I never cared about "chemistry."
Back in the school, I heard the word once when one of my friend said,
> "This medicine is a result of chemical reactions."
I just nodded. No clue what he meant. Chemicals? Like poison?
But now… I want to know.
What is chemistry?
---
🌍 "So… What Is Everything Made Of?"
I look at my hand.
The tree.
The stone under my feet.
The air.
Even my thoughts.
They all seem different. But someone once said:
> "Everything is made of matter."
Okay.
(Matter — means anything that has mass and takes up space.)
So:
This notebook? Matter.
My breath? Still matter. (Even though gases are not dense like solids or liquids their molecules still have mass)
Water, smoke, flour, firewood? Matter, matter, matter.
Alright. I get that.
> "So chemistry must be… the study of matter?"
Not just what it is… but how it behaves, changes, mixes, breaks apart.
Like when milk turns sour — that's chemistry.
When iron rusts. When fire burns. When dough becomes bread.
That's chemistry.
---
🧱 But What Is Matter Made Of?
My eyes can't see it, but I've heard this word: atom.
Everyone says:
> "Everything is made of atoms."
So let me imagine.
---
🧊 Atom = Tiny Brick
If my body is a house, atoms are the bricks. (Even human cells which we call building block are made up of atoms )
Too small to see.
But without them, nothing would stand.
---
🕳️ But What Is Inside an Atom?
Okay, now it gets deeper.
Everyone kept saying atoms are tiny.
But it turns out, even atoms are not the end. They have parts inside.
Artic asks:
> "Okay… so what's inside the atom?"
Three main things.
Let me name them, then explain:
1. Protons
2. Neutrons
3. Electrons
Now, imagine an atom like a solar system.
---
☀️ The Center = Nucleus (Protons + Neutrons)
(Like the sun)
Inside the center are:
Protons (positive)
Neutrons (no charge)
They're packed together tightly.
---
🪐 The Orbit = Electrons —> (Revolving around the nucleus)
(Small, fast, whirling around)
Electrons are negative. They move super fast around the nucleus, like satellites or bees buzzing.
They're the lightest, but they control so many things — like how atoms combine.
---
⚖️ Charges: (Charge is a basic property of particles like colour or weight)
Let me make it simple:
Particle Charge Found In
Proton +1 (positive) Nucleus
Neutron 0 (neutral) Nucleus
Electron -1 (negative) Around nucleus
And I remind myself:
> "Same charges repel. Opposites attract."
That's why electrons (–) are pulled toward the positive protons.
---
🌐 Every Atom Is Unique
How?
By how many protons it has.
That's called the Atomic Number.
If you have:
1 proton → it's Hydrogen
2 protons → Helium
6 protons → Carbon
8 protons → Oxygen
That's how we know which element is which.
> "So... protons decide who the atom is."
Exactly.
---
🧪 Elements = Pure Substances (made up of only one kind of atoms)
If you have only one kind of atom, it's an element.
Gold is just gold atoms.
Iron is just iron atoms.
Oxygen gas? Two oxygen atoms holding hands → O₂.
There are 118 elements we know. They are listed in a big chart called the Periodic Table.
---
📋 Why Do We Need the Periodic Table?
Imagine a market. Rows of different fruits.
The Periodic Table is like that — a big stall with all the atoms (elements) placed according to:
Size
Behavior
How they mix
What they like to bond with
---
🧬 Molecules and Compounds
So now I ask:
> "Okay, what happens when atoms hold hands?"
Then they become molecules.
Like:
O₂ = oxygen gas
H₂ = hydrogen gas
H₂O = water (2 hydrogens + 1 oxygen)
If two different elements combine → compound.
Water is a compound. Salt is a compound (NaCl — sodium + chlorine).
> "So atoms form molecules. Molecules form matter."
Simple enough.
---
🧲 But Why Do Atoms Stick Together? (Electrons revolve around the nucleus in a layer which we call shell)
Here comes the next idea: chemical bonding.
> "So why does one atom want to bond with another?"
Because of electrons.
Each atom wants to feel "stable" — like it's holding a full plate. (Atoms want their outer shell to be full )
To do that, it tries to have a full outer shell (the electrons in the outermost orbit).
Outermost shell : The shell or layer of electrons Revolving around the nucleus which is farthest from the nucleus.
Like:
Hydrogen wants 1 more electron.(because it has one electron already and it needs one more to complete its shell)
Oxygen wants 2 more electrons in its outer shell.(because it has 6 and needs two to complete its shell)
[REMEMBER THE FIRST SHELL CAN ONLY HOLD TWO ELECTRONS WHILE THE OTHER EIGHT ]
So they share or give/take electrons to feel complete.
> "So bonding is just atoms finding peace."
Exactly.
---
🔗 Types of Bonding:
1. Ionic Bonding – one atom gives, one takes. (Like Na⁺ + Cl⁻ → salt)
2. Covalent Bonding – they share electrons. (Like H₂O)
3. Metallic Bonding – free-flowing electrons in metal atoms (that's why metals conduct electricity)
---
🔁 Chemical Reactions
Now that atoms can bond, they can also break bonds and form new ones.
That's a chemical reaction.
Like cooking:
> "I put raw rice, water, heat — and get soft rice."
In chemistry:
> Reactants → (reaction) → Products
No atom is created or destroyed. They just rearrange.
This is called the Law of Conservation of Mass.
> "So everything is a remix."
---
🌡️ States of Matter
Chemistry also tells us about how matter behaves in different forms:
1. Solid – atoms tightly packed
2. Liquid – atoms loose, can move
3. Gas – atoms flying freely
Heat decides how fast atoms move.
More heat = more movement.
---
🧠 Artic's Reflection:
I used to think "chemistry" meant hard words, dangerous labs.
But now I see…
> "It's just the story of atoms.
How they meet.
How they bond.
How they change.
How they make me."
From the tree beside me, to the sweat on my skin, to the stars above —
All of it is atoms.
I'm not outside the universe.
I am the universe.
Just made of moving parts.
---
🧾 Summary I'll Never Forget:
Matter is anything that takes up space.
Matter is made of atoms.
Atoms have protons, neutrons, electrons.
Number of protons = Atomic Number = Element identity.
Atoms bond by sharing or giving electrons.
Bonded atoms = molecules or compounds.
Chemical reactions are just atoms rearranging.
All life and non-life are made of this.
---