chemistry

Introduction & Top Questions
The scope of chemistry
- Analytical chemistry
- Inorganic chemistry
- Organic chemistry
- Biochemistry
- Polymer chemistry
- Physical chemistry
- Industrial chemistry
The methodology of chemistry
- Studies of molecular structure
  - Atoms and elements
  - Ionic and covalent bonding
  - Isomerism
- Investigations of chemical transformations
  - Basic factors
  - Energy and the first law of thermodynamics
  - Entropy and the second law of thermodynamics
  - Rates of reaction
Chemistry and society
The history of chemistry
- Philosophy of matter in antiquity
- Alchemy
- Phlogiston theory
- The chemical revolution
- Atomic and molecular theory
- Organic radicals and the theory of chemical structure
- Mendeleev’s periodic law
- The rise of physical chemistry
- Electronic theories of valence
- Biochemistry, polymers, and technology
- The instrumental revolution
- Organic chemistry in the 20th century
- Chemistry in the 21st century

References & Edit History Related Topics

Images, Videos & Interactives

molecular structure

Etching by Jacob de Gheyn III showing Thales of Miletus seated with a long beard, draped in robes, holding a compass over an open book with geometric diagrams.

Dmitri Mendeleev

Mendeleev's periodic table

A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors.

Diagram of the Bohr atomic model showing an electron moving in circular orbits with quantized energy levels around a central nucleus, alongside an energy level diagram illustrating electron transitions.

Diagram of the Rutherford atomic model for a neon atom, showing electrons orbiting a central nucleus. An inset magnifies the nucleus, depicting clustered protons and neutrons.

Diagram showing the formation of a polar covalent bond in a water molecule, with two hydrogen atoms bonding to one oxygen atom to form H2O, illustrating shared electrons and chemical reaction.

Nobel Prize: chemical elements discovered by winners

Learn how the invention of dynamite led, in part, to the global recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a civil rights leader

At a Glance

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chemistry summary

chemistry: Media

science

Videos

Learn how the invention of dynamite led, in part, to the global recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a civil rights leader

Learn how the invention of dynamite led, in part, to the global recognition of Martin Luther King, Jr., as a civil rights leader

Alfred Nobel invented dynamite, which resulted in a fortune, his disillusionment,...

Video: © Open University (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Uncover the potential of technology in the field of microbiological research

Uncover the potential of technology in the field of microbiological research

Hear a scientist discuss the potential for interdisciplinary research in microbiology,...

Video: University College Cork, Ireland (A Britannica Publishing Partner)

Images

molecular structure

molecular structure

A ball-and-stick model of molecular structure, showing atoms bonded together.

© asiseeit/iStock.com

Etching by Jacob de Gheyn III showing Thales of Miletus seated with a long beard, draped in robes, holding a compass over an open book with geometric diagrams.

Jacob de Gheyn III: Thales of Miletus

Pre-Socratic philosopher Thales of Miletus, etching by Jacob de Gheyn III, 1616;...

Courtesy of the Rijksmuseum, Amsterdam

Dmitri Mendeleev

Dmitri Mendeleev

Russian chemist Dmitri Mendeleev arranged the 63 known elements into a periodic table...

© Photos.com/Thinkstock

Mendeleev's periodic table

Mendeleev's periodic table

The periodic table of the elements from Dmitri Mendeleev's Osnovy khimii...

© Photos.com/Getty Images Plus

A color-coded periodic table of the elements displays each element's symbol and atomic number, with categories such as alkali metals, noble gases, halogens, transition metals, and actinoid elements distinguished by different background colors.

periodic table

Modern version of the periodic table of the elements.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram of the Bohr atomic model showing an electron moving in circular orbits with quantized energy levels around a central nucleus, alongside an energy level diagram illustrating electron transitions.

Bohr model of the atom

In the Bohr model of the atom, electrons travel in defined circular orbits around...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram of the Rutherford atomic model for a neon atom, showing electrons orbiting a central nucleus. An inset magnifies the nucleus, depicting clustered protons and neutrons.

Rutherford atomic model

Physicist Ernest Rutherford envisioned the atom as a miniature solar system, with...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Diagram showing the formation of a polar covalent bond in a water molecule, with two hydrogen atoms bonding to one oxygen atom to form H2O, illustrating shared electrons and chemical reaction.

polar covalent bond

In polar covalent bonds, such as that between hydrogen and oxygen atoms, the electrons...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Nobel Prize: chemical elements discovered by winners

Nobel Prize: chemical elements discovered by winners

Chemical elements discovered by Nobel Prize recipients.

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

Interactives

Periodic table of the elements with color-coded categories and labeled element groups, showing atomic numbers, symbols, and basic information for each chemical element.

Interactive periodic table

Modern version of the periodic table of the elements. To learn an element's name,...

Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc.

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