Chemistry plays an important role in our world
Chemistry based applications are commonly employed in many aspects of our day to day lives. Many of these technologies are critically important to our modern way of life, but they are not well known to the general public. Chemistry helps to increase crop yields, to invent new medical drugs, to clean our air and water, to store energy, and more. For instance, roughly 25% of the weight of a car consists of new materials which were developed using modern chemistry. These materials are used to improve the car performance, its safety, and the comfort of the passengers. One of these chemistry based applications is the car’s air bags. During an accident the air bags rapidly inflate due to several chemical reactions which produce Nitrogen and at the same time eliminate possibly harmful byproducts. This ingenious chemistry based technology saves lives every day.
Chemistry is important to our future
Chemistry is relevant to some of the most challenging problems we are facing today. One of those problems is the energy crises. Worldwide energy consumption is rising steadily while many of our energy resources lead to side effects such as the emission of greenhouse gases, resulting in serious environmental consequences. At the same time the development of alternative energy sources is affected by our inability to effectively store and transport energy, so that it could be used at the time and place where it is needed. Many of our current energy sources store energy in the chemical bonds that build these substances. We can therefore expect that chemistry will play a major role in the quest to find clean alternatives to fuels. This is one of the major challenges of our time.
Chemistry skills are in demand
The science of chemistry overlaps with a diverse set of fields, such as physics, mathematics, biology, medicine, and environmental sciences. Chemistry is sometimes referred to as the central science because it connects so many aspects of modern science. Acquiring knowledge on the properties of chemicals and on chemical processes can give a deep understanding of biological processes or the physical properties of materials. As a result knowledge in chemistry is proven to be useful in many fields. In a world in which it is less and less common to spend an entire career in the same job, the flexibility gained during your chemistry education will prove to be an advantage.
Chemistry is interesting and creative
Our world is made out of atoms, molecules and ions. Their behavior determines the properties of the substances we encounter in our daily lives: their structure, color, smell, and the way they interact with each other. Knowledge in Chemistry will give you a deeper understanding and appreciation of the materials building our world. Chemists use this knowledge in a creative way. They design and synthesize new medical drugs, polymers, or build nano-particles which can catalyze chemical reactions. In addition, several fundamental problems in Chemistry are still not fully understood, due to their richness and complexity. A career in chemistry will allow you to try and resolve some of these basic problems, or maybe to create something entirely new.