Video Transcript
In this video, we will learn about
what we mean when we talk about the field of chemistry. Chemistry is all around us. We will investigate how chemistry
relates to other sciences and specifically physical sciences. So how does chemistry relate to
other sciences?
All the fields or areas of science
are ultimately related somehow. This simple pyramid shows how
mathematics, as well as logic, statistics, and theoretical computer, science forms
the basis for all science. The next layer, physics, depends
largely on mathematics. If you have a good understanding of
math, this will greatly help in your understanding of physics. In a similar way, physics is the
foundation for the field of chemistry. Many chemistry discoveries, but not
all, over the centuries have been possible because the experimenters used some
knowledge of physics in the chemistry experiments.
The next layer is biology whose
building blocks are biological chemical molecules. So we can see that the foundation
for biology is really chemistry. These four layers are arguably the
four fundamental areas of science, with all other areas of science fitting in some
way in the pyramid. For example, we can add in this top
layer on the pyramid the study of human behavior or the human sciences, which
includes sociology and psychology. The layers of the pyramid can be
grouped into the formal sciences, the natural or pure sciences, which include the
life sciences and physical sciences, and social sciences.
Now chemistry is a natural
science. Natural science is the study of the
rules governing the physical or natural world and the universe. Chemistry is also a physical
science. Physical science is a branch of
natural science that studies nonliving systems. Now there are many subfields of
study which fit into the different layers. Subfields often overlap between the
different layers and are actually into disciplinary. Now let’s take a closer look at the
physical sciences of which chemistry is a part. The physical sciences of physics
and chemistry can be further broken into the subfields or subtopics. Here are just some of the subfields
of physical science. It’s hard to list these topics on a
pyramid because they are closely related to each other and interconnected.
A web such as this is perhaps a
better way to show how these areas relate to each other instead of a pyramid. We could extend this web far and
wide and make it very detailed by adding in all the nonphysical science topics shown
in pink. These complicated webs are more
realistic. For example, a material scientist
would need knowledge of both physics and chemistry, while an oceanographer would
need an understanding of chemistry, geology, physics, not to mention other science
topics not listed here, like geography and meteorology, which is study of
weather. I hope you are starting to see that
chemistry really is a central science.
So what exactly is chemistry? A nice formal definition for
chemistry is the study of the substances matter is made from, their properties and
uses, and how and why different substances interact or react with each other. We could summarize this definition,
looking at these keywords. Chemistry is the study of
substances, their properties, uses, and interactions. In other words, it is the study of
different elements, atoms, ions, molecules, materials, solutions, states of matter,
colloids, acids and bases, chemical laws, properties and characteristics, bonding,
energy changes, reactivity, and so much more. The periodic table is a primary
tool for understanding a lot of the basics of chemistry.
Now, where is chemistry? That’s a bit of a strange question,
and the answer is very simple. Chemistry is everywhere, in paints,
plastics, metals, drugs and medicines, dyes, fireworks, in the cells of living
organisms, in the atmosphere, in the soil, cosmetics, in the hardware for
technology, food, and even the stars. Now we know that there are many
branches of science and that in the real world they overlap. We know what chemistry is and that
it is everywhere. Let’s take a closer look at the
branches of chemistry. Chemistry is multidisciplinary. It has different branches, just
like the branches of a tree.
The six main branches are physical
chemistry, which is the study of atomic properties, rates of chemical reactions,
energy changes during reactions, and the structure of materials. Organic chemistry, which is the
study of compounds based on carbon as well as hydrogen. Because of carbon’s abundance in
the earth and its ability to form four bonds, millions of compounds are carbon
based. Inorganic chemistry: this is the
study of compounds without a carbon backbone. Although this is just a general
definition for this field of chemistry, some inorganic compounds do contain
carbon. This field deals with salts, metal
compounds and transition metal compounds, minerals, and materials.
Analytical chemistry is the study
of the composition, separation, and quantification of matter. An analytical chemist knows how to
separate the components of matter, how to identify these components, and how to
determine how much of each component there is. Analytical chemists are often
involved in forensic analysis. Computational chemistry is a field
of theoretical chemistry, which uses computer simulations to solve chemical
problems. These chemical problems could be in
the field of physical, organic, inorganic, analytical, or even biochemistry. Many advances in the synthesis of
new medicines and drugs are first studied computationally on a computer. And lastly, biochemistry, which is
the study of chemical reactions and processes in living organisms.
In reality, these branches often
overlap. Many amazing discoveries over the
centuries have opened up this vast field of study. But what does the future hold for
chemistry? The possibilities of scientific
discovery are potentially endless. Some of the hot topics at the
moment in chemistry include new ways of drug delivery. For example, some researchers are
using interesting nanoparticles to deliver drugs into the body to target specific
tissues. Liquid crystals. These liquids exhibit the regular
structure of a solid crystal lattice. You may have heard of LCD panels or
liquid crystal display panels. These are electronically modulated
optical devices and have many applications besides TV time.
A big shift in research and in
industry is towards sustainable and green chemistry. The focus is on minimizing or
eliminating the production of hazardous substances or waste products. And the purpose is to protect our
environment. So the cells or photovoltaics
convert light energy into electricity. This is a good link with
sustainable and green chemistry because fossil fuels do not need to be burned to
create electricity. Another hot topic is nanomaterials
and nanotechnology. This research investigates nano- or
near–nano sized particles and their many uses in medicine, catalysis, materials, and
even energy storage.
Femtochemistry is a relatively new
area of study. The father of femtochemistry is
Egypt’s own Ahmed Zewail. He won the Nobel prize in 1999 for
his research in this new field of study. He used ultrafast laser techniques
to study chemical reactions over a time order of only femtoseconds. A femtosecond is a million
billionths of a second. Another famous Egyptian researcher,
the chemical physicist Mostafa El Sayed, developed rules for spectroscopy. Spectroscopy is the study of
spectra produced when matter interacts or emits electromagnetic radiation. Professor El Sayed is a US national
medal of science laureate. Zewail and El Sayed are just some
of the world’s scientists at the forefront of chemistry discovery. Who knows? Maybe you will be one too. Now it’s time to practice what
we’ve learnt.
Chemistry can be classified as a
physical science. Which of the following is not
physical science? (A) Physics, (B) astronomy, (C)
Earth science, (D) material science, or (E) biology.
The sciences in general can be
grouped into mathematics, physics, chemistry, biology, and human behavior. This pyramid is a simple way to
show how mathematics could be argued to be the foundation for all science, how
physics is dependent on mathematics, how chemistry is based on physics, biology on
chemistry, and human behavior or human sciences in part on biology. Mathematics and its related
disciplines are called the formal sciences. Biology, chemistry, and physics are
called the natural or pure sciences and human behavior, social sciences. Natural sciences can be further
split into the life sciences and physical sciences.
The question tells us that
chemistry is a physical science. The physical science studies the
nonliving systems of the natural world and universe and the rules which govern them,
while the life sciences studies living systems and the rules which govern these. The two main disciplines in the
physical sciences are physics and chemistry. The simple pyramid is a useful way
to show the first level grouping of the sciences. However, it does not show how the
different layers of the pyramid interrelate and connect to each other.
There are many subcategories
linking the different layers. For example, although astronomy is
not shown on this pyramid, it has to do with chemistry and physics and even some
mathematics. We could say that astronomy is a
physical science. The question asks, “Which of the
answers is not physical science?” Astronomy is not an answer because
it is a physical science. And so it’s physics. Material science is a physical
science. Its study has largely to do with
chemistry and physics. We can also rule out Earth
science. Earth science also encompasses
large areas of chemistry and physics study. We can see that biology is a life
science, so this is the correct answer. So which of the following is not
physical science? The answer is biology.
Let’s wrap up this question of what
is chemistry with some key points. We learnt that chemistry is the
study of the substances that matter is composed of, their properties and uses, and
how and why different substances interact or react with each other. We looked at a pyramid of the
different sciences and saw that chemistry, together with physics, is a physical
science. We noted that though this pyramid
is useful, it is difficult to show on it how the different branches of science
interconnect and relate to each other. We learned that chemistry is all
around us and that the branches of chemistry can be broadly categorized into
physical chemistry, organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, analytical chemistry,
computational chemistry, and biochemistry.
