The breadth of topics chemistry covers is so extensive that it is impossible to learn all of chemistry in one year, or even in one lifetime. This course will not attempt to achieve such complete transfer of chemical knowledge. Although most of the areas in chemistry will still be discussed in this course, considerable time and effort will be devoted in understanding the tools or methods employed in this discipline. As a practicing chemist, I have found in this science a great deal of intellectual challenge and excitement. Being with fellow chemists, one also begins to see a distinct culture, a culture with its own brand of concerns, a culture with its own vision of the world we live in.
Chemists begin with drawing observations.
This data gathering is marked with great care and attention to details. Before, during and after the experiment, the chemist never stops reflecting. Experiments begin with a design, with a hypothesis in mind. In the course of the experiment, preliminary data are continuously examined hoping to see early trends or errors in the design of the experiment. From all the collated observations, a chemist tries to draw generalizations.