Chemistry is one of the most important branches of science. While it has an unfortunate reputation as being a bit of a dull field of science, that reputation could not be more incorrect! Most interesting and cool things can be explained by chemistry. From fireworks to rockets being launched, to the engines of the fastest cars, to the creation of medicine that help us live fuller and better lives. Simply put, the main reason that chemistry is important is because it explains all the world around us.
Chemistry facts
It is a field of sciences that deals with the smallest of atoms and explains the properties, behaviour, structure, and reactions between them. The interaction between these tiny atoms and molecules can have enormous effects, such as the creation of new elements, and even energy in nuclear powerplants and atomic bombs. As everything is made from tiny atoms, chemistry can explain almost everything all around us. There are significant overlaps between other fields of science and chemistry, which provides us with the 5 types of chemistry:
- Organic
- Inorganic
- Analytical
- Physical (chemistry and physics)
- Biochemistry (chemistry and biology)
Over the last decade or so, other fields have started to emerge, such as nuclear chemistry, polymer chemistry, bioinorganic chemistry, environmental chemistry, and biophysical chemistry. However, the five major sub-types of chemistry are the ones we will discuss in this article.
Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry is the study of the molecules of life, which are a few different atoms, the important ones being hydrogen, carbon, oxygen, and nitrogen. These are called the molecules of life because these atoms construct molecules that all living things rely upon for their survival. Understanding organic chemistry is required to be able to delve into biochemistry and understand how biomolecules such as proteins, fats, sugars, and nucleic acids (DNA & RNA) relate to each other, as they are all organic molecules as well. Studying organic chemistry will create career paths leading to a pharmacy, food technology, plastics, and medical companies.
Inorganic chemistry
Inorganic chemistry deals with the behaviour and properties of metals, minerals, and organometallic compounds. Inorganic chemistry has uses in catalysts, pigments, coating, surfactants, medicines, fuel, and more. People working in organic chemistry are often in fields surrounding mining, and also electronics such as microchips.
Analytical chemistry
This branch of chemistry concerns itself with identifying and quantifying materials in mixtures and solutions. This would be helpful in knowing “is there any gold in this sample?” and then “how much gold is in this sample?”. This type of chemistry would be used for forensic analysis, or in environmental and pharmaceutical companies.
Physical chemistry
A study of macroscopic matter and physics, concerning motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics, and equilibrium. Or in a more straightforward way, this is the study of physical principles that govern the ways that molecules, atoms, and other chemical systems behave. This includes the how fast reactions take place (kinetics), the way that matter and light interact (spectroscopy), and how electrons are arranged in space and matter (quantum mechanics), and the stability and reactivity of different matters (thermodynamics). Physical chemistry is an understanding as to what is occurring at an atomic level when reactions between matter take place.
Biochemistry
A field where both chemistry and biology combine, and it is the study of chemical principles underlying basic biological systems. Biochemistry focuses on processes happening at a molecular level, within our cells. It looks at how our cells communicate with each other either when growing, multiplying, or fighting illnesses. What do chemists do in this field? Biochemistry has a range of uses in medicine, such as an understanding of the disease and how to treat it, organ and tissue transplants, and clinical diagnostics. It furthers its reach as we understand more about genetics and plant medicine. Biochemists may find themselves working in education, food companies, agriculture, hospitals, forensic crime research, cosmetics, and drug discovery and development.
The benefits of chemistry
Chemistry can explain the world around us at a microscopic level, which in turn provides explanations to things we can see each and every day. It is called the central science as it dips into all other scientific fields of study. While the many branches of chemistry are fascinating, the subject as a whole helps us to understand that everything around us can be explained through chemical reactions. This allows us to make informed decisions and understand the underlying logic behind all things. It teaches us reasoning and problem solving, and most importantly, it teaches us that every problem in the world can be explained, and also has a solution.
