# When is something \*not\* a chemical?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [August 21, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149 "2009-08-21T00:49:24Z")
**Posts on this page:** 13
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 12:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/1 "2009-08-21T00:49:24Z")
I’m trying to wrap my head around some basic chemistry concepts, but I am struggling to get a clear definition of **chemical**. I know some examples of what are definitely chemicals:
Gold
Water
Salt
… etc, but what about substances that are made up of more than one type of molecule? Eg, salt water, which contains H[sub]2[/sub]O molecules as well as NaCl molecules.
Is salt water a chemical?
When is something _not_ a chemical?
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### Author:  [@friedo](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/friedo)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/2 "2009-08-21T01:04:11Z")
The noun “chemical” doesn’t really have a precise agreed-upon definition. That’s why chemistry uses more specific terms like element, compound, solution, suspension, etc.
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### Author:  [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/3 "2009-08-21T01:04:58Z")
Never. Everything, including you are made from chemicals.
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### Author:  [@Harmonious\_Discord](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Harmonious_Discord)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/4 "2009-08-21T01:09:59Z")
I don’t know if salt water is a chemical. It is a solution. A chemical implies it is a single compound doesn’t it?
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### Author:  [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/5 "2009-08-21T01:19:42Z")
Generally anything that is one particular molecule is a chemical. So, wood is not a chemical, as it is made up of many different types of molecules. Salt water is a solution, with one chemical dissolved in another, so you wouldn’t call salt water a chemical either.
Generally.
You might call mineral oil a chemical, yet mineral oil is a mixture of hydrocarbon chains of varying lengths and often with impurities – so, a bunch of different molecules. But since the impurities are at a low level and since a 22-carbon chain acts pretty much just like a 23-carbon chain, one sort of doesn’t care in most applications that it is really made up of different molecules.
Anything much more strict than this isn’t necessary, as it is usually pretty clear what’s going on. If something more strict _is_ necessary, words like those **friedo** listed are used.
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### Author:  [@Polycarp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Polycarp)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/6 "2009-08-21T01:25:05Z")
Salt water is not a mixture of salt and water, but an aqueous solution of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, iodide, etc., ions (plus impurities). So it would constitute a “chemical” as opposed to a mixture of distinct chemical compounds.
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### Author:  [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/7 "2009-08-21T01:33:03Z")
> [@Harmonious\_Discord](#):
>
> I don’t know if salt water is a chemical. It is a solution. A chemical implies it is a single compound doesn’t it?
How can you define a single compound? Compound, by definition consists of two or more other things, well, compounded.
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### Author:  [@Pasta](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Pasta)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/8 "2009-08-21T01:33:48Z")
I would amend my answer with:
Actually, many solutions would be called chemicals, for instance hydrochloric acid.
A little [_Jacobellis v. Ohio_ (1964)](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_know_it_when_I_see_it), anyone?.
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### Author:  [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 1:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/9 "2009-08-21T01:37:39Z")
> [@Polycarp](#):
>
> Salt water is not a mixture of salt and water, but an aqueous solution of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, iodide, etc., ions (plus impurities). So it would constitute a “chemical” as opposed to a mixture of distinct chemical compounds.
There are ions in the solution, but they are not a discrete group that is named ions. What the heck do you think “ions” are. And for extra thought, the “impurities” in pure water are the salt, potassium, calcium. iodide, etc.
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### Author:  [@Keeve](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Keeve)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 2:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/10 "2009-08-21T02:09:09Z")
> [@Polycarp](#):
>
> Salt water is not a mixture of salt and water, but an aqueous solution of sodium, potassium, calcium, chloride, iodide, etc., ions (plus impurities). So it would constitute a “chemical” as opposed to a mixture of distinct chemical compounds.
I think that what you’re referring to is not salt water, but perhaps sea water. Surely you’ll agree that if I dissolve pure salt into pure water, that would indeed be “salt water”, wouldn’t it?
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### Author:  [@keturah](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/keturah)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 2:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/11 "2009-08-21T02:39:53Z")
> [@keturah](#):
>
> There are ions in the solution, but they are not a discrete group that is named ions. What the heck do you think “ions” are. And for extra thought, the “impurities” in pure water are the salt, potassium, calcium. iodide, etc.
ETA, the reference above to pure water was meant to be sea water, municipal water, or any water that we are likely to encounter. In other words, I there is no “pure water” we encounter.
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### Author:  [@Uncertain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Uncertain)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 4:09am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/12 "2009-08-21T04:09:16Z")
The notion that, for example, “I don’t want to eat food with chemicals in it” is silly.
I suppose you could say that neutronium is not a chemical (what neutron stars are made of, though I don’t think we understand much about its properties), but that doesn’t convey any useful information.
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### Author:  [@KellyCriterion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/KellyCriterion)
#### Post date: [August 21, 2009, 4:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/when-is-something-not-a-chemical/507149/13 "2009-08-21T04:19:33Z")
Thanks for the answers.