Did those beautiful colorful chemicals kept in the chemistry lab ever fascinated you? Do you ever wonder what will happen if you mix that blue and red chemical? Are you always interested in making a career out of it? Thousands of aspirants take part in various chemistry courses at the undergraduate and post postgraduate level, every year. There are a number of international universities that offer degree programs in chemistry. It is important that you should know each and every detail related to chemistry before making your choice of the course. So here is an article which will help you to have in-depth knowledge about the main branches of chemistry which has all chemical and reactive compounds the subject has in it.
Chemistry is one of the major branches of Science stream after Mathematics, Physics and Biology. In it students read about the chemical reactions and chemical bonding. There is wide scope in the chemistry branch and it has various types such as: Organic Chemistry, Inorganic Chemistry, Physical Chemistry, Biochemistry, Analytical Chemistry, Polymer Chemistry, Nuclear Chemistry, Industrial Chemistry, Geochemistry and Environmental Chemistry.
Understanding Chemistry
The study of chemical reactions that occur between various elements and compounds comes under the domain of chemistry. This is among the major branches after physics and biology in the science stream. We all are surrounded by ‘matter ‘ which means something which occupies space and has mass and volume. Study of chemistry give scientist with insights into various other aspects of physical science and helps in developing a powerful tool for analysis of applications which are scientific. The subject has been distributed into the various branches of chemistry that lay more emphasis on the subsets of the chemical concepts. It has been done as the scope of study of chemistry is too wide that it cannot be studied under one topic.
Organic Chemistry
Organic chemistry involves the study of the chemical compound known as hydrocarbons which are the elements that contain carbon and hydrogen bonds mainly. It is one of the most prominent branches of chemistry and is often known as the ‘Chemistry of life ‘ as it involves the study of the properties, structure, and reactions of the naturally occurring organic compounds around us. The study of organic chemistry helps the student to classify and identify numerous compound which occurs naturally and also has a possibility to create their desired compound with the properties and function of their choice. There are various industries in which graduates can work such as fuel, rubber, detergents, cosmetics, Pharmaceuticals, and coating industries.
Inorganic Chemistry
Inorganic chemistry involves the study of the structure, properties, reactions and uses of the chemical compounds which do not have carbon or those that do not contain carbon hydrogen bonds. In other words inorganic chemistry is a branch of chemistry which deals with non organic chemicals in nature. The subject consist of the synthesis and behaviour of various compounds which are useful to us in our day to day life . It also gives us knowledge about the method of synthesizing them and the feasibility of synthesising them in the industry i.e., it has a potent industrial applications. It also tells us about the various ways of extracting useful materials found in the earth’s crust.
Physical Chemistry
Physical Chemistry involves the study of the ‘physical properties’ of chemical compounds through laws and IN detailed conceptual analysis of Physics, such as motion, energy, time, statistical mechanics, quantum chemistry and thermodynamics(study of heat flow). This is one among the most fascinating branches of Chemistry which helps students to get to know about the physical characteristics of chemical compounds such as volume, temperature, pressure, conductivity, plasticity, strength, solubility, viscosity, boiling point, melting point and colour. Various mathematical models and formulas act as an aid to study the subject.
Analytical Chemistry
Analytical Chemistry is considered as one of the quantitative branches of Chemistry that deals with the ‘identification, separation and quantification’ of chemical compounds. The knowledge of Analytical Chemistry helps scientists to find the amount of chemical substances in a given compound. The subject has been further divided into the following two sub categories.
- Qualitative Analysis: It deals with processes that are carried out to identify the unknown chemical substance in a given compound
- Quantitative Analysis. It deals with finding out the concentration or amount of the substance in the given compound.
Biochemistry
It is considered one of the most prominent branches of Chemistry, Biochemistry includes the study of the biological structure, composition, and chemical reactions at the cellular and molecular level in living organisms. This includes a varied range of living organisms like plants, insects, viruses, microorganisms, etc. Biochemistry is a cumulative Biology with Organic, Inorganic, and Physical Chemistry. Various topics to be studied in this subject include the structure of various living compounds, their importance in the human body, issues related to diseases, the chemical basis of heredity, and the mechanism behind deriving energy from food.
Major Universities for Chemistry Courses
Now that you know about the major diverging branches of chemistry. Given below are some of the highly renowned universities in the world which cover a large number of specialised and varied programs in Chemistry:
| University | THE World University Rankings 2020 |
| Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) | 1 |
| Harvard University | 2 |
| University of Cambridge | 3 |
| Stanford University | 4 |
| University of California, Berkeley | 5 |
| University of Oxford | 6 |
| ETH Zurich – Swiss Federal Institute of Technology | 7 |
| California Institute of Technology (Caltech) | 8 |
| EPFL | 9 |
| Nanyang Technological University, Singapore (NTU) | 9 |
| National University of Singapore (NUS) | 9 |
| The University of Tokyo | 12 |
Career Prospects in Chemistry
Owing to the diverse branches of Chemistry and its emerging interdisciplinary specializations, There are a numerous career prospects available for people who want to see their future in any of the field related to chemistry. Have a look at the some of the famous and World renowned chemistry jobs you must have knowledge about:
- Analytical Chemist
- Pharmacologist
- Geochemist
- Water Chemist
- Toxicologist
- Materials Scientist
- Chemical Engineer
- Forensic Scientist
- Hazardous Waste Chemist
- Biochemist
Students may get the opportunity to get recruited in companies like Bodal Chemical Ltd., Fineotex Chemical, Fairchem Speciality, Camlin Fine Sciences, Tata Chemicals, Hindustan Unilever and a lot more, on completion of their course. The average salary for freshers ranges from INR 3,00,000 – INR 7,00,000 per annum, depending on the skills and academic performance of the candidate.
Chemistry is often known as the ‘Central Science’ as it provides a basic framework for understanding both fundamental and applied scientific disciplines of Science. We hope that this article would have helped you to have a detailed understanding of some of the main branches of Chemistry.
