por The contributions of chemistry Throughout history, humanity has placed this science as fundamental for understanding life and the processes of matter, which means a greater understanding of what surrounds us and what we are made of.
The study of the structure, properties and transformation of bodies from the knowledge of their composition make chemistry a science used in all aspects of human life.
Not knowing its importance would once again give a fantastic character to all the processes and phenomena that surround us. The human being, through chemistry, has discovered how to control and manipulate natural and unnatural processes for his benefit, with the main intention of guaranteeing the prolongation of the species.
All the elements around us have a chemical composition that makes their shape, texture and function possible. Like other fields of study, chemistry has been closely related to the daily life of the human being in society.
Having knowledge of some of the elements, reactions and chemical phenomena that occur around us at all times does not represent but only a part of the capabilities and attributes of chemistry.
Most outstanding contributions of chemistry
Technological development
Chemistry is present in the physical structures of everyday technological and electronic devices. Advances such as nanotechnology have a purely chemical origin.
The use of elements capable of generating energy, the reactions necessary to create certain physical components, the direct or indirect influence that contact with humans can have, are just some of the chemical fundamentals that today make up a large number of things that we surround and are frequently used.
chemistry and genetics
The application of chemical strategies was one of the tools capable of scientifically glimpsing the structure of human DNA and, therefore, providing greater knowledge about human genetic composition.
These first techniques made it possible to sequence millions of nucleotides in a short time, generating the conditions for the meticulous observation of the ways in which the nucleotides are sequentially linked.
Chemical elements and dating tools
The use of elements such as carbon 14, promoted by Willard Libby (who received a Nobel Prize in 1960), revealed a new path towards the dating of organic compounds and elements, providing a better notion of the antiquity of the elements of nature and its vestiges.
With carbon essential as an element for the formation and sustenance of organic life on Earth, an isotope like carbon 14, due to its composition, generated favorable reactions in other bodies that had residual amounts of carbon.
Applications like the one mentioned have expanded in fields of study such as geology, geography, archaeology, the study of hydrocarbons and forms of industrial engineering.
radioactivity
Marie Curie’s discovery of the chemical elements radium and polonium (which earned her a Nobel Prize in 1911) allowed radioactivity to enter the public arena of chemistry and its applications.
The existence of radioactivity had previously been attributed to Henry Becquerel, however, it was the Polish scientist who worked the most with the physical phenomenon.
Today radioactivity is used as a tool to simplify industrial processes and prevent complications.
One of the professional fields that most takes advantage of the use of radioactivity is medicine, through instruments that allow a better vision of what happens inside the organism.
Radioactivity is also used in the area of energy, through nuclear reaction, an energy generation method considered one of the most efficient today and at the same time highly risky.
Chemistry and food
Since the human being was able to use certain chemical components to avoid decomposition in food, allowing it to be preserved for a longer time, it has been difficult to find food in today’s society that is not affected by chemical elements.
These have been applied in order not to harm the human, in part, but to maximize the quality of the product.
It has not been until the last century that chemistry has crossed its borders and has begun to be a protagonist in the structural and genetic modification of food, through new variants of different items under the name of transgenics.
These measures have emerged as a way of coping with the natural difficulties imposed by the deterioration of the environment.
Oil and hydrocarbons
Since the discovery of oil and its global establishment as a new source of massive energy, chemistry has been present in the gestation and production of all its derivatives, which extend to its most domestic presentation.
Studies and research on oil have opened up a whole field of specialization that allows constant innovation in its processes.
The search for new methods and sustainable and effective chemical strategies is intended to remedy the damage caused.
Chemistry and domestic life
Considered a central science, the results of chemical processes have found a place in almost all spaces inhabited by humans.
From the water consumed at home, which goes through a filtering process and mild chlorination, the processing of electronic devices, which contains elements such as cobalt, to the food on the plate.
penicillin
Alexander Fleming’s accidental discovery in 1928 of a fungus capable of killing bacteria has saved millions of lives since then, as the antibiotic was created.
nuclear fusion power
The fusion of chemistry and physics is also a great contribution. Thanks to it, new energy sources of atomic fusion are being developed, which generates an immense amount of heat and energy.
Vaccines and medicines
One of the most obvious contributions of chemistry is in medicine: the discovery of molecules and atoms and their conformation has led to better, more effective vaccines and medicines.
References
THE CONTRIBUTION OF CHEMISTRY TO MODERN LIFE. Retrieved from science.com.
Walter, P. (2015). Chemistry’s Contributions. Retrieved from chemistryworld.com.