The Oneida Daily Dispatch (Oneida, NY)
Chemistry Rocks!
Look all around you — at your desk, your backpack, the walls of your room, even at your classmates. Every single thing we see is made up of chemicals.
Chemistry is the study of matter — the materials around us and the changes they go through. In fact, some people call chemistry the “central science” because it’s the basis of every other science.
The American Chemical Society is celebrating National Chemistry Week, Oct. 22-28. The Mini Page joins in by finding out more about the science of chemistry.
Chemistry is everywhere
Think about how your body gets fuel to keep it going. You eat food (made of chemicals), which is then digested (by chemicals in your stomach) and changed into various other chemicals that are needed by your body to nourish it and keep you warm.
Will you burn wood in a fireplace this winter? Fire is a chemical reaction between oxygen, heat and a fuel (wood).
When you cook or bake, you are causing a chemical reaction. For example, a cake batter starts out as a thick liquid, but after you bake it, it’s a solid. Those bubbles in a cake’s surface or in bread are made by carbon dioxide (CO ),
2 which is created when yeast eats sugars and breaks them down.
Controlling nature
Human beings can make changes to things in nature by using chemistry. We can burn fuel to cause a car to run. We can develop medicines that heal illnesses. We can clean our clothes with detergents made from chemicals.
Why study chemistry?
Would you like to be a chemist? This year’s National Chemistry Week theme is “Chemistry Rocks!” It’s all about
geochemistry — the chemistry of geological substances, such as rocks (which can melt in a volcano and become lava), soils and caves. Other chemists study
textiles, developing new fabrics that repel stains or keep us cool during exercise. People in the chemistry field may work on new medicines to help cure diseases. Forensic chemists work in labs to help solve crimes.
Chemistry is very important in finding new sources of energy and cleaning up environmental disasters. Chemists may also study the health risks of working with hazardous materials and discover ways to protect people who work in mines or with pesticides.
Some chemists study colors, dyes and paints to develop products that will hold up longer and adhere better to walls or other surfaces.