Introduction of chemistry II What is Chemistry ?

Introduction of Chemistry 

Chemistry is a branch of science, which deals with the study of composition structure, properties , transformations, and applications of matter . Chemists study, discover, reproduce and apply the  principles of chemistry for the invention and innovation of better and more efficient ideas, technologies, processes and products for the welfare of life and society.

Chemistry contributes a way of understanding the natural phenomena, traces out the complications and confers the idea of solution . Chemistry has played an important role  in the life of mankind including the fields of clothing, shelter , pharmacy, agriculture, food, polymer, explosives dyeing, etc.

Chemistry is often regarded as the central science as it links with other disciplines like biology, physics, geology, meteorology, environmental   science, material science, medical science, engineering, etc.  Coming up to the 21st century, it has been an era of technology Nanotechnology has emerged as  an interdisciplinary field of science and engineering to introduce smart materials which is mainly guided by the basic principles of chemistry.

History of Chemistry

The word 'chemistry' might have been originated from the word 'alchemy' or 'al -kimiya' . Alchemy is a philosophical and proto scientific tradition of transmuting a common substance into a material of great value. The alchemists of the ancient time (400 to 1400 AD) aimed at changing the base metals (e.g. Lead) into gold and discover elixir of life to beautify the livelihood and prolong the lifespan. In  the period of    the 1500 AD to 1650 AD , they applied their expertise in the field of medicine. Scientific  experimental works started in the late 17th century and early 18th century , where Georg Ernst Stahl proposed phlogiston concept according to which mass can be changed during a chemical transformation due to the loss or gain of  phlogiston; a substance which is escaped when a matter undergo combustion.

Modern chemistry is considered to be started with the work of Antoine Lavoisier, who discovered the 'Law of conservation of mass'in1785 A.D . Lavoisier and many other scientists of this period were successful to prove that mass of reactants remains same as mass of the products during a chemical change. According to this law, mass is neither  created nor destroyed during a chemical change. This law turned to be a milestone in the development of modern chemistry. Modern chemistry was further streamlined after John Dalton proposed his atomic theory in 1808. He was able to explain the nature of atoms and their combinations to form molecules.   After the discovery  of subatomic particles , radioactivity and wave mechanics nearly at the end of the 19th century and beginning of 20th century , chemistry became an indispensable branch of science. In the age of 21st century , chemistry became an indispensable branch of science . In the age of 21st century, chemistry has gained enormous interest and share in various fields of science and technology.

Branches of chemistry

As the field and area of interest grow up, specialization on the particular field becomes dominant and emerges the field as its branch. Coming up to the data, chemistry has been constituted to its different associated fields. The basic branches of chemistry are as follows :

1. Physical chemistry: It is the branch of   chemistry which deals with the application of laws and concept of physics for the study of macroscopic and microscopic phenomena in chemical system. 

2. Inorganic chemistry: This branch of chemistry deals with the study of properties , structure and reactions of elements and compounds except hydrocarbons and their derivatives. 

3.Organic chemistry; This branch of chemistry deals with the study of hydrocarbons and their derivatives.

4.Analytical chemistry: This branch of chemistry deals with the study of chemical analysis in quantitative and qualitative  aspects to unveil the information regarding chemical substances and used processes.

Due to the versatility of the subject ,several other branches of chemistry are being emerged in the academic as well as research field . Some of the other applied branches of chemistry are as follows:

1. Biochemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the study of chemical process involved to living organism.

2. Industrial chemistry : It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the study of chemical processes and   large scale production of chemical substances in industrial levels

3.Agricultual chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the  study related  to soil and the productivity from land. It is the application of chemical processes and principles in the field of agriculture. 

4. Medicinal chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the study related to drugs and chemotherapy. It is the application of chemical processes and principles in the field of medicine.

5. Polymer chemistry: It is the branch of  chemistry which deals with the study related to polymers, their fabrications properties , and applications.

6. Nuclear chemistry :   It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the study related to nuclear transformations.

7. Bio-inorganic chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the study of inorganic substances related  to the biological phenomena. 

8. Nano-chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the study of synthesis and division of materials, their characterizations and applications in nanoscale (10^(-9) m ) range. 

9. Green chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the designing and processing chemical substances with the aim of reducing and eliminating the hazardous chemical substances. 

10. Combinatorial chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the use of computer simulations for chemical reactions and further analysis. 

11. Environmental chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the study of impact of various chemical substances in environment. 

12. Food chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the chemical processes and related aspects of food and beverage. 

13. Geochemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which deals with the chemical composition and processes related to earth and planets. 

14. Theoretical chemistry: It is the branch of chemistry which mainly deals with the application of chemical and physical calculations to make the predictions about the chemical phenomena. The great importance of this branch  lies in the fact that various chemical phenomena and the properties can be predicted using minimum input data.