Chemistry
is the study of atoms, molecules, and the interactions they undergo
called chemical reactions. Through the breaking and forming of atomic
bonds, various compounds change into new compounds, either producing or
consuming energy in the process. Energy may be released in the form of
heat or light, as in a fire or explosion. By exploiting chemistry and
what we know about chemical reactions, we can produce chemicals with
useful properties.
The word chemistry derives from the slang term
for the older "alchemist": a “chemist.” Modern chemistry is generally
thought to have begun in the 17th century, most prominently with the
experiments and writings of Robert Boyle. It was Boyle that formulated
Boyle’s law, which holds that the temperature and volume of a gas are
related.
Another important milestone was the theory of
Conservation of mass, developed by Antoine Lavoisier in 1783. The law of
conservation of mass holds that no mass is created or destroyed in a
chemical reaction – if you burn a log in an enclosed container, the
container will weigh exactly as much as it did prior to the reaction,
only it will have changed to ash. Because of his efforts in popularizing
chemistry and making it more accessible to the common person, Lavoisier
is often regarded as the father of modern chemistry.
Another
huge milestone in the development of chemistry was the formulation of
the atomic theory, by John Dalton around 1800. Atomic theory holds that
substances are made of small individual units called atoms which link
together through atomic bonds. An aggregation of bonded atoms is called a
molecule. Atoms and molecules make up almost everything that we can
see, and interact intimately with energy, often in the form of
electromagnetic radiation. It was soon realized that electromagnetic
radiation can be released when the electrons in an atom transition to a
lower energy state.
Today, chemistry is a fundamental part of
civilization. It is used to manufacture just about everything. Chemical
processing is ubiquitous and consumes a major portion of humanity’s
total energy budget. Being a chemical engineer is one of the
highest-paying scientific careers.
Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic is a branch of
chemistry that deals with the properties and behavior of inorganic
compounds. Inorganic compounds are generally those that are not
biological, and characterized by not containing any hydrogen and carbon
bonds. It is almost easier to discuss inorganic chemistry in terms of
what it is not: organic chemistry. Organic chemistry is the study of any
chemical reaction that involves carbon, which is the element that all
life is based on. It if often said that inorganic chemistry is any type
of chemistry that is not organic chemistry.
The term organic has
traditionally referred only to animal or plant matter. Therefore, there
is a common misconception that organic chemistry always refers to life
processes, or that inorganic chemistry applies to everything that does
not. This assumption is inaccurate. Many chemical processes veer away
from this line of thinking. There are many chemical life processes that
depend on inorganic chemical processes.
There are exceptions to
every rule. Although carbon is the main common element in organic
chemistry, inorganic chemical compounds can contain carbon, too. For
example, carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide both contain carbon, but are
inorganic compounds. Carbon dioxide, in particular, is also very
important to chemical processes necessary for life, especially plant
life. The truth is that the lines between inorganic and organic
chemistry are often blurred.
There are many branches of inorganic
chemistry available for specialization. Geochemistry is the study of
the chemicals of the Earth and other planets. It covers the chemical
compositions of rocks and soil. Within the field of geochemistry, there
are several subfields. These subfields include isotope geochemistry,
cosmochemistry and biogeochemistry.
Another type of inorganic
chemistry is physical chemistry, which relates to the concept of physics
in chemical systems. This field is also sometimes called
physicochemistry. It uses the principles of thermodynamics, quantum
chemistry and kinetics as its basis.
On the other hand,
bioinorganic chemistry is the study of compounds containing metal-carbon
bonds within biological systems. This is a particularly interesting
branch of inorganic chemistry because it also incorporates aspects of
organic chemistry into it. Bioinorganic chemistry focuses on the
pretense of metal ions in biochemical processes.
Inorganic
chemistry lends itself to many different industries, including
education, environmental science, and government agencies. A scientist
who focuses on inorganic chemistry might create or improves formulas for
household cleansers. He may also work in chemical research, coming up
with new ways to manipulate the properties of metallic elements into
useful functions.
