READ: History of Chemistry

Early chemistry, or alchemy, was not very systematic or well-reviewed. In fact, in many areas alchemy was considered to be form of magic or sorcery. It wasn't until the late 17th century that European chemists began applying methodical scientific processes. Robert Boyle (1627 - 1691) was the first European chemist to do so, using quantitative experiments to measure the relationship between the pressure and the volume of a gas. His use of scientific methods paved the way for other European chemists and helped to establish the modern science of chemistry.

The man who would greatly advance the development of modern chemistry was Antoine Lavoisier (1743 - 1794). Considered the father of modern chemistry, Lavoisier discovered that although matter may change its shape or form, its mass always remains the same. As a result, he would state the first version of the law of conservation of mass - (in a chemical reaction, the starting and ending masses must be the same). Lavoisier also wrote the first extensive list of elements, including oxygen and hydrogen, and helped to reform chemical nomenclature. While Lavoisier was extremely important to the advancement of chemistry, there were many important figures that helped the science of chemistry move forward and improve our understanding of the natural world.

Antoine Lavoisier is considered to be the father of modern chemistry due to his many contributions to chemistry.

What Do Chemists Do?

You might wonder why the study of chemistry is so important if you can't use it to turn iron into gold or to develop a potion that will make you immortal. Why didn't chemistry die when scientists like Boyle and Lavoisier proved alchemy was nothing but a hoax? Although we can't use chemistry to make gold or to live forever, modern chemistry is still very powerful. There may be no such thing as a potion that cures all diseases, but many chemists today are working to develop cures for specific diseases, including HIV/AIDS and various forms of cancer.

 Modern chemists study not only chemicals that can help us, but also chemicals that can hurt us. For example, environmental chemists test the air, soil, and water in our neighborhoods to make sure that we aren't exposed to heavy metals (such as mercury or lead) or chemical pesticides. Moreover, when environmental chemists do find dangerous substances, they use their knowledge of chemistry to clean up the contamination. Similarly, every time you buy packaged food from the grocery store, you can be sure that many tests have been done by chemists to ensure those foods don't contain any toxins or carcinogens (cancer-causing chemicals).

Chemists are also responsible for creating many important materials that we use today. In addition, many technologies rely on chemistry as well. In fact, flat-screen LCD televisions, cubic zirconium rings, and energy-efficient LED lights are all thanks to our improved understanding of chemistry.

One of the huge breakthroughs in recent history has been the discovery of plastics. Initially, plastic was made by chemically modifying cellulose, a naturally occurring chemical found in plants. As chemical knowledge developed, however, scientists began to realize that plastics had special properties. On a microscopic scale, plastics are composed of thousands of tiny chains of molecules all tangled up together. Scientists reasoned that if they altered the chemicals in these chains but still managed to keep the chains intact, they could make new plastics with new properties. Thus began the plastic revolution!

Some common objects made of plastic.

Semiconductors are another class of "new" materials whose development is largely based on our improved understanding of chemistry. Because scientists know how matter is put together, they can predict how to fine-tune the chemical composition of a semiconductor in order to make it absorb light and act as a solar cell, or to emit light and act as a light source.

We've come a long way from our early days of producing bronze and steel. Nevertheless, as our understanding of chemistry improves, we will be able to create even more useful materials than the ones we have today.