Answer to Question #22812 in Chemistry for Katie

Question

Why is Chemistry the central science?

Answer 1

Chemistry is often called the central science because of its role in connecting the physical sciences, which include chemistry, with the life sciences and applied sciences such as medicine and engineering. The nature of this relationship is one of the main topics in the philosophy of chemistry and in scientometrics. The phrase was popularized by its use in a textbook by Theodore L. Brown and H. Eugene LeMay, titled Chemistry: The Central Science, which was first published in 1977, with a twelfth edition published in 2011.Chemistry is everywhere in the world around us - in what we eat, in what we breathe, in how we live, in what we are. Chemists study not only what things are, but also what they do and how they do it, from sub-atomic particles to large arrays of molecules. Chemistry is also very creative: new substances are made every day in a constant search for new materials, new drugs, new ways of doing things better and new understandings of how Nature works. Chemistry is central to all sciences and is used to study biological, physical, medical and environmental phenomena as well. A university degree in Chemistry can lead to many careers: as a research chemist, as a chemical technician, in industrial quality control, in environmental assessment, in teaching, in patent law, in business, in dentistry and in medicine, to name only a few.