Branches of Chemistry
Main Branches of Chemistry:
Although many would say that there are FIVE main
branches of chemistry, namely: Physical, Analytical, Biochemistry, Organic and
Inorganic chemistry many would argue that the science of chemistry actually
links out to other branches or sub-branches that include Materials Chemistry,
Theoretical Chemistry, Macromolecular (Polymer) Chemistry, Nuclear Chemistry,
Metallurgy, Forensic Chemistry, Medicinal Chemistry and more.
It is important to note that often sub-branches
fall under one or more of the main branches of chemistry.
Let’s start by taking a look at the 5 main
branches of chemistry and then delve deeper into chemistry’s many sub-branches:
Analytical Chemistry:
Analytical chemistry is the study involving how we
analyze the chemical components of samples. How much caffeine is really in a
cup of coffee? Are there drugs found in athlete’s urine samples? What is the pH
level of my swimming pool? Examples of areas using analytical chemistry include
forensic science, environmental science, and drug testing.
Qualitative analysis employs methods/measurements
to help determine the components of substances. Quantitative analysis on the
other hand, helps to identify how much of each component is present in a
substance.
Both types of analysis can be used to provide
important information about an unidentified sample and help to identify what
the sample is.
The study of life or more aptly put, of chemical
processes in living organisms. Biochemists research includes cancer and stem
cell biology, infectious disease as well as membrane and structural biology and
spans molecular biology, genetics, mechanistic biochemistry, genomics,
evolution and systems biology.
Biochemistry, according to many scientists can
also be explained as a discipline in which biological phenomena are examined in
chemical terms. Examples are digestion and cellular respiration.
For this reason biochemistry is also known as
Chemical Biology or Biological Chemistry.
Under the main umbrella of biochemistry many new
sub-branches have emerged that modern chemists may specialize in solely. Some
of these disciplines include:
Enzymology (study of enzymes)
Endocrinology (study of hormones)
Clinical Biochemistry (study of diseases)
Molecular Biochemistry (Study of Biomolecules and
their functions).
There are also others like Pharmacological
Biochemistry, Agricultural Biochemistry and more.
Click the informative links below to learn more
about biochemistry:
Inorganic chemistry:
Chemists in this field focus on elements and
compounds other than carbon or hydrocarbons. Simply put, inorganic chemistry
covers all materials that are not organic and are termed as non-living
substances – those compounds that do not contain a carbon hydrogen (C-H) bond.
Compounds studied by inorganic chemists include
crystal structures, minerals, metals, catalysts, and most elements on the
periodic table. An example is the strength of a power beam used to carry a
specific weight or investigating how gold is formed in the earth.
Bioinorganic chemistry (study of role of metals in
biology)
Coordination chemistry (study of coordination
compounds and interactions of ligands)
Geochemistry (study of the earth’s chemical
composition, rocks, minerals & atmosphere)
Inorganic technology (synthesizing new inorganic
compounds)
Nuclear chemistry (study of radioactive
substances)
Organometallic chemistry (study of chemicals that
contain bonds between a metal and carbon – overlaps into organic chemistry)
Solid-state chemistry/materials chemistry (study
of the forming, structure, and characteristics of solid phase materials)
Synthetic inorganic chemistry (study of
synthesizing chemicals)
Industrial inorganic chemistry (study of materials
used in manufacturing. E.g.: fertilizers)
Organic chemistry
The study of carbon compounds such as fuels,
plastics, food additives, and drugs. An opposite of inorganic chemistry that
focuses on non-living matter and non-carbon based substances, organic chemistry
deals with the study of carbon and the chemicals in living organisms. An
example is the process of photosynthesis in a leaf because there is a change in
the chemical composition of the living plant.
Organic chemists are often the ones who devise
experimental methods to isolate or synthesize new materials, or to study their
properties, and usually work and research in a lab. Some examples on the work
they do include formulating a conditioner that keeps hair softer, developing a
better drug for headaches and creating a non-toxic home cleaning product.
The branches of organic chemistry involve many
different disciplines including the study of ketones, aldehydes, hydrocarbons
(alkenes, alkanes, alkynes) and alcohols.
Stereochemistry (study of the 3-dimensional
structure of molecules)
Medicinal chemistry (deals with designing,
developing and synthesizing pharmaceutical drugs)
Organometallic chemistry (study of chemicals that
contain bonds between a carbon and a metal)
Physical organic chemistry (study of structure and
reactivity in organic molecules)
Polymer chemistry (study of the composition and
creation of polymer molecules)
Physical chemistry
The study of the physical properties of molecules,
and their relation to the ways in which molecules and atoms are put together.
Physical chemistry deals with the principles and methodologies of both
chemistry and physics and is the study of how chemical structure impacts
physical properties of a substance. An example is baking brownies, as you’re
mixing materials and using heat and energy to get the final product.
Physical chemists would typically study the rate
of a chemical reaction, the interaction of molecules with radiation, and the
calculation of structures and properties.
Sub-branches of physical chemistry include:
Electrochemistry (study of the interaction of
atoms, molecules, ions and electric current)
Photochemistry (study of the chemical effects of
light; photochemical reactions)
Surface chemistry (study of chemical reactions at
interfaces)
Chemical Kinetics (study of rates of chemical
reactions)
Thermodynamics/Thermochemistry (study of how heat
relates to chemical change)
Quantum Mechanics/Quantum
Chemistry (study of quantum mechanics and how it relates to chemical phenomena.
The periodic table of elements is a chart that
outlines all the basic elements of chemistry that make up our world according
to their atomic numbers, the number of electrons each element has, and their
predominant chemical properties.
Each element is lined up from low to high atomic
number, which simply refers to the number of protons it has. Most periodic
table of elements charts are laid out in this fashion: A tabular grid of 18 by
7 that houses all of the major elements over another two rows of elements below
it.
The table can also be broken down into 4 distinct
parts or blocks: the s-block on the left, the p-block on the right, the d-block
towards the middle and the f-block at the bottom.
The table rows are referred to as
"periods" and the columns (s, p and d blacks) are called
"groups." Some groups also have specific names such as the noble
gases, or the halogens.
The name "periodic" table suggests that
the table itself is open to being updated on a periodic basis, so it's not only
used to uncover how each of the elements relate to one another but also to
discover the characteristics of new elements or yet to be found or synthesized
elements.
Therefore, the periodic table proves to be an
important guide and resource when it comes to showcasing all the basic elements
and studying chemical tendencies, and is commonly used not only in the science
of chemistry but other fields of science as well.
Although other forms of the periodic table have
been known to exist, Dmitri Mendeleev is typically recognized as the pioneer
for publishing the first periodic table of elements in 1869. He designed the
table to show similarities in the properties of the elements that were known
back in the day. He also forecasted the properties of undiscovered elements
back then and marked their place on the table, and in fact most of his claims
and estimations proved true when the elements were discovered as time passed.
Since the 1800's the periodic table has grown and improved with new elements
being found and new theories explaining the way chemicals behave.
Elements from atomic number 1 to 118, hydrogen to
ununoctium, have either been discovered or created. From all of these, all the
elements you see up to californium occur naturally. Others have been created in
labs. Chemists continue their pursuit to synthesize new elements way beyond
ununoctium, but the presence of these synthesized chemicals having their place
on the periodic table is still a question of continued disagreement and debate.
Synthetic versions of elements that naturally occur in the earth have also been
produced in chemical laboratories.
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