Chemistry and industry

Chemistry, atoms and molecules

"Chemistry"...For many, this word often conjures up an image of a mad scientist mixing substances in a cluttered laboratory in which hundreds of flasks gather dust on the shelves. This image often overshadows the fact that chemistry is a strict science which studies the constitution of matter. It focuses on atoms• — which are assembled together in an organized and structured fashion to form molecules• — as well as all the mechanisms, processes and interactions in which they are involved. Moreover, chemicals are often assimilated with hazardous substances. This is not necessarily the case. All matter is made up of chemicals or a mixture of chemicals.

Elements and compounds

From a scientific point of view, chemicals may be pure substances made up of a single type of component, or mixtures. Pure substances can be elements (i.e. composed of a single type of atom) or compounds (i.e. composed of different atoms).

Types of industrial products

From an industrial point of view, chemicals are defined
according to their place in the production chain. The
following categories can be distinguished:

• raw materials which are naturally present in the environment and are used to obtain certain primary products,
• primary products which are manufactured from raw materials or artificially synthesized. The same primary product can be used in a very large number of different industrial processes,
• intermediate products which are obtained from primary products and which enter into the composition of finished products,
• finished or manufactured products which are mixtures or intermediate combinations and are used in our everyday lives.