxide, potassium permanganate, sucrose). Active substances are substances in chemical reactions capable of reducing the surface tension at the surface concentration.

Organic substances

This category includes all substances that contain carbon. Exceptions are carbides, carbon oxides, carbonates and carbon-containing cyanides and gases.

The molecule of the substance of saccharides consists of three elements and is the main source of energy for living organisms. Monosaccharides are compounds that do not undergo crystallization. Oligosaccharides (sucrose, lactose, maltose) consist of two, three or four monosaccharide molecules. Crystallization is under way. Polysaccharides (glycogen, starch, Arabans, xylans) are unsweetened and do not dissolve in water. Their main function is to connect, glue and bind cells. To the lipids belongs a group of compounds contained in all living cells. They look like simple carbon chains or the remains of cyclic molecules. They are subdivided into fats (triglycerides and neutral) and lipoids. These are simple ethers. Fatty acids (stearic, ricin) are also found in living organisms. Lipids are fat-like substances that are important due to their structure. They form clearly oriented layers. Enzymes include active biological accelerators of the protein nature processes. They are not destroyed by reactions and differ from chemical catalysts in that they are able to increase the reaction rate under normal conditions.

Inorganic substances

Inorganic substances include: water, oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, potassium, calcium, sodium, phosphorus, sulfur.

Water is an indispensable solvent and stabilizer. It has a strong thermal capacity and thermal conductivity. The aqueous medium is favorable for the occurrence of basic chemical reactions. It is characterized by transparency and practically resistant to compression.

The composition of many non-protein compounds includes nitrogen. Sulfur takes an active part in their construction. Most living organisms contain phosphorus in mineral form. Potassium is contained in cells in the form of ions. It activates the balance of protein enzymes. Sodium is part of the blood and plays a major role in regulating the water balance of the entire body. Iron takes an active part in the processes of respiration, photosynthesis and is a constituent of hemoglobin. In the diet of man every day receives 2 mg of copper. Its deficiency reveals anemia, a violation of appetite and heart disease. Manganese affects the processes of renewal in plants. Zinc cleaves carbonic acid. Boron influences the growth of various organisms. If it is absent in the soil, the flowers and the conducing channels die off in the plants. Molybdenum actively destroys parasites and has gained wide popularity in plant growing.

What is the difference between inorganic and organic substances?

There are no particularly strong external differences between the two groups of substances. The main difference is in the structure, where inorganic substances have a non-molecular structure, and organic - molecular.

Inorganic substances have a non-molecular structure, so they are characterized by high melting and boiling points. They do not contain carbon. These include noble gases (neon, argon), metals (calcium, calcium, sodium), amphoteric substances (iron, aluminum) and nonmetals (silicon), hydroxides, binary compounds, salts.

Organic matter of molecular structure. They have sufficiently low melting points, and they decompose rapidly when heated. Basically they consist of carbon. Exceptions: carbides, carbonates, carbon oxides and cyanides. Carbon makes it possible to form a huge number of complex compounds (in the nature of them more than 10 million are known).

Most of their classes belong to the biological birth (carbohydrates, proteins, lipids, nucleic acids). These compounds include nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and sulfur in their composition.

To understand what a substance is, it is necessary to imagine what role it plays in our lives. Interacting with other substances, it forms new ones. Without them, the life activity of the surrounding world is inseparable and inconceivable. All items are made up of certain substances, so they play an important role in our lives.