Main Branches of Chemistry
⧬ Organic Chemistry
⥅ The study of carbon and its compounds. The study of the chemistry of life.
⥅ Organic chemistry is a subdiscipline of chemistry that studies the structure, properties and reactions of organic compounds, which contain carbon in covalent bonding. Study of structure determines their chemical composition and formula. Study of properties includes physical and chemical properties, and evaluation of chemical reactivity to understand their behavior. The study of organic reactions includes the chemical synthesis of natural products, drugs, and polymers, and study of individual organic molecules in the laboratory and via theoretical study.
WHERE IS ORGANIC CHEMISTRY USED?
⧭ Organic Chemistry is a highly creative science in which chemists create new molecules and explore the properties of existing compounds.
⧬ Inorganic Chemistry
⥅ The study of compounds not covered by organic chemistry. The study of inorganic compounds, or compounds that don't contain a C-H bound (many inorganic compounds contain metals).
⥅ Inorganic Chemistry deals with the synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds except the myriad organic compounds (carbon-based compounds, usually containing C-H bonds), which are the subjects of organic chemistry. The distinction between the two disciplines is far from absolute, as there is much overlap in the subdiscipline of organometallic chemistry. It has applications in every aspect of the chemical industry, including catalysis, materials science, pigments, surfactants, coatings, medications, fuels, and agriculture.
⧬ Analytical Chemistry
⥅ The study of the chemistry of matter and the development of tools to measure properties of matter.
⥅ Analytical chemistry studies and uses instruments and methods used to separate, identify, and quantify matter. In practice, separation, identification or quantification, it may constitute the entire analysis or be combined with another method. Separation isolates analytes. Qualitative analysis determines the numerical amount or concentration.
⥅ Analytical Chemistry consists of classical, wet chemical methods and modern, instrumental methods. Classical qualitative methods use separations such as precipitation, extraction, and distillation. Identification may be based on differences in color, odor, melting point, boiling point, radioactivity or reactivity. Classical quantitative analysis uses mass or volume changes to quantify amount. Instrumental methods may be used to separate samples using chromatography, electrophoresis or field flow fractionation. Then qualitative and quantitative analysis can be performed, often with the same instrument and may use light interaction, heat interaction , electric fields, or magnetic fields. Often the same instrument can separate, identify, and quantify an analyte.
⧬Physical Chemistry
⥅ The branch of chemistry, which commonly includes the applications of thermodynamics and quantum mechanics to chemistry.
⥅ Physical Chemistry is the study of macroscopic, atomic, subatomic, and particulate phenomena in chemical systems in terms of the principles, practices, and concepts of physics such as motion, energy, force, time, thermodynamics, quantum chemistry, statistical mechanics, analytical dynamics, and chemical equilibrium.
⥅ Physical Chemistry, in contrast to chemical physics, is a predominantly (but not always) macroscopic or supra-molecular science, as the majority of the principles on which it was founded relate to the bulk rather than the molecular/ atomic structure alone (for example, chemical equilibrium and colloids)
⧬ Biochemistry
⥅ The study of chemical processes that occur inside of living organisms.
⥅ Biochemistry ,sometimes called biological chemistry, is the study of chemical processes within and relating to living organisms. Biochemical processes give rise to the complexity of life.
⥅ A sub-discipline of both biology and chemistry, biochemistry can be divided in three fields: molecular genetics, protein science and metabolism. Over the last decades of the 20th century, biochemistry has through these three disciplines become successful at explaining living processes. Almost all areas of the life sciences are being uncovered and developed by biochemical methodology and research. Biochemistry focuses on understanding how biological molecules give rise to the processes that occurs within living cells and between cells, which in turn relates greatly to the study and understanding of tissues, organs, and organism structure and function.
⥅ A sub-discipline of both biology and chemistry, biochemistry can be divided in three fields: molecular genetics, protein science and metabolism. Over the last decades of the 20th century, biochemistry has through these three disciplines become successful at explaining living processes. Almost all areas of the life sciences are being uncovered and developed by biochemical methodology and research. Biochemistry focuses on understanding how biological molecules give rise to the processes that occurs within living cells and between cells, which in turn relates greatly to the study and understanding of tissues, organs, and organism structure and function.
