Fuels burn, food cooks, leaves turn in the fall, cells grow, medicines cure. Chemistry is concerned with the essential processes that make these changes happen. Chemistry is the study of organic and inorganic substances . It was once believed that organic compounds were exclusively produced by living things, but today chemists can synthesize many organic materials from inorganic ones. Carbon can link with itself and other atoms in many diverse ways, and its chemistry is far more complex than that of other elements.
Chemistry is the study of connections between the everyday world and the molecular world.
Chemists use atoms and molecules to explain properties and behaviors of matter. For example, you can find molecular explanations for flavor and color changes elsewhere on this site. The Definition of Chemistry from Agricola to Lavoisier , by Marco Baretta. Sign up for a free monthly newsletter describing updates, new features, and changes on this site.