Chemistry

You might think of chemistry as people with white coats, standing in labs, doing tests, making food additives or working with dangerous substances, but the field of chemistry involves everything around us.

Everything you hear, see, smell, taste, and touch involves chemistry and chemicals (matter) and hearing, seeing, tasting, and touching all involve a series of chemical reactions and interactions in your body. 

So, even if you don't choose to study chemistry, you're doing chemistry, or something that involves chemistry, with pretty much everything you do. In everyday life, you do chemistry when you cook, when you use cleaning detergents to wipe off your counter, when you take medicine or when you dilute concentrated juice so that the taste isn't as strong. Chemistry is all around you and in everything you do!

The Chemical Industry in Scotland is our second biggest exporter earner (£1.3 bn) and is competitive in world markets. It employs 13,500 people and supports 70,000 more. This significance has been recognised with the creation of ‘Chemical Sciences Scotland’ (a partnership between industry, government and education).

The department aims to provide learning experiences, which give all pupils an understanding of the importance of chemistry and the relevance of chemistry in their everyday lives. Pupils will also be given the opportunity to develop skills, which will allow them to embark on a career in a chemistry related industry.