Chemie

Chemie, or chemistry, is the scientific discipline that studies matter, its composition, structure, properties, and the changes it undergoes. It seeks to understand substances at the atomic and molecular level and to explain how they interact to form new compounds and release or absorb energy.

Chemie is divided into several subfields. Organic chemistry focuses on carbon-containing compounds. Inorganic chemistry studies metals, minerals, and compounds without carbon frameworks. Physical chemistry links chemistry with physics by examining energy changes and molecular dynamics. Analytical chemistry develops methods to identify and quantify substances. Biochemistry explores chemical processes in living organisms. Theoretical and computational chemistry uses models to predict chemical behavior.

Common methods include spectroscopy, chromatography, crystallography, mass spectrometry, and electrochemistry, supported by computation and simulation.

Historically, chemistry evolved from alchemy to a modern empirical science, with milestones such as Lavoisier’s law of conservation of mass and Mendeleev’s periodic table. Today chemistry underpins medicine, materials science, energy, environmental protection, and agriculture. Safety, ethics, and sustainability are integral to practice, given potential hazards and societal impact.