1.1 - Development in Chemistry Field and Its Importance in Daily Life

Meaning and Scope of Chemistry

• Chemistry is a field of science that studies the structures, properties, compositions and interactions between matter.
• Its scope includes substances in the laboratory and familiar substances such as salt and soap.
• Chemistry helps us understand the matter around us.
• The attractive colours of fireworks come from the mixture of chemicals in them.
• The word chemistry originated from the Arabic word al-kimiya.

Chemicals in Daily Life

• All substances around us are made of chemicals, and daily activities involve chemical reactions.

Area	Commonly used chemicals
Food	Preservatives, colourings, flavourings, antioxidants and stabilisers
Medicine	Antibiotics, antiseptics, vitamins, chemotherapy drugs and analgesics
Agriculture	Herbicides, pesticides, fungicides, fertilisers and hormones
Industry	Paints, polymers, glass, ceramics, detergents, colourings and alloys

Development of Chemistry and Chemical Technology

• Research in chemistry continually expands across disciplines such as biochemistry, botany and forensics, where chemical knowledge is used to solve problems.
• The need to solve new problems drives the development of chemical technology; technology suitable in the 1960s or 1970s may no longer meet current needs.
• Food preservation illustrates this development: preservation using salt or sugar progressed to freezing and then to nanotechnology, including bread containing nanocapsules.

Careers Related to Chemistry

Rapid industrial development creates careers that require chemistry knowledge.

Field	Examples of careers
Biotechnology	Biotechnology researcher; biomedical engineer
Pharmaceutical	Doctor; pharmacist
Cosmetics	Cosmetic chemist; cosmetic consultant
Nanotechnology	Nanotechnology engineer; food scientist
Green technology	Green technology chemist; engineer