Have you ever asked yourself, “What is the point of studying Chemistry?” The scope and importance of Chemistry are huge, and, in this article, we will be discussing the daily life applications of Chemistry. But before that let us understand what chemistry is.
What is Chemistry?
Chemistry is defined as the study of matter – what it consists of, what its properties are, and how it changes? To be able to describe the ingredients of a cake, and how they change when the cake is baked is called chemistry. The study of chemistry has many branches and can generally be broken down into five main disciplines, or areas of study as follows:
Organic Chemistry – The study of carbon and its compounds such as aromatic compounds.
Physical Chemistry– The branch of chemistry that applies physics to the study of chemistry is known as physical chemistry. The application of thermodynamics and quantum mechanics to chemistry is known as physical chemistry.
Inorganic Chemistry – The study of the properties and behaviour of inorganic compounds. Inorganic compounds include all compounds except carbon compounds.
– This branch of chemistry explores the chemistry of living organisms and the molecular basis for the changes occurring in living cells.
Analytical Chemistry – The study of the chemistry of matter and the development of tools to measure properties of matter.
Applications of Chemistry
1. Supply of food
Chemical fertilizers are a major application of chemistry. These chemicals have helped us greatly in increasing the yield of fruits, vegetables, and other crops. It helps us protect crops from insects and harmful bacteria.
2. The Scope of Chemistry in Industry
Chemistry plays an important role in the development and growth of a number of industries. This includes industries like glass, cement, paper, textile, leather, dye etc. We also see huge applications of chemistry in industries like paints, pigments, petroleum, sugar, plastics, pharmaceuticals.
3. The Scope of Chemistry in War
Chemistry plays an important role in the discovery of highly explosive substances such as TNT, nitroglycerine, and dynamite. It also plays a key role in finding poisonous gases like mustard gas, Phosgene, etc.
4. Chemistry in Comfort, Pleasure, and Luxuries
Following are the ways in which chemistry helps us lead a comfortable life:
a. Synthetic Fibre
Synthetic Fibres such as terylene, nylon, and rayon are easy to wash, dry quickly and do not need ironing.
b. Batteries
Batteries use a chemical reaction to do work on charge and produce a voltage between their output terminals. The basic element is called an electrochemical cell and the cells that generate electricity from the chemical reactions are called Galvanic cell or Voltaic cells.
The list comprised a few among the many applications of chemistry.
