1

CHEMISTRY AND ITS IMPORTANCE chapter 1

1. What is chemistry ?
______________________________________________________________________________
Chemistry is the branch of science which deals with the study of materials, especially about their
composition, methods of preparation, properties and their reactions with other substances.
2. What are the different types of materials ?
______________________________________________________________________________
Natural compounds such as marble, gold, etc.
Animal products such as milk.
Man made products such as cement.
Common substances such as air and water.
3. What do chemists do with materials?
______________________________________________________________________________
They perform experiments on different materials under different conditions and find out how
these materials behave.
4. How does chemistry help agriculture?

______________________________________________________________________________
Chemistry helped us produce fertilizers which increase food production.
Chemistry helps produce better seeds.
Chemistry helps us produce chemicals that destroy insects and fungi and unwanted weeds.
5. How does chemistry help us in the field of mineral prospecting?
______________________________________________________________________________
Metals are needed for building machines and structures. Chemistry helps us to extract metals
from the ore. Chemistry helps us to obtain useful products such as petrol from crude oil.

2
6. How does chemistry help industry?

______________________________________________________________________________
Chemistry helps us make useful materials such as steel. Mixing metals together helps us make
alloys.
7. How does chemistry help the field of medicine?

______________________________________________________________________________
Chemistry has helped us to make drugs such as penicillin and ampicillin to fight diseases.

3
8. How does chemistry help the field of consumer products?

______________________________________________________________________________
CFC used in refrigerators for cooling is a chemical product. LPG used for cooking is a chemical
product. Stainless steel utensils are used for cooking and storing food.

9. Name some man made fibers used for making clothes ?

______________________________________________________________________________
Nylon, terylene, rayon.
10. How does chemistry help us conserve forest wealth?
______________________________________________________________________________
Wood has been replaced by plastic and is used to make furniture. This helps us to avoid
chopping down more trees.

4
11. Name some uses of chemistry in the household?

______________________________________________________________________________
CFC used in refrigerators for cooling is a chemical product. LPG used for cooking is a chemical
product. Stainless steel utensils are used for cooking and storing food.
12. How does chemistry help protect materials from corrosion?

______________________________________________________________________________
Paint protects metals from the harmful effects of moist air.
13. Name some common chemistry equipment used in the lab?

______________________________________________________________________________

5
Pipette, burette, flat bottomed flask, round bottomed flask, test tube, metal stand, and Bunsen
burner.
14. What is CFC ? Why is it important?

______________________________________________________________________________
CFC is chloro fluoro carbon. This chemical destroys the ozone layer that protects the earth from
harmful radiation from the sun.
15. Why is pyrex glass better than ordinary glass ?

______________________________________________________________________________
Pyrex glass does not expand much on heating and does not crack.

6
16. What is a conical flask used for?

______________________________________________________________________________
The conical flask is used for mixing or storing liquid chemicals.
17. What is a beaker used for ?

______________________________________________________________________________
The beaker is used for pouring out liquids.
18. What is the glass rod used for in a chemistry laboratory?
______________________________________________________________________________
The glass rod is used for mixing chemicals.

19. What is a china dish used for in the chemistry lab?

______________________________________________________________________________

7
The china dish is used for evaporating chemicals.
20. How is chemistry helping us in the field of electronics?

______________________________________________________________________________
Chemistry has provided us with materials such as germanium and silicon which is uded for
diodes. Diodes are used in radios, televisions etc.
21. How is chemistry helping us in the field of space research?

______________________________________________________________________________
Chemistry has helped us make better and more powerful fuels. This has helped us to launch
satellites.
22. Why is wire gauze placed under glass apparatus when it is heated?

______________________________________________________________________________
The wire gaze helps to distribute heat evenly from the burner to the glass apparatus. This
prevents the glass from cracking.

23. Name a few consumer products made by chemists ?

______________________________________________________________________________
Furniture is made with plastic. Nylon and Terylene are used to make clothes.
24.
25. What is a pipette and burette used for?

______________________________________________________________________________
Pipette and burette are used for measuring a fixed volume of liquid and transferring it to another
vessel.
26. What is a pestle and mortar used for ?

______________________________________________________________________________

9
Solid substances are placed in the mortar and hammered with a pestle to make them into
powder.
27. What is a Bunsen burner used for?

______________________________________________________________________________
The Bunsen burner is connected to gas supply and is used for heating purposes in the lab.

28. Artificial __________________ help farmers grow better food. (fertilizers)

29. Petroleum is mined from underground ____________________ (reservoirs)

30. _______________________ is an essential material for the building industry (cement)

31. Paints protects _________________ from corrosion (metals)

10
32. A boiling test tube is also called a _______________ test tube (hard)
33. Solid substances are ground with the help of a ________________________ .
(mortar and pestle)
34. A _______________ is used to measure a fixed quantity of liquid. (pipette)

35. A _________________________ bottomed flask is used for heating liquids. (round)

11
36. A glass ______________ is used to stir liquids. (rod)