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Chemistry

Also Known As Chem
Physical Sciences

Chemistry is the branch of science that studies the composition, properties, and transformations of matter, and the energy changes that accompany those transformations.

Facts
Founded Year
1789 1
Antoine Lavoisier's Traite elementaire de chimie (1789) and the chemical revolution he led are commonly cited as founding modern chemistry; Britannica dates the shift more broadly to the late 18th century acceptance of the law of conservation of mass.
Central Question
A physical science within the natural sciences that studies matter: its composition, structure, properties, behavior, and the changes it undergoes during reactions with other substances. 2
Scope
Chemistry studies the composition, structure, properties and behavior of matter, and the changes it undergoes during reactions with other substances, occupying an intermediate position between physics and biology as what is often called the central science. 2
Significance
Antoine Lavoisier's law of conservation of mass, which demanded careful quantitative measurement of chemical change, transformed chemistry from a craft descended from alchemy into a rigorous experimental science. Its six recognized branches, inorganic, organic, physical, analytical, biochemistry and applied chemistry, now underpin fields from medicine to materials engineering. 2
Connections

Associated With

Source American Chemical Society (Wikipedia)
RIKEN, Institutions

RIKEN is the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research.

Source The RIKEN Story (RIKEN Official Site)
Source Weizmann Institute of Science (Wikipedia)

Founded By

Source Wikipedia: Chemistry

Has Scientist

Additional Source Akira Yoshino (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Alexey Ekimov (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Anthony T. James (Wikipedia)
Source Archer Martin (Wikipedia)
Source Arnold Beckman (Wikipedia)
Source Asima Chatterjee (Wikipedia)
Additional Source Aziz Sancar (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Benjamin List (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Bernard L. Feringa (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Carl Bosch, Scientists
Additional Source Carolyn Bertozzi (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source David Baker (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source David MacMillan (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Demis Hassabis (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Derek Barton (Wikipedia)
Source Michelson-Morley Experiment (Britannica)
Source Edwin McMillan (Wikipedia)
Source Ei-ichi Negishi (Wikipedia)
Additional Source Emmanuelle Charpentier (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Eric Betzig (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Frances Arnold (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Francis Aston (Wikipedia)
Additional Source George P. Smith (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Gregory Winter (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source J. Fraser Stoddart (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Jacques Dubochet (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Jean-Pierre Sauvage (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Jennifer Doudna (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Joachim Frank (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source John B. Goodenough (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source John M. Jumper (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source K. Barry Sharpless (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Louis Brus, Scientists
Additional Source Louis Brus (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Louis Pasteur: Spontaneous Generation (Britannica)
Additional Source M. Stanley Whittingham (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Marie Curie, Biographical (Nobel Prize)
Additional Source Morten Meldal (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Moungi Bawendi (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Paul Modrich (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Additional Source Richard Henderson (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Kirchhoff and Bunsen on Spectroscopy (ChemTeam)Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen
Additional Source Stefan Hell (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Theodor Svedberg (Wikipedia)
Additional Source Tomas Lindahl (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Tu Youyou, Scientists
Source China's First Science Nobel Prize Exposes Anxiety on Research (Chemistry World)
Additional Source William E. Moerner (Wikipedia)Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Source Yves Chauvin (Wikipedia)

Has Theory

Studies

Copper, Concepts
Source Copper (Wikipedia)
Spectroscopy, Concepts

Uses

Analytical Balance, Instruments

The analytical balance is the precision mass-measurement instrument of quantitative chemistry, central to stoichiometric and gravimetric work.

Source Calorimeter (Wikipedia)
Source Centrifuge (Britannica)
Source Gas Chromatography (Britannica)
Source Mass Spectrometry (Wikipedia)
Mole, Units
Source Redefining the Mole (NIST)
Source Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (Wikipedia)
pH Meter, Instruments
Source pH Meter (Britannica)
Photometer, Instruments

The photometer is a principal instrument in analytical chemistry.

Source Photometer (Wikipedia)
Polarimeter, Instruments

Polarimeters measure the concentration and purity of optically active chemical compounds.

Source Polarimeter (Wikipedia)

Used in surface chemistry and catalysis research to image adsorbed molecules and reaction sites atom by atom.

Source Scanning Tunneling Microscope (Wikipedia)
Source Spectrophotometer (Britannica)
Source Spectroscope (Wikipedia)
Source Thermometer (Britannica)
Source X-ray Diffraction Spectrometer (Britannica)
In the Other Atlases
Sources
1. Antoine Lavoisier (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaView the Source
2. Wikipedia: Chemistry
Wikipedia
  • Introduction
    It is a physical science within the natural sciences that studies matter: composition, structure, properties, behavior and the changes they undergo during reactions with other substances.
  • Founded By: Antoine Lavoisier
View the Source
Louis Pasteur: Spontaneous Generation (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Scientist: Louis PasteurView the Source
Marie Curie, Biographical (Nobel Prize)
The Nobel Prize (Nobel Foundation)Has Scientist: Marie CurieView the Source
Centrifuge (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: CentrifugeView the Source
Thermometer (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: ThermometerView the Source
Gas Chromatography (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: Gas ChromatographView the Source
Spectrophotometer (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: SpectrophotometerView the Source
X-ray Diffraction Spectrometer (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: X-ray DiffractometerView the Source
pH Meter (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaUses: pH MeterView the Source
Michelson-Morley Experiment (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaHas Scientist: Edward MorleyView the Source
Arnold Beckman (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Arnold BeckmanView the Source
Kirchhoff and Bunsen on Spectroscopy (ChemTeam)
Gustav Kirchhoff and Robert Bunsen, Annalen der Physik und der Chemie, 1860Has Scientist: Robert BunsenView the Source
Mass Spectrometry (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: Mass SpectrometerView the Source
Spectroscope (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: SpectroscopeView the Source
Francis Aston (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Francis AstonView the Source
Anthony T. James (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Anthony T. JamesView the Source
Archer Martin (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Archer MartinView the Source
Theodor Svedberg (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Theodor SvedbergView the Source
Edwin McMillan (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Edwin McMillanView the Source
Emil Fischer (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncompasses: BiochemistryView the Source
Oswald Schmiedeberg (Britannica)
Encyclopaedia BritannicaEncompasses: PharmacologyView the Source
Wikipedia: Materials science
WikipediaEncompasses: Materials ScienceView the Source
China's First Science Nobel Prize Exposes Anxiety on Research (Chemistry World)
Chemistry WorldHas Scientist: Tu Youyou
Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: NMR SpectrometerView the Source
Scanning Tunneling Microscope (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: Scanning Tunneling MicroscopeView the Source
Copper (Wikipedia)
WikipediaStudies: CopperView the Source
Calorimeter (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: Calorimeter, Lead sectionView the Source
Polarimeter (Wikipedia)
Wikipedia
  • Uses: Polarimeter, Lead section
  • Uses: Polarimeter, Applications section
    The ratio, the purity, and the concentration of two enantiomers can be measured via polarimetry.
View the Source
Photometer (Wikipedia)
WikipediaUses: Photometer, Applications section
Quote, Uses: Photometer, Applications section
The photometer has become one of the principal instruments in biochemistry and analytical chemistry.
View the Source
Emmanuelle Charpentier (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Emmanuelle Charpentier, Lead section, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Emmanuelle Charpentier, Lead section, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2020, Charpentier and American biochemist Jennifer Doudna of the University of California, Berkeley, were awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the development of a method for genome editing" (through CRISPR).
View the Source
Jennifer Doudna (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Jennifer Doudna, Lead section, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Jennifer Doudna, Lead section, 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
She received the 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, with Emmanuelle Charpentier, "for the development of a method for genome editing."
View the Source
John B. Goodenough (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: John B. Goodenough, Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: John B. Goodenough, Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2019, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside M. Stanley Whittingham and Akira Yoshino
View the Source
M. Stanley Whittingham (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: M. Stanley Whittingham, Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: M. Stanley Whittingham, Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 alongside Akira Yoshino and John B. Goodenough.
View the Source
Akira Yoshino (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Akira Yoshino, Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Akira Yoshino, Lead section, 2019 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Yoshino was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2019 alongside M. Stanley Whittingham and John B. Goodenough.
View the Source
Frances Arnold (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Frances Arnold, Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Frances Arnold, Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2018, she was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for pioneering the use of directed evolution to engineer enzymes.
View the Source
George P. Smith (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: George P. Smith, Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: George P. Smith, Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for this work, sharing his prize with Greg Winter and Frances Arnold.
View the Source
Gregory Winter (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Gregory Winter, Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Gregory Winter, Lead section, 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
For these developments Winter was awarded the 2018 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with George Smith and Frances Arnold.
View the Source
Jacques Dubochet (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Jacques Dubochet, Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Jacques Dubochet, Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2017, he received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with Joachim Frank and Richard Henderson "for developing cryo-electron microscopy for the high-resolution structure determination of biomolecules in solution".
View the Source
Joachim Frank (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Joachim Frank, Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Joachim Frank, Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He is regarded as the founder of single-particle cryo-electron microscopy (cryo-EM), for which he shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Richard Henderson.
View the Source
Richard Henderson (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Richard Henderson, Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Richard Henderson, Lead section, 2017 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Henderson shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2017 with Jacques Dubochet and Joachim Frank.
View the Source
Jean-Pierre Sauvage (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with Ben Feringa and Jean-Pierre Sauvage in 2016 for the design and synthesis of molecular machines.
View the Source
J. Fraser Stoddart (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: J. Fraser Stoddart, Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: J. Fraser Stoddart, Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He has specialized in supramolecular chemistry for which he has been awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L. Feringa.
View the Source
Bernard L. Feringa (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Bernard L. Feringa, Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Bernard L. Feringa, Lead section, 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Feringa's research on molecular machines was awarded the 2016 Nobel Prize in Chemistry alongside Sir J. Fraser Stoddart and Jean-Pierre Sauvage.
View the Source
Tomas Lindahl (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Tomas Lindahl, Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Tomas Lindahl, Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2015, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with American chemist Paul L. Modrich and Turkish chemist Aziz Sancar for mechanistic studies of DNA repair.
View the Source
Paul Modrich (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Paul Modrich, Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Paul Modrich, Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Modrich received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2015, jointly with Aziz Sancar and Tomas Lindahl.
View the Source
Aziz Sancar (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Aziz Sancar, Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Aziz Sancar, Lead section, 2015 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2015, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry along with Tomas Lindahl and Paul L. Modrich for their mechanistic studies of DNA repair.
View the Source
Eric Betzig (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Eric Betzig, Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Eric Betzig, Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He was awarded the 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for "the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy" along with Stefan Hell and fellow Cornell alumnus William E. Moerner.
View the Source
Stefan Hell (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Stefan Hell, Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Stefan Hell, Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 2014 "for the development of super-resolved fluorescence microscopy", together with Eric Betzig and William Moerner.
View the Source
William E. Moerner (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: William E. Moerner, Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: William E. Moerner, Lead section, 2014 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2014, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry.
View the Source
David Baker (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: David Baker, Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: David Baker, Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He was awarded the shared 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on computational protein design.
View the Source
Demis Hassabis (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Demis Hassabis, Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Demis Hassabis, Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2024, Hassabis and John M. Jumper were jointly awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for their AI research contributions to protein structure prediction.
View the Source
John M. Jumper (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: John M. Jumper, Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: John M. Jumper, Lead section, 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Jumper, Demis Hassabis and David Baker were awarded the 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for protein structure prediction.
View the Source
Moungi Bawendi (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Moungi Bawendi, Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Moungi Bawendi, Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2023, Bawendi was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Louis E. Brus and Alexey Ekimov "for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots".
View the Source
Louis Brus (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Louis Brus, Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Louis Brus, Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
In 2023, Brus was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry jointly with Ekimov and Moungi Bawendi "for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots".
View the Source
Alexey Ekimov (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Alexey Ekimov, Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Alexey Ekimov, Lead section, 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Ekimov, Brus and Moungi Bawendi were the recipients of the 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for the discovery and synthesis of quantum dots".
View the Source
Carolyn Bertozzi (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Carolyn Bertozzi, Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Carolyn Bertozzi, Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Bertozzi was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly with Morten P. Meldal and Karl Barry Sharpless, "for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry".
View the Source
Morten Meldal (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Morten Meldal, Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Morten Meldal, Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Meldal was awarded the 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, jointly with Carolyn R. Bertozzi and Karl Barry Sharpless, "for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry".
View the Source
K. Barry Sharpless (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: K. Barry Sharpless, Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: K. Barry Sharpless, Lead section, 2022 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Sharpless was awarded half of the 2001 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for his work on chirally catalysed oxidation reactions", and one third of the 2022 prize, jointly with Carolyn R. Bertozzi and Morten P. Meldal, "for the development of click chemistry and bioorthogonal chemistry".
View the Source
Benjamin List (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Benjamin List, Lead section, 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: Benjamin List, Lead section, 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with David MacMillan "for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis".
View the Source
David MacMillan (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: David MacMillan, Lead section, 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
Quote, Has Scientist: David MacMillan, Lead section, 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry
He shared the 2021 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Benjamin List "for the development of asymmetric organocatalysis".
View the Source
Redefining the Mole (NIST)
National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)Uses: MoleView the Source
American Chemical Society (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: American Chemical SocietyView the Source
Weizmann Institute of Science (Wikipedia)
WikipediaAssociated With: Weizmann Institute of ScienceView the Source
Asima Chatterjee (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Asima Chatterjee, Introduction
Quote, Has Scientist: Asima Chatterjee, Introduction
Asima Chatterjee (23 September 1917-22 November 2006) was an Indian organic chemist noted for her work in the fields of organic chemistry and phytomedicine.
View the Source
Derek Barton (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Derek BartonView the Source
Yves Chauvin (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Yves ChauvinView the Source
Ei-ichi Negishi (Wikipedia)
WikipediaHas Scientist: Ei-ichi Negishi, Lead section, third sentence
Quote, Has Scientist: Ei-ichi Negishi, Lead section, third sentence
He was awarded the 2010 Nobel Prize in Chemistry "for palladium catalyzed cross couplings in organic synthesis" jointly with Richard F. Heck and Akira Suzuki.
View the Source
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