United States
Chemistry
“We think there is colour, we think there is sweet, we think there is bitter, but in reality there are atoms and a void”
- Democritus
Chemistry is a discipline of science that deals with matter, its properties and the reactions between the two substances and their mechanism. To be more formal, chemistry is the study of subatomic particles and their behaviour in the presence of any other energy source.
However, chemistry is a vast subject that cannot be limited to the above-mentioned definition.
“Chemistry is necessarily an experimental science; its conclusions are drawn from data and its principles supported by evidence from facts.”
- Michael Faraday
Everything around us has chemicals in it. Think about it. Even our breath has chemistry to it. Chemists study chemistry in everything.
Chemistry can be broadly classified as Organic Chemistry, General Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Biochemistry and Environmental chemistry.
As the heading suggests, chemistry and chemists are the only hope for the world today. Amidst the COVID-19 pandemic, there are chemists and microbiologists who are working diligently to uncover the vaccine of COVID-19. And they work in precarious situations too!
Confused?
Let me clear it up for you. Some chemists who have expertise in the field of drug study about the active site that’s being attacked by the enzyme try to search or create a molecule that prevents its attack. So they are exposed to such an environment constantly in their work. They work in such conditions just so that we could have a cure for the epidemic. Selfless right?
Role & Importance of Chemistry
“The country which is in advance of the rest of the world in chemistry will also be foremost in wealth and in general prosperity.”
- William Ramsay
There would be no life to chemical engineering without chemists. It is their inventions that are scaled up by the chemical engineers.
Role of chemists in space missions is commendable. Right from the spaceship’s fuel to the production of a lightweight fuel instantaneously is also the work of chemists.
In fact, there is no life without chemistry. The basic needs of life for any individual would be food, shelter and clothing and clearly there is no food without chemists because the pesticides, manure and even the saplings for agriculture include the work of chemists.
“Every man who receives a liberal education now counts chemistry among the most indispensable objects of his studies.”
- Antoine Francois Fourcroy
Even the fabric industry works with chemists. What material is suitable for us to have a shelter utilizes the work of material science engineers and chemists.
Career Options & Scope in Chemistry
If you are interested in chemistry, then you can take up your career in any of the following ways-
1. Chemist:Requires a post graduation in Chemistry. Chemists play a crucial role in the upgrading of technology in the field of agriculture and the environment. Their role in environmental management is appreciable. All the air purifiers and water pollution control measures are taken care of by chemists.
2.Pharmacist: If you are inclined to producing medicines and drugs then becoming a pharmacist is an option for you.
3. Biochemist: If you are interested in biology, then you will be able to find applications of chemistry in biochemistry.
4. Chemical Engineer: Another popular option is to pursue Chemical Engineering. Chemical engineering is that branch of engineering that utilizes principles from all fields of science and economics to efficiently use, design, produce, transform and transport materials and energy. The work ranges from the utilization of nanomaterials and nanotechnology in the laboratory to large-scale industrial processes that convert raw materials, living cells, microorganisms, chemicals, and energy into useful products.
Spectroscopy is a very interesting topic that uses the entire electromagnetic spectrum and radiating the frequencies on the unknown compound, then the compound’s response is studied and the compound is formulated. It's easy to do research on compounds that are already formulated, however, chemists who are specialized in spectroscopy do the job of finding the formula of an unknown compound.
Computational chemistry is the oil of today’s chemistry-related industries. This would be the most suitable career option for those whose mind floats in programming and are interested in chemistry. This science also deals with the formulation of compounds. However, this is way more advanced than spectroscopy.
“Chemistry begins in the stars. The stars are the source of the chemical elements, which are the building blocks of matter and the core of our subject. ” -Peter Atkins
Chemistry is a wide-ranging discipline and there is no backing off once you are in it. We hope this was useful to you and wish you good luck.
FREE COURSES
The below courses provide a good overview on the study area
- Crash Course Chemistry on thecrashcourse.com
- Crash Course Organic Chemistry on thecrashcourse.com
- Introduction to Chemistry: Reactions and Ratios on Coursera
- Chemistry on Coursera
- AP®︎/College Chemistry By Khan Academy
- AP Courses and Exams (Refer AP Sciences) By CollegeBoard
An introduction is provided in the below video
Frequently Asked Questions
Let’s take a look at some commonly asked questions by students.
The scope of chemistry is wide as the use of chemistry can be found everywhere. A student with chemistry as his/her subject can be assured of a bright future, as chemistry is important in every aspect of life, from the supply of food to health and sanitation facilities. As awareness about environment protection is spreading the need for chemistry is also increasing. Chemistry is very important in the defense and military services of any country, as various bombs, nuclear weapon are all a product of chemistry.
Chemistry is a subject that has a high utility. Everything around us from air to our food is a compound of chemicals. Chemistry is very important for the existence of human beings on planet earth. It contributes towards agriculture and environment in the form of pesticides and fertilizers. In the world of business also, chemistry has a broad scope, from pharmaceutical companies to fuel industry, everything is a product of chemistry. Thus, in every sphere of life chemistry has a great contribution.
Chemistry has various branches and each one of them is crucial in its own way, but a branch that has the broadest scope and does not seem to go out of business in the near future is Organic Chemistry. Organic Chemistry has vast scope among various branches of science. This branch of chemistry covers the fertilizer and medicine-like industries whereas the inorganic chemistry covers the refining, metal extracts-like industries. The awareness of people regarding their health can be taken as the reason for the high demand for organic chemistry.
Chemistry has five primary branches that are physical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry, and biochemistry.
Both physics and chemistry are equally good as a subject and as a career option have wide scope. The decision of choosing either of them should be based on your interest. The subject that interests you should be chosen as a career, as you have to struggle with it all through your life. Chemistry is more related to chemicals and their influence on our surroundings whereas physics extends one's knowledge about atoms, matters, and also, about space. Both have bright career opportunities, if you choose chemistry then chemist, pharmacist, biochemist are some good career options to choose from. On the other hand, Engineering, Researcher, Astronomer are some of the bright career options that you get after choosing physics as a career.
