Why should I study chemistry?

Why chemistry?

Perhaps this is your first year at university and people around you are talking about chemistry course in majors other than chemistry major. 

So why should I study chemistry if my major is not chemistry?

To address that question, you need to look at some of the ways in which chemistry contributes to other disciplines.

If you’re planning to be an engineer, you should be familiar with plastics like polyethylene or the more esoteric plastics used in unbreakable windows and non-flammable clothing. 

Perhaps you are a health science major. For that, you want to be familiar with the properties of aqueous solutions, which include blood and other body fluids.

Chemists today are involved in the synthesis of a variety of life products. 

Some of the chemistry-related topics that make the news:

• Depletion of the ozone layer.

• Alternative sources of fuel.

• The pros and cons of nuclear power.

Another goal is understanding chemical principles behind some recent advances such as:

• “Self-cleaning” windows.

• “The ice that burns”.

• “Maintenance-free” storage batteries.

• “Chiral” drugs.

Although, in chemistry people will talk about principles that govern chemical reactions. Your main concern if you are not a chemistry major is to know the applications related to your major to be able to master your major.

Good luck for people who are willing to understand their majors in the right way.

By,

Dr. Rania S. Seoudi