IMPORTANCE OF CHEMISTRY

Importance of Chemistry

Chemistry plays a basic role in science and is often weaved with other branches of science. Principles of chemistry are suitable in diverse areas, such as functioning of brain, weather patterns and operation of a computer.

•     Chemistry helps in production of chemical industries, manufacturing fertilisers, alkalis, acids, dyes, polymers, drugs, soaps, salts, detergents, metals, alloys, etc.

•     Chemistry also plays an important role in meeting human needs for food, healthcare products and other substantial aimed at bettering the quality of life. This is represented by the large scale production of a variety of fertilisers, improved variety of pesticides and insecticides.

•     Chemistry provides methods for the isolation of life saving drugs from natural sources and makes possible synthesis of such drugs. Some of these drugs are cisplatin and taxol, which are effective in cancer therapy. The drug AZT (Azidothymidine) is used for helping AIDS patients.

•     Chemistry contributes to a large extent in the development and growth of a nation and with better understanding of chemical principles it has now become possible to design and synthesise new material having specific magnetic, electric and optical properties. This has lead to the production of superconducting ceramics, conducting polymers, optical fibres, etc.

•     Chemistry has helped in establishing industries which manufacture utility goods, like acids, alkalies, polymers, dyes, metals, etc. These industries contribute in a big way to the economy of a nation and generate employment.

•     Chemistry also helped in dealing with some of the pressing aspects of environmental degradation with a fair degree of success. Safer alternatives to environmentally hazardous refrigerants, like CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons), responsible for ozone depletion in the stratosphere, have been successfully synthesised. However, many big environmental problems continue to be matters of grave burden to the chemists. One such problem is the management of the Green House gases, like methane(CH₄), carbon dioxide(CO₂), etc. Understanding of biochemical processes, use of enzymes for large scale production of chemicals and synthesis of new exotic material are some of the intellectual challenges for the future generation of chemists.