Classification of Substances
How do scientist classify new substances?
In general, we try to group substances according to similar properties, but
it also depends on what your field of study is. For example, a chemist might
group materials by similar chemical properties (acids, bases, etc.). A
mechanical engineer might group materials by physical properties (strength,
toughness, etc.). There is no 'universal' classification system that
Hope this helps,
We start by asking whether Carbon is present. If no, substance is inorganic.
If yes, substance is organic. Then we want to know what building blocks are in
the substance. We generally, classify organic compounds by which groups
(building blocks) they contain.
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Update: June 2012