Question

Name the five main branches of chemistry and mention one scope of each?

Answer 1

• The main five branches of chemistry are:

Analytical chemistry:

• It is the branch of chemistry that deals with the processing, composition, and structure of matter. It is the art and science of determining what matter is made up of, its percentage composition and how much of it exists.
• It is used in metallurgy, mineral exploration, chemical industry, clinical laboratory, etc.

Biochemistry:

• Biochemistry deals with the study of the chemical processes that occur in all living organisms such as insects, human beings, fish, birds, etc.
• Biochemistry is essential in understanding different aspects of medical sciences like drug development, immunology, pathology, pharmacy, vaccine development, etc.
• Biochemistry is very important for understanding the biochemistry of crops and medicinal plants.
• Plant biochemistry studies can help students to become agricultural scientists in the future.
• Agricultural scientists work on developing high-yielding crops, disease-resistant crops, and isolating medicinal compounds from plants.
• Biochemistry is used in the food industry also.
• Biochemists can help nutritionists, as they can describe different aspects of health-related to food consumption; the nutrient value of food material can also be determined by biochemical tests.

Inorganic chemistry:

• Inorganic chemistry deals with the study of the synthesis, reactions, structure, and properties of inorganic compounds of elements in non-living materials like rocks, soil, atmosphere, etc.
• The scope of inorganic chemistry is the study of properties and reactivity patterns in compounds with at least one element other than carbon.
• It includes all chemical aspects of living organisms, including biochemistry which encompasses organic chemistry; and geochemistry, which deals with non-living material on Earth’s surface.

Organic chemistry:

• Organic chemistry deals with the study of the structure, properties, composition, reactions, and preparation of carbon-containing compounds.
• Organic chemistry helps to synthesize many organic compounds which are used in making drugs, medicines, etc.

Physical chemistry:

• It is a branch of chemistry that deals with the relations between the physical properties of substances and their chemical composition and transformation.
• With the help of physical chemistry we are able to analyze materials and develop methods to test and characterize the properties of materials