Portal:Chemistry

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The Chemistry Portal

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P:CHEM
Colourful solutions in test-tubes.
Welcome to the chemistry portal. Chemistry, from the Greek χημεία meaning "pour together", is a branch of science. Modern chemistry focuses on the study of elements of the world and the bonds between elements. Chemistry also deals with composition, structure, and properties of substances and the transformations that they undergo. In the study of matter, chemistry also investigates its interactions with energy and itself. Because of the diversity of matter, which is mostly in the form of compounds, chemists often study how atoms of different chemical elements interact to form molecules, and how molecules interact with each other.


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Featured article - Selected picture - News - Selected biography - History and Philosophy - Techniques - Equipment - Chemistry in society - Chemistry in industry - Periodic Table - Resources - WikiProjects - Things you can do - Collaboration of the month - Related portals - Associated Wikimedia
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Featured article

The first "technetium cow" (a device for separating 99mTc from its parent isotope, 99Mo) at Brookhaven National Laboratory.
Technetium is a chemical element that has the symbol Tc and the atomic number 43. Pronounced tek-nee-s(h)ee-um, the chemical properties of this silvery grey, radioactive, crystalline transition metal are intermediate between rhenium and manganese. Its short-lived isotope Tc-99m is used in nuclear medicine for a wide variety of diagnostic tests. Tc-99 is used as a gamma ray-free source of beta particles, and its pertechnetate ion (TcO4-) could find use as an anodic corrosion preventer for steel (this possible use is hindered by technetium's radioactivity). The pertechnetate forms a technetium dioxide layer on the steel surface, this TcO2 formation explains how iron powder can be used to remove technetium from water. It is also possible to absorb technetium on activated carbon.

Dmitri Mendeleev predicted many of the properties of element 43, which he called ekamanganese, well before its actual discovery (see Mendeleev's predicted elements). In 1937 its isotope Tc-97 became the first element to be artificially produced, hence its name (from the Greek τεχνητος, meaning "artificial"). Most technetium produced on Earth is a by-product of fission of uranium-235 in nuclear reactors and is extracted from nuclear fuel rods. No isotope of technetium has a half-life longer than 4.2 million years (Tc-98), so its detection in red giants in 1952 helped bolster the theory that stars can produce heavier elements. On earth, technetium occurs naturally only in uranium ores as a product of spontaneous fission; the quantities are minute but have been measured.

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Selected picture

Faraday's lab
Credit: Harriet Moore

The laboratory of Michael Faraday (1791-1867), an influential English chemist and physicist.

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Categories

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History and Philosophy of Chemistry

Antoine Lavoisier

Many chemists have an interest in the history of chemistry. Those with philosophical interests will be interested that the philosophy of chemistry has quite recently developed along a path somewhat different from the general philosophy of science.

Other articles that might interest you are:

There is a Wikipedia Project on the History of Science and portals for the scientific method and philosophy of science.

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Chemistry Resources

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Wikipedia:WikiProject Chemicals/Data is a collection of links and references that are useful for chemistry-related works. This includes free online chemical databases, publications, patents, computer programs, and various tools.

Science is Fun University of Wisconsin–Madison Chemistry Professor Bassam Z. Shakhashiri, shares the fun of science.

megaConverter The Web's best place to figure out what equals what.

General Chemistry Online Clear text and comprehensive coverage of general chemistry topics by Fred Senese, Dept. of Chemistry Frostburg State University

General Chemistry Demonstration at Purdue Video clips (and descriptions) of lecture demonstrations.

Intota Chemistry Experts A large online listing of real-world chemistry expert biographies provides examples of the many areas of expertise and careers in chemistry.

Chemistry Webercises Directory A large listing of chemistry resources maintained by Steven Murov, Emeritus Chemistry Professor Modesto Junior College.

MathMol MathMol (Mathematics and Molecules) is a good starting point for those interested in the field of molecular modeling.

Chemistry Educational Resources and Essential References from Wiley, the world's largest chemistry publisher

ABC Chemistry A directory of free full-text journals in chemistry, biochemistry and related subjects.

The Element Song A goofy little song about all of the elements.

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In the news

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Selected biography

Louis Pasteur
Louis Pasteur (1822-1895) was a French microbiologist and chemist. He was the first to demonstrate chirality of molecules, using tartaric acid crystals, but this achievement is often overlooked in favor of his more famous work in biology and medicine. He is best known for demonstrating how to prevent milk and wine from going sour, a process which came to be called pasteurization. His experiments confirmed the germ theory of disease, and he created the first vaccine for rabies. He became one of the main founders of bacteriology, the other major figure being Robert Koch. Pasteur also discovered anaerobiosis, whereby some microorganisms can develop and live without air or oxygen.
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Techniques used by chemists

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Equipment used by chemists

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Chemistry in society

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Chemistry in industry

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WikiProjects

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Periodic Table

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Things you can do

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Here are some things you can do:

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Collaboration of the Month

Nuvola apps edu science.png The current Chemistry Article Improvement Drive is Sodium hydroxide.
Every month a different chemistry-related topic, stub or non-existent article may be picked. Please improve the article any way you can.
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Related portals

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Associated Wikimedia
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