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Chemical and Its Composition

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Last updated date: 25th Apr 2024
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Chemical Composition Meaning in Chemistry

In our day to day lives, we come across so many different chemical substances. We even consume a few of them, such as table salt, or NaCl, vinegar, sugar, etc. However, to understand it clearly, we must know what is the exact meaning of a chemical substance and its composition.

Chemical composition is known as the arrangement, ratio, and type of the atoms present in the molecules of the chemical substances. It varies wherever one or more chemical substances get added or subtracted from a given substance, if there are any chemical changes in the chemical substance, or if the ratio of the substances present in it changes. Today, we will learn what chemical composition means in chemistry, and the chemical substances and processes.


Chemical Substances and Processes

Chemical composition is known as the ratio, arrangement, and the kind of atoms that are present in the molecules of a chemical substance. The chemical composition of a substance tends to vary when the chemicals get added or subtracted from the original substance. This can happen either if the ratio of the substances present in it changes, or if the chemical substance undergoes any kind of changes.

The chemical composition of a substance tends to determine the properties of that substance. Hence, we can say that depending on the arrangement of the atoms, their colour, density, strength and several other properties can be determined.


Chemical Composition of Matter

A chemical is a substance that has specific and clear chemical composition and structure. Chemicals tend to exist in a different range of states, which means that they are either liquids or solids. They can also tend to change their state if they are influenced by external factors such as temperature, pressure, etc.

Joseph Proust, a chemist, had paved the fundamentals of modern chemistry, which is referred to as the Law of constant composition. A particular chemical substance possesses a fixed composition. According to his inference, all the samples of a chemical compound possess the same kind of proportion by mass of its elements that are present in that compound. Consider, for example, that water is a chemical compound which has two different elements hydrogen, H, and oxygen, O in a specific ratio. Then, the purified water samples and the seawater will also consist of the same composition in the same ratios.

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Atom is known as the basic unit of chemical substances that consist of the subatomic particles like protons, neutrons, and electrons. An element comprises the same atom. These cannot be fragmented by any kinds of ordinary processes. Metals, non-metals, and metalloids are all three classifications of the elements. The physical properties, chemical properties, and stability are some of the few criteria to classify. Two or more elements tend to combine to form a chemical compound. When two or more than two atoms combine, a molecule gets formed.

FAQs on Chemical and Its Composition

1. Give an example of Chemical Composition.

Ans: Chemical composition refers to the arrangement, ratio, and type of the atoms present in the molecules of the chemical substances. Chemical composition tends to vary either when the chemicals are either added or subtracted from that substance, or when the ratio of the substances present changes, or when any other chemical changes occur in chemicals. 

The chemical composition of a given substance tends to determine the intramolecular forces and properties of that particular substance. This means that how the atoms are put together in something tends to determine the strength, colour, texture, density, and many other properties of that thing. Chemists can also make use of different tests for learning the chemical composition of a given substance, including the flammability test, heavy metal test, pH test, etc.

A given chemical has a specific ratio of its atoms which is allowed by their valence electrons. An example of this is Hydrogen Fluoride, or HF, which consists of 1 Hydrogen atom that is present in a ratio to each of the 1 Fluorine atom. This substance, hydrogen fluoride, tends to possess stronger intramolecular forces of attraction since it is a hydrogen bond.

2. How can you calculate the Chemical Composition of a substance?

Ans: Calculating the chemical composition of a substance is easy and is calculated in terms of percentage. The percentage composition of a substance determines the percentage of each of the elements present in the compound by mass. If we need to study a chemical compound, we need to find the chemical composition in the percentage of the elements present in that compound. Given below are the steps to calculate the percentage composition of the elements that are present in a compound.

  1. The first step is to determine the molar mass of all the elements that are present in the given compound in grams per mole.

  2. The next step is to find the molecular mass of the compound as a whole.

  3. Then, we need to divide the molar mass of the compound by the molecular mass achieved in the previous step.

  4. We will now have a number ranging between 0 and 1. Then, multiply this number by 100 and we will get the per cent composition in the form of %.