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What are the branches of chemistry and their definition?

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Last updated date: 29th Jun 2024
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Answer
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Hint: Chemistry is a subdiscipline of science that deals with the study of matter and the substances that constitute it. It also deals with the properties of these substances and the reaction undergone by them to form new substances.

Complete Step By Step Answer:
There are five main branches of chemistry that are organic chemistry, inorganic chemistry, physical chemistry, analytical chemistry and biochemistry.

Organic chemistry: organic chemistry is the branch of chemistry that involves the scientific study of organic compounds (compounds that contain covalently bonded carbon atoms). This branch of chemistry primarily deals with the structure and chemical composition of organic compounds.

Inorganic chemistry: the word organic refers to the compounds which contain the carbon atom in it. So the branch of chemistry that deals with the study of compounds, which does not consist of carbon-hydrogen atoms in it, is called inorganic chemistry.

Physical chemistry: it is the branch of chemistry that studies the behavior of matter at an atomic or molecular level. It also involves the study of the properties of substances at different scales, from the macroscopic scale which include particles that are visible to the eyes involving the small subatomic particles such as electrons.

Analytical chemistry: This branch of chemistry deals with the separation, identification and the quantification of matter. It involves the use of classical methods along with modern methods involving the use of scientific instruments. The method used to determine the identity and the quantity analytes and can be divided into classical and instrumental methods.

Biochemistry: this branch of chemistry that deals with the study of all the life processes such as control and coordination within a living organism is called biochemistry. This field combines biology as well as chemistry to study the chemical structure of a living organism. It investigates the chemical reactions and combinations which are involved in various processes like reproduction, heredity, metabolism etc.

Note:
Apart from these primary branches, there exist several specialized fields of chemistry that deal with cross-disciplinary matters. Some such examples include medical chemistry, neurochemistry, materials chemistry, nuclear chemistry, environmental chemistry, polymer chemistry and thermochemistry.