In this lesson, learn about the science of chemistry. The history and branches of chemistry are explained while covering what chemistry is the study of.
Updated: 11/21/2023
Chemistry Definition, History & Branches
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Chemistry Word Search Activity
This activity will help you assess your knowledge of the definition, history, and branches of chemistry.
Guidelines
For this activity, you'll need a printer to reproduce the following page. Search for and circle or highlight the words that will complete each of the given clues. Afterward, neatly write them in the appropriate blank spaces in the clues.
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Clues
- Any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume is classified as _____.
- Subatomic particles, such as a _____, are smaller than atoms and are the fundamental constituents of all matter.
- _____ was one of the founders of modern chemistry and pioneered the experimental scientific method.
- _____ chemistry is the study of macroscopic phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles and concepts of physics.
- The field of _____ deal with the interactions and structures of compounds that occur in living organisms.
- Analytical chemistry investigates the _____ and the structure of different materials and substances.
- Chemistry integrates all other natural sciences, such as physics and _____.
- _____ chemists study the chemical processes that occur in water, air, terrestrial and living ecosystems, and the effects of human activity on them.
- The basic units of ordinary matter that form chemical elements are known as _____.
- The branch of science, known as _____, deals with the composition and constitution of matter and the changes that they undergo.
Answer Key
- MATTER
- PROTONS
- BOYLE
- PHYSICAL
- BIOCHEMISTRY
- COMPOSITION
- GEOLOGY
- ENVIRONMENTAL
- ATOMS
- CHEMISTRY
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What are the 5 types of chemistry?
The five branches of chemistry are: Analytical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Organic Chemistry, and Physical Chemistry. These branches can be divided further to encompass all of the many areas of study within chemistry.
What is the main definition of chemistry?
Chemistry is a natural science and it is the study of matter and the way it interacts and is affected by different energies and environments.
What is the role of chemistry in our life?
Chemistry can be found in everyday life in cooking, cleaning, and even in living itself. Everything that can be seen, touched, or smelled is made up of some combination of chemicals.
Table of Contents
ShowChemistry is the branch of science that studies matter, which is anything that has mass and takes up space, and studies the ways that matter changes when it is exposed to different energies, environments, and conditions. In other words, chemists try to understand the unchangeable properties of matter and also why and how some of the characteristics of matter change.
- Everything that can be seen, heard, or smelled involves chemistry.
- Cooking dinner, washing clothes, experiencing the effects of caffeine, and making ice cubes are just a few of the millions of examples of ways that people use chemistry in their everyday lives.
Another important facet of chemistry is that chemists seek to use the knowledge that they have accumulated to try to create new matter and improve the chemicals and materials that are available. For example:
- Research developing new medications is chemistry.
- The search for better sustainable energy relies on chemistry.
- The development of new smells and flavors is a form of chemistry.
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What Type of Science is Chemistry?
There is some debate on what kind of science chemistry falls under since it is so pervasive in all areas. There are five general fields of study in science:
- Natural sciences, which deal with studying the physical world and how it works
- Engineering and technology, which is the study of designing processes and systems to meet human needs and desires
- Medical and health sciences, which study health, disease, and healthcare and work to improve these areas
- Agricultural sciences, which deal with food and fiber production and processing
- Social sciences, which look at human society and relationships
It is generally accepted that chemistry is a natural science since this best matches the most purely chemical studies' intentions. It is called the "central science" since chemistry is the study of all matter and interactions between matter; it provides a baseline for all other types of natural science to build off of.
- While other fields of science use chemistry, they are more focused on the use of chemical matter to accomplish other goals, rather than studying it for the sake of learning and discovery.
- Other natural sciences include biology, physics, and earth science.
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Chemistry has existed as long as humans have been around, although it has not always been a formal science like it is now. Even in prehistoric times, humans were recording known metals and materials. Aristotle in Ancient Greece declared the existence of four elements: water, air, earth, and fire. They may not have gotten everything right, but humans have always strived to understand the world around them.
Alchemy, which emerged in the 8th century, was also an important precursor to modern chemistry. Alchemists tried to turn cheap metals into gold and create elixirs for life through chemical reactions. While they did not understand how many things worked, many alchemists were very thorough and recorded information from their experiments. At this same time, the Muslim alchemist Jabir ibn Hayyan wrote many scrolls detailing methods of distillation, crystallization, sublimation, and evaporation and developed an early classification system for chemicals based on their properties.
More traditional chemistry took off with the introduction of the scientific method in the 17th century by Robert Boyle. Formal experiments and repetition of controlled studies allowed for leaps in the human understanding of the world during the 17th and 18th centuries. Just a few of the large contributors and their discoveries are listed below:
- Charles Coulomb developed a law about the attraction between particles.
- Joseph Priestly proved that air could be divided into multiple parts.
- Joseph Proust created the Law of Definite Proportions that explained that chemical compounds have a characteristic ratio of elemental components (for example, water is 2:1 hydrogen to oxygen).
- Antoine Lavoisier helped develop the metric system to ensure uniform weights and measures and also developed the Law of Conservation of Mass.
What most people consider to be "modern" chemistry began in the 19th century. A few of the highlights were:
- John Dalton discovered the atom and published the first atomic theory of matter.
- Eugene Goldstein was able to identify protons and positive particles.
- Wilhelm Roentgen accidentally discovered x-rays.
- Dmitri Mendeleev developed the first periodic table of elements with the 63 known elements identified at the time.
- Marie Curie discovered four different radioactive elements.
Mendeleev's periodic table has been expanded to include 118 known elements. Scientists have discovered subatomic particles and determined that lead can indeed be turned into gold. Chemistry has come a long way and advancements in technology have helped to expedite learning even more. Chemistry has also become increasingly intertwined with physics and biology as the potential for discovery and creation grows.
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Chemistry is the study of all matter and the ways that it interacts and changes. This is pretty broad, so it can be divided into smaller branches and subbranches for areas of study. There are five main subdisciplines: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry.
Analytical Chemistry
This branch of chemistry tries to determine what components make up different substances to better understand what they are and how the parts interact to form a product. This area is sometimes explained through its comparison to applied chemistry; where applied chemists study matter to find solutions to problems, analytical chemists study just for the sake of analyzing and understanding matter. Some areas of analytical chemistry include:
- Forensic chemistry
- Environmental chemistry
- Bioanalytical Chemistry
Biochemistry
This is the study of the chemical influences and bases of biological systems. It seeks to understand the links between the structure and function of biological molecules within living things. Some subbranches within biochemistry include:
- Toxicology
- Pharmacology
- Clinical biochemistry
Inorganic Chemistry
This type of chemistry studies inorganic compounds, which are those that mostly lack carbon and covalent carbon-hydrogen bonds. These include salts, metals, and chemicals. Some areas of inorganic chemistry are:
- Nuclear chemistry
- Organometallic chemistry
- Geochemistry
Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry alternatively studies chemical compounds that primarily consist of carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, and nitrogen. These are the compounds used to sustain plant and animal life. Organic chemistry overlaps with many other areas of chemistry and involves many more specified areas, including:
- Pharmacology
- Physical organic chemistry
- Stereochemistry
Physical Chemistry
This involves the study of fundamental physical principles that explain the way that atoms, molecules, and chemicals behave. These chemists examine reaction rates, molecule interactions with radiation, and other properties related to the physical behavior of chemicals and their parts. It includes subbranches like:
- Chemical kinetics
- Thermodynamics
- Quantum mechanics
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Chemistry is a field of science that studies the matter that makes up the world and the way that this matter interacts and behaves in different scenarios. Chemistry is a natural science because it seeks to discover more about the world for the sake of learning more about how it works.
This area of science has a long history, beginning with the simple recognition of different materials during the Stone Age. It then evolved through alchemy and the development of the scientific method into the modern version of chemistry that is familiar today. Advancements in technology and other fields have helped to expedite learning and creation in chemistry.
There are five main branches of chemistry: analytical chemistry, biochemistry, inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, and physical chemistry. These can be broken down into more specific areas of study, and many overlap with each other and other types of science like biology and physics.
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Video Transcript
What Is Chemistry?
When you hear the word 'chemistry,' there are likely certain images that come to mind - molecules, test tubes, the periodic table, maybe even some cool explosions in a movie.
But chemistry is so much more than these things! In fact, chemistry is known as the central science because it touches all other natural sciences, like biology, physics, geology, and more.
Chemistry is a physical science, and it is the study of the properties of and interactions between matter and energy. In other words, chemistry is a way to study the properties, characteristics, and physical and chemical changes of matter.
Matter is pretty important because it's anything that has mass and takes up space - basically, all of the 'stuff' that makes up our world! Chemists study atoms, which are the basic building blocks of matter, as well interactions between atoms.
They also study subatomic particles, which are smaller than atoms, and these include things like protons, neutrons, and electrons. Since everything on Earth is made of matter, and matter is made of atoms, you can see how this creates the overlap between chemistry and other sciences. You can't have 'stuff' to study if you don't have 'stuff' in the first place. In other words, matter really matters!
Chemistry Has a Rich History
Your understanding of chemistry may be shiny and new, but chemistry itself has been around for a very long time. Basic chemistry dates back to ancient times and is described as originating from alchemists who were very thorough scientists. They ran experiments and recorded their results, which is a key component of good science.
Modern chemistry dates back to the 17th century, and credited as one of the founders of this scientific field is Robert Boyle. Boyle is one of the developers of the scientific method, which is an organized set of steps to gain knowledge and answer questions. Boyle believed in rigorous, tested experimentation and was a strong advocate of proving scientific theories before calling them 'truths.'
Though not always considered a formal science, chemistry has been performed throughout human history. People have been fermenting food and drink for centuries. Extracting metal from ores is another form of 'natural' chemistry, as is making glass, soap, and extracting plant components for medicinal purposes. Archaeologists find pottery at their dig sites, and both the pots and the glazes used to protect them come from knowledge of chemistry as well.
Branches of Chemistry
As you can see, chemistry exists whether we define it or not. And because an understanding of chemistry is so vital in so many other scientific fields, there are several different branches of chemistry that exist. In fact, chemistry is often studied so that scientists can better understand their own field.
An exhaustive list of the different branches of chemistry would be, well, exhausting to go through. We only have so much time in this lesson, so let's focus on some of the major ones to give you an idea of how chemistry plays a role as a natural science.
Analytical chemistry is a field that is just what it sounds like: the analysis of matter. Analytical chemists try to gain information and knowledge about the properties, composition, and structure of different materials and substances in order to better understand them.
Applied chemistry is a neat field because it is the application of chemistry for practical purposes. You know all those different shampoos at the store? Some are for colored hair, some for dry/damaged hair, and others are for thin hair. Applied chemistry is specifically used to solve problems - in this case, chemistry is used to have different effects on different hair types.
Biochemistry sounds a lot like biology and chemistry, and this is because it is chemistry as applied to living organisms and their processes. Metabolism, medicine, cellular biology, genetics, nutrition, and even exercise sciences are all types of biochemistry because they deal with the interactions of chemical-biological functions and structures.
Environmental chemistry is a fast-growing field, because this is the study of chemicals in the air, soil, and water. Environmental chemistry examines chemical reactions and their effects on our environment by understanding how the chemicals got there, how they're transported, and what happens to them once they're there.
Even though chemistry is already a physical science, a specific branch of chemistry exists called physical chemistry. This branch applies physics to chemistry, which includes a whole host of its own branches. Things like quantum mechanics, nuclear chemistry, thermodynamics, and kinetics are all types of physical chemistry.
As mentioned, this list is just a small smattering of the different fields of chemistry, but we simply can't list them all here. But I bet that any scientific field you can think of probably has at least one chemistry field associated with it - chemistry really is central to it all.
Lesson Summary
Known as the central science, chemistry is the study of the properties of and interactions between matter and energy. Matter is stuff, and atoms are what make up that stuff. So you could say that chemists study all the stuff on Earth as well as what that stuff itself is made of!
Modern scientific chemistry dates back to the 17th century, but basic applications of chemistry go back much farther. This is easy to see when you think of how intertwined chemistry is with everything else and how many different branches of chemistry exist. Biology, physics, and even astronomy all have chemistry roots, and this is exactly why learning chemistry helps so many non-chemists be better scientists in their own field.
Learning Outcomes
Once you are done with this lesson you should be able to:
- Define chemistry
- Recall the history of chemistry
- Explain how chemistry has been practiced longer than it has been recognized
- Discuss how chemistry overlaps with most other scientific fields
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Chemistry Definition, History & Branches
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