UNIT 01
Student Learning Outcomes (SLOs)
1.1 Principles and Methods in Chemistry
To do science, you need to work within a scientific community where people share ideas, methods, and practices to build knowledge. This is especially true for chemistry, where scientists follow set principles and techniques. Below are some key principles and methods in chemistry explained in simple terms:
(a) Conservation of Mass and Energy
In chemistry, we follow a rule called the conservation of mass and energy. This means that mass and energy cannot be created or destroyed in a closed system. For example, in a chemical reaction, the total mass of the reactants is always equal to the total mass of the products. This principle, first shown by Antoine Lavoisier in the 18th century, changed the way chemists do experiments by making them more accurate and reliable. If an experiment doesn't follow this rule, chemists check their procedures and calculations to find what went wrong.