ABSTRACT
Chemistry deals with chemical interactions between materials. These are the reactions that bring about changes in the physical and chemical nature of the materials involved. As discussed elsewhere (see 8), such interactions involve the outer electrons of the atoms and molecules, and a focus of modem chemistry is the shape and intensity of the electrical fields involved. In the past, however, the primary focus was on the extent to which various substances reacted, and a sophisticated equilibrium theory was developed to quantitatively predict this. In this section we look at the equilibrium concept, and see how far it is useful in explaining chemical reactions in the natural environment.
