Chemistry is the study of matter and energy at the scale of atoms and molecules. Covering a year's worth of introductory general chemistry at the college level, plus intriguing topics that are rarely discussed in the classroom, this visually engaging and comprehensive course requires nothing more advanced than high-school math and is suitable for any science background.
Chemistry and Our Universe: How It All Works
Chemistry is the science of how everything interacts. An award-winning professor covers it all-from the periodic table to pH to poisons to plate tectonics.
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Bill2024 from
lots of information
Wow 60 lectures quite a bit of content but worth it. I guess I did learn something 35 years ago since it all made sense going over the material again. I knocked this out consuming 2 lectures per sitting. Off to start the journey of the organic chemistry now
Date published: 2024-03-04
Rated 4 out of
5
by
Mysteryman from
Good, but needs improvement
Hello. I generally enjoyed your chemistry course, and if you want to listen, there are few suggestions. 1. Clear the many mistakes - you correctly state that expanding gas cools it and after you state that releases heat, while it absorbs!! 2. Get rid of all physics, and stick to chemistry. 3. Clear you examples - they are mostly incorrect and misleading. 4. Repeat the new points in different ways and illustrate better. 5. Smile, you appear as cold and unfriendly.
Date published: 2024-02-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
CDenison from
Wonderful course
The instructor is engaging and informative, he explains the concepts clearly and uses real life examples to show how they’re used. My son used this course to prepare for honors chemistry and his teacher was impressed with how much he knew.
Date published: 2023-12-17
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Nicholas the scholar from
Fantastic!
I love this lecture series! From the periodical table to the last 60th lecture, the chemistry of life, this series is mind boggling. I can not believe the number of lectures: unusual for a typical Great Courses unit. Wonderful!
Date published: 2023-11-10
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Bob24 from
Outstanding Course
The course is an excellent comprehensive survey of chemistry. Dr. Davis makes the course very interesting and understandable. The guidebook is very good and the course presentations embellish upon what's in the guide.
I strongly recommend this course to any student particularly those interested in the natural sciences before taking the full college program.
Dr. Davis also teaches a course in Organic Chemistry which I highly recommend to science .
By the way, I was a chemistry major in the distant past with a BS and MS.
Date published: 2023-06-20
Rated 5 out of
5
by
kidbill449 from
chemistry our universe
best explanation of buffering better than biochem in med school however blood ph is 7.35-7.45 not 7.2 acid to 7.4
Date published: 2023-04-30
Rated 5 out of
5
by
Vano Loco from
Chemistry, Fresh Wine in New Wineskins
SUMMARY
Illustrations and presentation graphics and media were excellent and added immeasurably to the experience. The presentation is done by a talented and knowledgeable presenter using various displays, experiments, videos, and multimedia. The result is an eagle view of all of Chemistry. Topics cover atoms, the Periodic Table (all too briefly), molecules and molecular binding, molecular interactions, and every day and cosmic applications.
My motivation as a lifelong learner is grandchildren who I wish to engage and best direct, siblings and children in health care, and wanting to reexperience current learnings from the very best presenters using the much more capable new teaching platforms. Fresh wine in new wineskins has rarely tasted better, but one must thoughtfully linger and savor.
PROS AND NOTES
I wanted to compare current chemistry didactics to what I was presented in high school and college. This presentation was incredibly beyond the old stuff. The material contained historical context, and has an encyclopedic breadth not found elsewhere. I strongly recommend this material for clarity of presentation, historical context, breadth, engaging examples, and detail. The full depth is suitable at the high school level and beyond, but I also intend to use the first eight chapters to engage my younger listeners about chemistry as a subject.
The mathematics encourage exact calculation, and involves solving unit equations, algebra, occasionally quadratics and calculus concepts. Any belief in the Hollywood cliche that "you'll never need this math stuff" will make this offering incredibly awkward.
The material builds, and especially through the first 2/3 of the sections, is best not viewed out of order. I especially appreciated many of the later sections on applications of chemistry, and whole earth and galactic chemistry.
* The first 4 sections may be an exception, but even if it is a review, it is worthy of recommending to middle and high school learners.
* Sections 5 to 7 cover quantum levels, periodic table groups and periods, and how the s, p, d, f, and electron quantum levels above are filled.
Best yet, 3D illustrations of the various p, d, f and above electron clouds are shown and explained. Awesome!
* Sections 8 to 15 cover molecules, notation and mechanics. Dispersion, ionic, valence, polar and other molecular bonding is presented. Again, the 3D for valence clouds and ionic and polar bonding really are worth 1000 words.
* Sections 16 to 19 cover beginning molecular formation energy considerations. Enthalpy, entropy, dispersion, Gibbs "free energy" etc.
* Sections 20 to 29 cover chemical phases (gas, liquid, solid) and solutions of molecules. Note bene, that the plasma phase is left out.
* Sections 30 to 34 cover chemical reaction rates, mechanisms, catalysis, equilibrium, and such.
* Sections 35 to 39 cover acids and bases, proton donors and acceptors.
* Sections 40 to 42 cover REDOX electrochemistry and includes batteries and electrical devices. In any previous Chemistry readings I've experienced, electrochemistry is either missing or badly grounded (pun intended). Very well done here.
* Sections 43 to 46 cover nuclear fission and fusion, without reference to the sub-atomic "Standard Model". Some of the material, especially the "Zone of Stability" chart, would have been welcome in Don Lincoln's TGC sub-atomic material. The scientific contexts and consequences presented are stand-alone memorable.
* Sections 47 to 49 cover organic chemistry; biochemistry not so much.
* Sections 50 to 56 cover chemical applications, including polymers, medicines, toxins and weapons, fuels, and explosives.
* Sections 57 to 60 cover mega topics of earth inner and outer, atmosphere, and the cosmos.
The Guidebook was useful, and I was frequently back and forth between the presentation and guidebook.
ISSUES AND CAVEATS
* Perhaps a caveat is that the breadth is exhaustive, and 60 half-hour sections takes a great deal of time. It is a commitment.
Also, much of the material is top level (as it should be), so following up points of interest (and coursework) in the chem texts given in the Guidebook, as well as Wikipedia and other searches of interest, is recommended.
* A TGC/ Wondrium alternate, "Chemistry" by Frank Cardulla, seems to be a great alternate high school "starter" candidate.
* Prof Davis will NOT put you to sleep; the presentation is frequently paced very aggressively, so expect to have to tend to the replay bar.
* The CC in the presentations was so bad, it was a comic delight.
* The plasma phase is not mentioned in the chemical phases coverage. No mention of why.
* No mention is made of the sub-atomic "Standard Table" (Quarks, other cosmic particles) some of which compose Periodic Table atoms. The Periodic Table composes less than 5% of what's around us, and this context is missing. A simple "call-out" to, for example, Don Lincoln's GTC "Theory of Everything" offerings would have been welcome. This is especially directed at the "nuclear reactions" sections 43 to 46, which talk about positrons and neutrinos without reference or explanation.
* Prof Davis has a more recent TGC/ Wondrium title "Periodic Table" which makes up for the brevity of that coverage here. Onward, indeed!
Date published: 2022-12-25
Rated 5 out of
5
by
world from
Amazing teaching
words are not enough to express our appreciate for the teaching. Great contribution to the world.
Date published: 2022-11-17
Overview
About
Dr. Ron B. Davis, Jr. is an Associate Teaching Professor of Chemistry at Georgetown University, where he has been teaching introductory organic chemistry laboratories since 2008. He earned his Ph.D. in Chemistry from The Pennsylvania State University. Prior to teaching chemistry at the undergraduate level, Professor Davis spent several years as a pharmaceutical research and development chemist. Professor Davis's research focuses on the fundamental forces governing the interactions of proteins with small organic molecules. His research has been published in such scholarly journals as Proteins and Biochemistry and has been presented at the Annual Symposium of The Protein Society. He also maintains an educational YouTube channel and provides interviews and content to various media outlets, including The Discovery Channel. At The Pennsylvania State University, Professor Davis received a Dalalian Fellowship and the Dan Waugh Teaching Award. He is also a member of the Division of Chemical Education of the American Chemical Society.
Trailer
01: Is Chemistry the Science of Everything?
Chemistry is the study of all matter, but matter at a very particular scale-that of atoms and molecules. Professor Davis begins by outlining his approach to this enormous topic and then introduces the periodic table of elements, one of the most powerful conceptual tools ever devised....
31 min
02: Matter and Measurement
Chemists have convenient units for dealing with matter at the atomic scale. In this lecture, learn the origin and relative size of the angstrom to measure length, as well as the atomic mass unit, the mole for measuring quantity and the Kelvin scale for temperature....
34 min
03: Wave Nature of Light
Light interacts with matter in crucial ways. In the first of two lectures on the nature of light, follow the debate over whether light is a wave or a particle, starting in antiquity. See how the wave theory appeared to triumph in the 19th century and led to the discovery of the electromagnetic spectrum....
30 min
04: Particle Nature of Light
Although light has wave-like properties, it also behaves like a particle that comes in discrete units of energy, termed quanta. Learn how physicists Max Planck, Albert Einstein, and others built a revolutionary picture of light that recognizes both its wave- and particle-like nature....
29 min
05: Basic Structure of the Atom
Peel back the layers of the atom to investigate what's inside. Observe how electrons, protons, and neutrons are distributed, how they give an atom its identity, and how they affect its electrical charge and atomic mass. Discover the meaning of terms such as isotope, anion, and cation....
31 min
06: Electronic Structure of the Atom
Starting with hydrogen, see how electrons organize themselves within the atom, depending on their energy state. Graduate from Niels Bohr's revolutionary model of the atom to Erwin Schrodinger's even more precise theory. Then, chart different electron configurations in heavier and heavier atoms....
33 min
07: Periodic Trends: Navigating the Table
Return to the periodic table, introduced in Lecture 1, to practice predicting properties of elements based on their electronic structure. Then, witness what happens when three different alkali metals react with water. Theory forecasts a pronounced difference in the result. Is there?...
30 min
08: Compounds and Chemical Formulas
Turn to molecules, which are groups of atoms that make up compounds as well as some elements. Learn to calculate the empirical formula for a simple molecule and also its molecular formula, which gives the exact number of each type of atom....
29 min
09: Joining Atoms: The Chemical Bond
In the first of five lectures on chemical bonds, start to unravel the mystery of what joins atoms into molecules. Investigate how molecular bonds reflect the octet rule encountered in Lecture 7 and fall into four classes: ionic, covalent, polar covalent, and metallic bonds....
31 min
10: Mapping Molecules: Lewis Structures
Working at the turn of the 20th century, chemist Gilbert N. Lewis devised a simple method for depicting the essential blueprint of a molecule's structure. Learn how to draw Lewis structures, and use this technique to explore such concepts as formal charge and resonance....
30 min
11: VSEPR Theory and Molecular Geometry
Take the next step beyond Lewis structures to see how atoms in a molecule are arranged in three dimensions. VSEPR theory (valence-shell electron-pair repulsion theory) provides chemists with a quick way to predict the shapes of molecules based on a few basic assumptions....
28 min
12: Hybridization of Orbitals
Meet one of the fathers of modern physical chemistry, Linus Pauling. Hear about his theory of orbital hybridization, which solves some of the shortcomings of VSEPR theory by averaging the charge of electrons in different orbitals, accounting for the peculiar geometry of certain molecules....
29 min
13: Molecular Orbital Theory
Discover an alternate model of chemical bonding: molecular orbital theory, developed by Friedrich Hund and Robert Mulliken. This idea explains such mysteries as why oxygen is paramagnetic. See a demonstration of oxygen's attraction to a magnet, then use molecular orbital theory to understand why this happens....
26 min
14: Communicating Chemical Reactions
Begin your study of chemical reactions by investigating how chemists write reactions using a highly systematized code. Next, Professor Davis introduces the big four types of chemical reactions: synthesis, decomposition, single displacement, and double displacement. He also shows how to translate between measurements in moles and grams....
31 min
15: Chemical Accounting: Stoichiometry
Stoichiometry may sound highly technical, but it is simply the relative proportions in which chemicals react. Discover how to balance a reaction equation, and learn how to solve problems involving limiting reagents, theoretical yield, percent yield, and optimized reactions....
31 min
16: Enthalpy and Calorimetry
Consider how atoms and molecules can create, consume, and transport the most vital commodity in the universe: energy. Practice calculating energy changes in reactions, explore the concept of enthalpy (the total heat content of a system), and learn how chemists use a device called a calorimeter....
34 min
17: Hess's Law and Heats of Formation
In 1840, chemist Germain Hess theorized that total heat change in a chemical reaction is equal to the sum of the heat changes of its individual steps. Study the implications of this principle, known as Hess's law. In the process, learn about heat of formation....
29 min
18: Entropy: The Role of Randomness
Now turn to entropy, which is a measure of disorder. According to the second law of thermodynamics, the entropy of closed systems always increases. See how this change can be calculated in chemical reactions by using the absolute entropy table....
31 min
19: Influence of Free Energy
Enthalpy and entropy are contrasting quantities. However, they are combined in the free energy equation, discovered by chemist J. Willard Gibbs, which predicts whether a reaction will take place spontaneously. Probe the difference between reactions that are endothermic (requiring heat) and exothermic (releasing heat)....
29 min
20: Intermolecular Forces
Investigate the physical properties that define the most common phases of matter: solids, liquids, and gases. Then, focus on the intermolecular forces that control which of these phases a substance occupies. Analyze the role of London dispersion forces, dipole-dipole interactions, and hydrogen bonding....
31 min
21: Phase Changes in Matter
Survey events at the molecular level when substances convert between solid, liquid, and gaseous phases. Pay particular attention to the role of temperature and pressure on these transitions. Become familiar with a powerful tool of prediction called the phase diagram....
28 min
22: Behavior of Gases: Gas Laws
In the first of two lectures on the properties of gases, review the basic equations that describe their behavior. Learn the history of Boyle's law, Gay-Lussac's law, Charles's law, and Avogadro's law. Then use these four expressions to derive the celebrated ideal gas law....
27 min
23: Kinetic Molecular Theory
Apply the physics of moving bodies to the countless particles comprising a gas. Observe how Graham's law links the mass of gas particles to the rate at which they escape through a small aperture, a process known as effusion. See how this technique was used to enrich uranium for the first atomic weapons....
30 min
24: Liquids and Their Properties
Now turn to liquids, which have a more complicated behavior than gases. The same intermolecular forces apply to both, but at much closer range for liquids. Explore the resulting properties, including viscosity, volatility, incompressibility, and miscibility. Also consider applications of these qualities....
29 min
25: Metals and Ionic Solids
Solids are characterized by a defined volume and shape, created by close packing of atoms, ions, or molecules. Focus on how packing is very regular in crystalline solids, which display lattice geometries. In particular, study the structure and properties of metals and alloys....
31 min
26: Covalent Solids
Examine solids that are held together by forces other than metallic bonds. For example, sodium chloride (table salt) exhibits a lattice structure joined by ionic bonds; molecular solids such as sugar have covalent bonds; and diamond and graphite are cases of covalent network solids, as are silicates....
30 min
27: Mixing It Up: Solutions
Dip into the nature of solutions, distinguishing between solutes and the solvent. Review ways of reporting solution concentrations, including molarity, molality, parts per million, and parts per billion. See how chemists prepare solutions of known concentrations and also use light to determine concentration....
34 min
28: Solubility and Saturation
Continue your investigation of solutions by probing the maximum solubility of materials in water and the concept of saturated solutions. Explore the effect of temperature on solutions. Then, watch Professor Davis demonstrate Henry's law on the solubility of gases in liquids and the phenomenon of supersaturation....
29 min
29: Colligative Properties of Solutions
Certain properties of solutions depend only on the concentration of the solute particles dissolved, not on the nature of the particles. Called colligative properties, these involve such behaviors as lowering the freezing point, raising the boiling point, and osmotic pressure. Study examples of each....
32 min
30: Modeling Reaction Rates
Starting with a classic experiment called the elephant's toothpaste, begin your investigation of reaction rates. Learn to express rates mathematically and understand the importance of rate order, which is related to the powers of the concentrations. Extend these ideas to half-life equations, which are vital for dating geologic processes and archaeological artifacts....
32 min
31: Temperature and Reaction Rates
Focus on the effect of temperature on reaction rates. Learn how to use the Arrhenius equation to calculate the activation energy for a reaction, and practice solving problems. For example, why does cooling food in a refrigerator reduce the spoilage so dramatically?...
32 min
32: Reaction Mechanisms and Catalysis
Chemical reactions often take place in a series of steps, converting starting materials into intermediates, which are then converted into products. Each stage in this process has its own associated rate law. Learn how to analyze these steps, and consider a very special class of reactants: catalysts....
29 min
33: The Back and Forth of Equilibrium
What happens when reactions can be reversed? Study reactions that take place simultaneously in both directions, leading to a dynamic equilibrium. Focus on homogeneous equilibria, which involve reactants and products in the same phase. Close with an introduction to the reaction quotient....
29 min
34: Manipulating Chemical Equilibrium
Continue your study of gas-phase equilibria by investigating Le Chatelier's principle, which describes what happens when a chemical system is disturbed. Examine three different scenarios that employ this rule. Close by exploring a world-shaking application of Le Chatelier's principle....
30 min
35: Acids, Bases, and the pH Scale
Now turn to acids and bases. Review the search for the defining qualities of these ubiquitous substances-a quest that eluded scientists until independent discoveries made by J. N. Bronsted and T. M. Lowry in the 1920s. Then hear how chemist Soren Sorensen devised the pH scale for measuring acidity and basicity....
28 min
36: Weak Acids and Bases
In the previous lecture, you delved into strong acids and bases-those that ionize completely in solution. In this lecture, survey weak acids and bases, zeroing in on why they only partially ionize. Practice techniques for calculating their properties and concentrations in various solutions....
29 min
37: Acid-Base Reactions and Buffers
Mix things up by looking at what happens when acids and bases combine. See how a desired pH can be achieved through regulation of acid-base reactions. In the process, learn how to use the Henderson-Hasselbalch equation, which is indispensable in biology and medicine....
30 min
38: Polyprotic Acids
So far, you have focused on acids that donate a single hydrogen ion in an acid-base reaction. Now turn to polyprotic acids-those that donate more than one proton per molecule. Investigate the complex ionization processes that ensue, and see how they play a role in regulating blood pH....
30 min
39: Structural Basis for Acidity
Complete your study of acids and bases by searching out the fundamental causes of their disparate behavior. For example, why is there a difference in the ease with which various acids ionize? Your search draws on concepts from previous lectures, including electronegativity, molecular geometry, hybridization, and covalent bonding....
30 min
40: Electron Exchange: Redox Reactions
Encounter reduction-oxidation (redox) reactions, which involve the exchange of electrons between substances. Discover that this process explains geological events on the early Earth, including why iron in its metallic state is so rare in nature. Then explore associated phenomena, including the activity series of metals....
34 min
41: Electromotive Force and Free Energy
Meet three scientists who laid the foundations for electrochemistry. Robert Millikan measured the charge on the electron. Michael Faraday discovered the relationship between free energy and electrical potential. Walther Nernst formulated the relationship between redox potential and equilibrium constants. Their contributions paved the way for what came next....
33 min
42: Storing Electrical Potential: Batteries
Apply your understanding of electrochemistry to one of the most influential inventions of all time: the electrical storage battery. Trace the evolution of batteries from ancient times to Alessandro Volta's pioneering voltaic cell, developed in 1800, to today's alkaline, lithium, and other innovative battery technologies....
31 min
43: Nuclear Chemistry and Radiation
The energy stored in chemical bonds pales next to the energy holding atomic nuclei together. Look back to the gradual unlocking of the secrets of the nucleus, the discovery of radiation emanating from elements such as uranium, and the eventual harnessing of this phenomenon for weapons, electrical power, and medical treatments....
30 min
44: Binding Energy and the Mass Defect
Dig deeper into the nucleus to discover how so little matter can convert into the tremendous energy of a nuclear explosion, as described by Albert Einstein's famous mass-energy equation. Focus on nuclear binding energy and mass defect, both of which are connected to the release of nuclear energy....
29 min
45: Breaking Things Down: Nuclear Fission
In the 1940s, scientists worked out techniques for speeding up the radioactivity of uranium isotopes by means of a fission chain reaction. See this process modeled with an array of mousetraps, demonstrating how the reaction can be controlled in a reactor or unleashed catastrophically in a bomb....
30 min
46: Building Things Up: Nuclear Fusion
Revisit the nuclear energy binding curve, noting that most elements lighter than iron can release energy by fusing together. This is an even more energetic reaction than fission, and it is what powers the sun. Follow the development of fusion weapons and the so-far-unrealized dream of fusion reactors....
29 min
47: Introduction to Organic Chemistry
Launch into the first of three lectures on organic chemistry, which is the field dealing with carbon-based molecules, and understand why carbon makes such a versatile molecule. As an example, survey the incredible variety displayed by hydrocarbons, from bitumen (asphalt) to gasoline and methane....
30 min
48: Heteroatoms and Functional Groups
Hydrocarbons contain only hydrogen and carbon atoms. See how some of the hydrogen atoms can be replaced with new elements and groups of elements to create compounds with new properties. These heteroatoms and functional groups form virtually unlimited combinations of organic molecules....
31 min
49: Reactions in Organic Chemistry
Get a taste of one of the favorite challenges for organic chemists-turning one organic compound into another. Focus on three types of reactions from the many used in organic synthesis: substitution, elimination, and addition. Close by considering the vital role of water in organic chemistry....
30 min
50: Synthetic Polymers
Starting with the mystery of the ancient Mayan rubber ball, trace the story of polymer chemistry from lucky accidents to the advances of chemist Hermann Staudinger, who in the early 20th century showed that polymers are macromolecules. Learn how synthetic polymers are created....
28 min
51: Biological Polymers
Turn from synthetic polymers to biopolymers - those that occur naturally. Focus on polysaccharides, nucleic acids, and proteins (including a special class of proteins, enzymes). Discover that living systems exercise a level of control over the synthesis of these polymers that no chemist could ever hope to achieve in the lab....
32 min
52: Medicinal Chemistry
Probe the methods used by researchers to create molecules that can correct medical problems such as inflammation, bacterial infections, and cancer. As an example, study the lock-and-key model of enzyme activity, which explains how many enzymes work, highlighting a potential weak link that can be exploited by drugs....
30 min
53: Poisons, Toxins, and Venoms
Survey the types of chemicals that can harm human health. First, analyze the differences between a poison, a toxin, and a venom. Then, study examples of each, learning how arsenic disrupts ATP production, what makes nicotine deadlier than most people realize, and why venoms are typically complex proteins....
29 min
54: Chemical Weapons
Delve into the dark world of chemistry as a weapon of war. Crude chemical weapons were used in antiquity, but they didn't reach true sophistication and strategic significance until World War I. Profile the father of modern chemical warfare, chemist Fritz Haber, and look at the specific action of a number of deadly chemical agents....
31 min
55: Tapping Chemical Energy: Fuels
Explore the chemistry of fuels, which are materials that react with an oxidant to produce energy. Start with cellulose, the primary constituent of wood, then survey petroleum distillates, such as kerosene, diesel, and gasoline. Close by learning how plant oils can be used to make biodiesel, which behaves similarly to petroleum-based diesel....
30 min
56: Unleashing Chemical Energy: Explosives
Observe what happens at the molecular level that distinguishes fuel combustion from an explosion, and also learn what constitutes a detonation, which has a precise technical meaning. Survey explosives from gunpowder to nitroglycerin to TNT to plastic explosives, and study methods of detecting explosives....
35 min
57: Chemistry of the Earth
Take a short tour of geochemistry, starting at Earth's core and working your way to the surface. Discover why our planet has a magnetic field, how radioactive atoms move continents and build mountain ranges, and why digging a hole to extract resources can produce a chemical catastrophe....
29 min
58: Chemistry of Our Oceans
It is said that water covers 75% of Earth's surface. But chemists know better: more accurately, Earth's surface is bathed in an aqueous solution-a mixture of water and many different dissolved solutes. Focus on dissolved carbon dioxide, methane hydrates, and the quest to extract dissolved gold....
30 min
59: Atmospheric Chemistry
Now turn to the chemistry of the atmosphere, in particular the 1% composed of gases other than nitrogen and oxygen. Map the structure of the atmosphere, charting its temperature profile. Hear the good and bad news about ozone, and probe the cause of acid rain....
30 min
60: Chemistry, Life, and the Cosmos
Conclude the course by ranging beyond our planet to sample atoms and molecules in the cosmos. Specifically, search for two substances that are prerequisites for life: water and organic molecules. Both turn out to be plentiful, suggesting that the study of chemistry has a long and bright future!...
33 min
