SIUC Chemistry and Biochemistry - Undergraduate Flyer Chemistry and Biochemistry Southern Illinois University at Carbondale Look around. So are the water you drink and the ice cream you eat. Even things you can't see, like the air you breathe, are forms of matter - chemicals. Chemistry is the scientific inquiry into the nature of matter. Chemistry is fascinating because it centers on the fundamental reasons why all matter, from the great oceans down to the submicroscopic world of molecules, behaves as it does.
Chemistry also focuses on transformations of matter from one form to another.
The chemical reactions that occur when gasoline is burned in your automobile engine, when the food you eat is converted into fat , or when caustic substances like acids and bases combine into harmless salt and water, are all the subjects of chemistry. A knowledge of chemistry is essential to solving some of the world's biggest problems. The predicted pattern of global warming is due to modern civilization's thirst for energy and the burning of fuels like oil, natural gas, and wood. Avoiding global warming will require us to understand which molecules will absorb the light energy of the sun and which will not. The acidity of rain in certain parts of the country represents a growing menace to the natural environment and the balance of lakes and streams.