Brian Dai
Chemistry
Welcome to the Chemistry News website. Here, you can find articles on everything chemistry-related at Palmer.
What are the Different Types of Chemistry?
Chemistry is a branch of science that deals with experimenting and investigating substances extremely thoroughly on every one of its characteristics. There are many different kinds of chemistry that we, as humans, have discovered and explored.
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In this article, there will be four different types of chemistry explained: organic, inorganic, physical, and analytical chemistry.
Britannica Kids - https://kids.britannica.com/students/article/organic-chemistry/276209
Organic Chemistry
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Organic chemistry is the study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-containing compounds. Initially, this field of chemistry was focused on compounds produced by living beings, but recent advancements has turned our attention to human-made products as well, like plastics, cosmetics, and other substances.
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Organic chemistry is a very creative chemistry. It allows chemists to freely experiment molecules and compounds in different ways. If you become an organic chemist, you will most likely spend your time creating new compounds and improving current ones.
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Organic chemistry serves as a foundation for many other scientific fields, like biochemistry, biotechnology, medicine, and much more. Organic compounds are everywhere around you: the makeup that you use, the device you are reading this on, and the foods you eat.
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Organic chemists usually find work in biotechnology, consumer products, petroleum, medicine, and government industries.
The American Chemical Society (ACS) - https://www.acs.org/careers/chemical-sciences/areas/organic-chemistry.html
Inorganic Chemistry
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Inorganic chemistry, on the other hand, deals with inorganic compounds. Metals, minerals, and organometallic compounds, along with their properties and behaviour, are all under this category.
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If you become an inorganic chemist, there is a wide variety of jobs that are out there. These include everything from work in nature (mining, soil research, solutions for preserving our planet) to work in government labs and in the academic field.
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Inorganic compounds are very important, too. Ammonia in fertilizer, chlorine in public swimming pools, and titanium dioxide used in making white pigment, are all achieved by inorganic chemistry.
Pearson eLibrary - https://elibrary.pearson.de/book/99.150005/9781292134161
Fiveable - https://fiveable.me/biophysics/unit-1/interdisciplinary-connections-physics-biology-chemistry-mathematics/study-guide/o8L1MRpiWFZGTNGS
Physical Chemistry​
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Physical chemistry involves the study of physics in relation to chemical reactions. Chemists in this area study, research, and work on reactions and concepts using theories on physics and mathematics.
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Physical chemists' job is to use technology such as lasers, microscopes, and other special equipment and machines to get to know how things work at the atomic level.
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Other parts of their work include the analysis of materials, the development of new methods for testing properties, the development of theories, and the discovery of new purposes for substances.
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Organic chemists use a lot of math in their work. They work both in and out of labs, and in and out of their desks. Some even are tasked to supervise a team, review department goals, and have meetings with higher-ups.
Organic chemists don't do a whole lot of research on their part as opposed to the other types of chemistry. Therefore, most of them are not part of industry and government lab work. Instead, you can aim for a career in analytical chemistry (which will be mentioned in the next part), or work in educational institutions to provide training, experience, and knowledge.
Analytical Chemistry​
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Analytical chemistry is chemistry in which people identify what matter is and how much of it is present. They also make use of different methods to try to characterize the composition and structure of substances.
Analytical chemists make a huge impact on environmental and green chemistry. In these areas, identify and quantify chemicals in samples and watch over it in an environment. Thanks to them, we were able to find methods to use less harmless chemicals and more alternatives that do not contribute to pollution.
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People who specialize in this type of chemistry also help detect negative impacts our everyday products have on us early on, so that adjustments could be made to improve our health. ​
Johns Hopkins University - https://publichealth.jhu.edu/departments/environmental-health-and-engineering/research-and-practice/research-areas/environmental-chemistry-microbiology-and-ecology
Analytical chemists spend their time performing laboratory experiments with samples with the help of advanced machine, technology, and softwares that collect data. Later, they will record and document any findings and results. In some cases, you might work in a team with other analytical chemists.
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Opportunities can be found at government positions, education institutions, private and public firms and companies, and labs.
And with that, we have an idea of what beautiful and amazing work chemists do! Hopefully this also sparked your interest in chemistry, so that you can grow up and become someone who helps keep our home safe, healthy, and long-lasting. We, as humans, must work together to protect Earth. Remember, the ground that we stand on does not need us; we need it.