Chemistry is the study of matter and energy and the interactions between them. This is also the definition for physics, by the way. Chemistry and physics are specializations of physical science. Chemistry tends to focus on the properties of substances and the interactions between different types of matter, particularly reactions that involve electrons. Physics tends to focus more on the nuclear part of the atom, as well as the subatomic realm.
Understanding chemistry helps us to understand the world around us. Cooking is chemistry. Everything we can touch or taste or smell is a chemical. When we study chemistry, we come to understand a bit about how things work. “Chemistry isn't secret knowledge, useless to anyone but a scientist. It's the explanation for everyday things, like why laundry detergent works better in hot water or how baking soda works or why not all pain relievers work equally well on a headache” [2].
We could use chemistry in most fields, but it's commonly seen in the sciences and in medicine. Chemists, physicists, biologists, and engineers study chemistry. Doctors, nurses, dentists, pharmacists, physical therapists, and veterinarians all take chemistry courses. Science teachers study chemistry. Fire fighters and people who make fireworks learn about chemistry. So do truck drivers, plumbers, artists, hairdressers, chefs... the list is extensive.
So, chemistry is everywhere in the world around us. It's in the food we eat, clothes we wear, water we drink, medicines, air, cleaners.... Chemistry sometimes is called the “central science” because it connects other sciences to each others, such as biology, physics, geology and environmental science. Here are some of the best reasons to study chemistry.
Chemistry helps us to understand the world around you. Why does leaves change color in the fall? Why are plants green? How is cheese made? What is in soap and how does it clean? These are all questions that can be answered by applying chemistry.
A basic understanding of chemistry helps us to read and understand product labels.
Chemistry can help us make informed decisions. Will a product work as advertised or is it a scam? If we understand how chemistry works we will be able to separate reasonable expectations from pure fiction. Chemistry is at the heart of cooking. Chemistry is connected with the process of wine-making [3]. If we understand the chemical reactions involved in making baked goods rise or neutralizing acidity or thickening sauces, chances are we will be a better cook. All cuisine consists in reacting food components and preparing new mixtures. “Sugar is presently considered by many a harmful food component and many people wish to limit its use and substitute it with alternative sweeteners. Many such sweeteners are available, some are present in natural products and can be extracted and commercialized by chemical techniques.” [1].
A command of chemistry can help keep us safe! We will know which household chemicals are dangerous to keep together or mix and which can be used safely. Especially careful with the products they eat and the goods they consume are the Germans [5], so there are a lot of different programmes on TV about the ways how we can use chemistry to stay safe.
Chemistry teaches useful skills. Because it is a science, learning chemistry means learning how to be objective and how to reason and solve problems.
It helps us to understand current events, including news about petroleum, product recalls, pollution, the environment and technological advances. Chemistry helps us identify fakes [4] which have become widespread nowadays in many spheres.
Chemistry opens up career options. There are many careers in chemistry, but even if we're looking for a job in another field, the analytical skills we gained in chemistry are helpful. Chemistry applies to the food industry, retail sales, transportation, art, homemaking... really any type of work we can name.
Chemistry is fun! There are lots of interesting chemistry projects we can do using common everyday materials. Chemistry projects and experiments can glow in the dark, change colors, produces bubbles and change states.
Some people think Chemistry is associated with industrial plants and research laboratories where strange things happen, very different from daily life, and possibly connected with pollution and danger. In this page, we will try to show, with a number of examples, that Chemistry is continuouslly present in our lives and in all processes we normally perform, both natural and man-made, and gives us power and resources to conduct our lives the way we wish.
Chemists work as whatever they want. Some chemists work in a lab, in a research environment, asking questions and testing hypotheses with experiments. Other chemists may work on a computer developing theories or models or predicting reactions. Some chemists do field work. Others contribute advice on chemistry for projects. Some chemists write. Some chemists teach. The career options are extensive.
References:
- Chemistry 101 — What Is Chemistry? [online] http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/a/basics.htm
- Chemist Profile and Career Information [online] http://chemistry.about.com/od/educationemployment/a/chemistprofile.htm
- Song J., Lebedeva I. V. The aestheticization of wine drinking among the Chinese people // Вопросы элитологии: философия, культура, политика Астрахань, 2014. С. 164–169.
- Лебедева И. В. Фейк как социокультурное явление современного общества // Гуманитарные исследования. 2013. № 2 (46). С. 157–165.
- Лебедева И. В., Томас Мако Современная формула немецкой нации (рецензия на книгу Адама Флетчера “Как стать немцем” (AdamFletcher: “ WiemanDeutscherwird”. In 50 Einfachen Schritten /Aus dem Englischen von Ingo Herzke. — Verlag C. H. Beck, Munchen, 2013. -73 p.) // Каспийскийрегион: политика, экономика, культура. 2015. № 1 (42). С. 343–348.
