Nelson P.G. Introduction to Inorganic Chemistry: Key ideas and their experimental basis

BookBoon, 2011. — 177 p.Chemistry comprises two related but distinct activities:
(i) the quest for an understanding of matter and material change,
(ii) the utilization of material change for human ends.
Ideally, the first activity provides the necessary know-how for the pursuit of the second, but in practice, the help it can give is only partial, and the second activity has to fall back on trial and error techniques in order to achieve its ends. This means that a good chemist is one who not only has a mastery of chemical theory, but also a good knowledge of chemical facts. With such a knowledge, he can direct a trial and error approach to practical problems in the most promising directions.
Inorganic Chemistry
Organic chemistry is usually defined as the chemistry of compounds of carbon, inorganic chemistry being then the chemistry of all the other elements. This distinction is not a completely satisfactory one, however, since there are many compounds of carbon that are quite different from those studied by organic chemists (e.g. tungsten carbide, used for tipping cutting tools) and there are many compounds of other elements that
are very similar to those studied under organic chemistry (e.g. the silicon analogues of the hydrocarbons).
It is best, therefore, to think of inorganic chemistry as the chemistry of all the elements, with organic chemistry as being a more detailed study of certain important aspects of one of them - viz. the hydrocarbons and their derivatives.
Thinking of inorganic chemistry in this way brings together aspects of the chemistry of an element that would otherwise tend to become separated. For example, alcohols and ethers are usually dealt with under organic chemistry and are not thought of as being part of the chemistry of oxygen. Once they are, however, they can be set alongside the other compounds of oxygen, and a relationship immediately becomes apparent that might otherwise be lost, viz. that expressed by the formulae:
H–O–H
R–O–H
R–O–R′
This course My aim in this course is to derive the key ideas of inorganic chemistry from chemical observations. I do this by following the reasoning of chemists who have developed these ideas.
Many instructors take a different approach. They start with the quantum theory of atoms and molecules, and deduce the key ideas from this. The quantum theory enables the energy of an atom or molecule to be calculated, and the average motion of the electrons in it. With the help of modern computers, it gives remarkably accurate results.
The quantum theory, however, is essentially a physical theory, developed to explain observations like the atomic spectrum of hydrogen. Chemical ideas do not emerge from it easily. The theory is also very mathematical. Most chemists have to accept the results of quantum-mechanical calculations on trust. My approach avoids these problems. While I bring in the quantum theory where it is helpful, my treatment is essentially chemical. This makes for an easier introduction to the subject, and leads, I believe, to a better understanding of the key ideas, and the chemical thinking behind them.
Broader context
As defined above, chemistry is a very broad subject. It extends from the scientific study of substances (“pure” chemistry) to their manufacture and use (“applied” chemistry). It requires both mental effort and practical skill. It impacts on the world both intellectually and practically. When studying any particular part of chemistry, this broader context needs to be kept continually in mind.