Students in a science class watch a chemistry experiment with colorful liquids.

Chemistry Sits in the Middle

Chemistry is often called the central science because it connects physics and biology. It helps explain everything from plant growth to medications, ozone, Moon soil, and DNA evidence.

Chemistry as the Central Science

During chemical reactions, bonds between atoms break and form, resulting in different substances with different properties. In a blast furnace, iron oxide, a compound, reacts with carbon monoxide to form iron, one of the chemical elements, and carbon dioxide.

It Studies Matter in Action

Chemistry is the study of matter, its properties, and how it changes. It follows elements, atoms, molecules, ions, and compounds as they react and rearrange.

Chemistry as the Central Science