Chemistry is the branch of science which studies the characteristics of
substances and the changes they undergo when they
are mixed one with another. Chemistry uses this new information to prepare
new substances of value to us. Chemistry is involved in some
way with almost everything we do or use. It is central to most of
science and technology, blending at one extreme into physics,
mathematics and engineering and at the other into the earth and life
sciences. Chemists are employed in industries which provide us with
food, energy, consumer goods, in regulatory bodies that protect our
health and environment and in research institutions that provide new
materials and techniques for the future. In other words, chemistry is an
essential part of modern life. It also supplies us with the answers
to many questions, such as -
Is this food fit for consumption?
How can we make stronger fibers?
How can we design a new fuel cell?
How can we make pharmaceutical, or vitamins?
How can we make industrial chemicals from oil and natural gas?
What is the concentration of certain contaminants from this factory?
How is a new industrial process likely to affect the environment?
How can we tell what is happening inside a blast furnace, or in the exhaust of a jet engine, or down a coal mine?
What are the natural concentrations of heavy metals in ground water?
Some of the basics of chemistry require the understanding of the
following areas:
