The Role of Chemistry and Physics and its Relationships with Other Sciences

Chemistry and its Importance

Ancient people were not only interested about the physical aspects of nature but also on the composition and behavior of matter, that make up nature.

The Greek philosophers were perhaps the first to formulate theories explaining the behavior of matter. However, they did not test their theories by experimentation because of the view of Aristotle that man can understand nature through logic, which dominated for 2000 years.

Everything that surrounds us is made up of chemicals. The rocks, the plants, the air that you breathe, the food that you eat, and even you are all made up of chemicals. Chemistry is the study of matter and the change matter can undergo. It is used in obtaining information and solutions to problems that affect our lives, such as the problems on how to prevent pollution, proper waste disposal and on how to cure certain diseases. It is the basic tool used extensively in the fields of ecology, engineering, agriculture, photography, metallurgy, nutrition, medicine and dentistry and many others. It is therefore important that each of us should have at least a basic understanding of it.

Chemistry is the science that deals with every kind of matter, from the parts of atoms to the most complex materials of living plants and animals.

Chemistry has provided us with better and cheaper housing. It has increased our food supply and improved our nutrition. It has given us beautiful, easy care fabrics for making our clothing. It has increased our wealth and improved our leisure time. It enables us to travel quickly to the far reaches of the world, and even to other worlds. Chemistry has provided us with luxuries that were not available even to the mightiest kings in ages past. Can you imagine what would life be without chemistry?

Many things, which we enjoy and make life comfortable, are products of chemical research. Chemistry has yielded substitute for many useful products made from dwindling natural resources. Often, these substitutes are made even durable that the original natural products. However, some substitutes become long lasting pollutants. Bacteria are unable to break down residual substances on materials called non-biodegradable.

However, chemical industries have been blamed as main contributors to pollution. There is a lot of danger in throwing away big amounts of chemical wastes into rivers, lakes and soil. Certain restrictions must be imposed on industrial activities. Yet chemical knowledge can again be used to develop new processes to reduce pollution.

Is chemistry concerned only with preparing new substances? Chemistry is also concerned with the study of properties and behavior of familiar substances. Why does ilang-ilang smell good? What makes water into ice? Chemical researches give answers to such questions. Furthermore, chemical researches could give or suggest ways to extract perfumes from local flowers.

Chemistry determined the means and conditions under which a material may be transferred into other kinds. It is also concerned with energy relationship in the transformation of matter.

Chemistry is divided into two parts called organic and inorganic. Organic Chemistry deals with the substances containing the element carbon except CO1, CO2, carbonates and cyanide, which are considered as inorganic. On the other hand, Inorganic Chemistry is the study of all other elements.