For thousands of years, people have wondered what the world is made up of and how materials can transform into each other. Among many other things, chemistry seeks answers to these questions.

Chemistry is everywhere

Chemistry is all around us. It's in our cells, food, buildings, cars, utensils, cosmetics, clothes, kitchens, bathrooms, or even under our feet! There are many diseases to which the chemical industry offers solutions.

The First Chemists

The first real practitioners of chemistry were the medieval alchemists, whose greatest desire was to create the philosopher's stone, which would turn any substance into gold, restore youth and ensure eternal life. The alchemists tried to make gold from lead and mercury, which is impossible. Although they were primarily motivated by the hope of making a fortune, their experiments made a major contribution to the development of science, as they systematised materials, created laboratory apparatus, developed experimental methods and discovered many new substances.

The Areas of Chemistry

The three major areas within the scientific discipline of chemistry are general, inorganic and organic chemistry. General chemistry studies the chemical properties that are similar for most substances. These include the structure and properties of atoms and molecules and the transformations of substances that do not involve qualitative changes. Inorganic chemistry deals with the elements and the compounds they form. Organic chemistry is the study of organic compounds.