Introduction
Definition:
1. (Chemistry) the branch of physical science concerned with the composition, properties, and reactions of substances See also inorganic chemistry, organic chemistry, physical chemistry
2. (Chemistry) the composition, properties, and reactions of a particular substance
3. the nature and effects of any complex phenomena.
History of Chemistry:
By 1000 BC, ancient civilizations used technologies that would eventually form the basis of the various branches of chemistry. Examples include extracting metals from ores, making pottery and glazes, fermenting beer and wine, making pigments for cosmetics and painting, extracting chemicals from plants for medicine and perfume, making cheese, dying cloth, tanning leather, rendering fat into soap, making glass, and making alloys like bronze.
Early attempts to explain the nature of matter and its transformations failed. The protoscience of chemistry, Alchemy, was also unsuccessful in explaining the nature of matter. However, by performing experiments and recording the results the alchemist set the stage for modern chemistry. This distinction begins to emerge when a clear differentiation was made between chemistry and alchemy by Robert Boyle in his work The Sceptical Chymist (1661). Chemistry then becomes a full-fledged science when Antoine Lavoisierdevelops his law of conservation of mass, which demands careful measurements and quantitative observations of chemical phenomena. So, while both alchemy and chemistry are concerned with the nature of matter and its transformations, it is only the chemists who apply the scientific method. The history of chemistry is intertwined with the history of thermodynamics, especially through the work of Willard Gibbs.
Origin of word Chemistry:
In the history of science, the etymology of the word chemistry is a debatable issue. It is agreed that the word derives from the wordalchemy, which is a European one, derived from the Arabic al-kīmīā (الكيمياء). The Arabic term is derived from the Greek χημία or χημεία.[1][2] However, the ultimate origin of the root word, chem, is uncertain.[3]
According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the majority theory is that al-kīmīā is derived from χημία, which is derived from the ancientEgyptian name of Egypt (khem, khame, or khmi, meaning "black earth", contrasting with the surrounding desert.) Therefore, alchemy is the "Egyptian art".[1] However, it is also possible that al-kīmīā was derived from χημεία, meaning "cast together".[4]
Traditionally, the science of alchemy was once considered to have sprung from great Egyptian figure named by the Greeks "Hermes Trismegistus" (the "thrice-great" Hermes, celebrated as priest, king, and scholar), who is thought to have been the founder of the art.[5]Reputed to have lived about 1900 B.C., he was highly celebrated for his wisdom and skill in the operations of nature. In 1614 Isaac Casaubon demonstrated that the works attributed to Hermes – the so-called "Hermetic corpus" – were actually written pseudonymously during the first three centuries of the Common Era
Total branches of Chemistry:
The main 6 branches of Chemistry are:
1. Organic chemistry - the study of most carbon-containing compounds.
2. Inorganic chemistry - the study of all substances not classified as organic, mainly those compounds that do not contain carbon.
3. Physical chemistry - the study of the properties and changes of matter and their relation to energy.
4. Analytical chemistry - the identification of the components and composition of materials.
5. Biochemistry - the study of substances and processes occurring in living things.
6. Theoretical chemistry - the use of mathematics and computers to understand the principles behind observed chemical behavior and to design and predict the properties of new compounds.
2. Inorganic chemistry - the study of all substances not classified as organic, mainly those compounds that do not contain carbon.
3. Physical chemistry - the study of the properties and changes of matter and their relation to energy.
4. Analytical chemistry - the identification of the components and composition of materials.
5. Biochemistry - the study of substances and processes occurring in living things.
6. Theoretical chemistry - the use of mathematics and computers to understand the principles behind observed chemical behavior and to design and predict the properties of new compounds.
