Letter
Project Reflection
The chemistry of materials was and is integral to our past, present, and future. Take the discovery of the steel alloy. Without steel, we would not have had such a sturdy material to build railway tracks from to connect our then developing country. Without those railways, we would have not been able to transport the steel that structures the skyscrapers of today. Without these progressions, helped along by steel, the discoveries and advancements of the future would occur much later, or would not occur at all. Just one material can determine the course of our society.
The structure of matter on the atomic, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels all determine a material’s properties. Say we look at a component of steel, carbon. On the atomic level, it has four valence electrons, which determines how it bonds with other elements. As for the molecular level, it’s very common for the molecules to be covalently bonded (although ionic bonds still occur). Covalently bonded compounds have low conductivity, low melting point, and low solubility. The microscopic and macroscopic levels are generally a result of the atomic and molecular structure, but they determine the physical applications and uses for the material.
The structure of matter on the atomic, molecular, microscopic and macroscopic levels all determine a material’s properties. Say we look at a component of steel, carbon. On the atomic level, it has four valence electrons, which determines how it bonds with other elements. As for the molecular level, it’s very common for the molecules to be covalently bonded (although ionic bonds still occur). Covalently bonded compounds have low conductivity, low melting point, and low solubility. The microscopic and macroscopic levels are generally a result of the atomic and molecular structure, but they determine the physical applications and uses for the material.