Chemistry is the science and study of matter, including its properties, composition as well as reactivity. Chemistry relates to everything that can be sensed from the minute elements to complex structures. The atom and molecules are the basic unit or components of Chemistry. The study of chemists is always interested in identifying and knowing how the chemical transformation occurs. It plays an essential role in science and plays a central role in daily life activities.
The principles of chemicals are quite varied and are essentially important which includes brain functioning, computer operations, weather patterns, chemical industries, manufacturing fertilizers, acids, alkalis, salts, drugs, soaps, etc. Chemistry also acts as a major determinant in meeting the human needs for food, healthcare products, and also other materials that are aimed at improving the life’s quality.
Chemistry is everywhere in the world around us. Even our body is made up of chemicals. Continuous bio-chemical reactions occurring in our body are responsible for human activities. Chemistry touches almost every aspect of our lives, culture and environment. The world in which we are living is constantly changing, and the science of chemistry continues to expand and evolve to meet the challenges of our modern world. Chemical industries manufacture a broad range of new and useful materials that are used in every day life.
Examples : polymers, dyes, alloys, life saving drugs etc.
When HIV/AIDS epidemic began in early 1980s, patients rarely lived longer than a few years. But now many effective medicines are available to fight the infection, and people with HIV infection have longer and better life.
The understanding of chemical principles enabled us to replace the non eco friendly compounds such as CFCs in refrigerators with appropriate equivalents and increasing number of green processes. There are many researchers working in different fields of chemistry to develop new drugs, environment friendly materials, synthetic polymers etc. for the betterment of the society.
As chemistry plays an important role in our day-to-day life, it becomes essential to understand the basic principles of chemistry in order to address the mounting challenges in our developing country.
Areas of Chemistry
The study of modern chemistry has many branches, but can generally be broken down into five main disciplines, or areas of study:
Physical chemistry: Physical chemistry is the study of macroscopic properties, atomic properties, and phenomena in chemical systems. A physical chemist may study such things as the rates of chemical reactions, the energy transfers that occur in reactions, or the physical structure of materials at the molecular level.
Organic chemistry: Organic chemistry is the study of chemicals containing carbon. Carbon is one of the most abundant elements on Earth and is capable of forming a tremendously vast number of chemicals (over twenty million so far). Most of the chemicals found in all living organisms are based on carbon.
Inorganic chemistry: Inorganic chemistry is the study of chemicals that, in general, are not primarily based on carbon. Inorganic chemicals are commonly found in rocks and minerals. One current important area of inorganic chemistry deals with the design and properties of materials involved in energy and information technology.
Analytical chemistry: Analytical chemistry is the study of the composition of matter. It focuses on separating, identifying, and quantifying chemicals in samples of matter. An analytical chemist may use complex instruments to analyze an unknown material in order to determine its various components.
Biochemistry: Biochemistry is the study of chemical processes that occur in living things. Research may cover anything from basic cellular processes up to understanding disease states so better treatments can be developed.
