Pleading for Chemistry

I was surprised some time ago by the number of Ukrainian and Russian companies in the field of chemistry, including selling elaborated compounds developed for research, screening libraries etc. The answer to the riddle is in no of June 2014 of l’Actualité Chimique, through an article on the International Chemistry Olympiads. France registered 250 applicants, against 10,000 for the USA, 250. 000 for Ukraine, and 500,000 for Russia.

The craze for Chemistry (which generally started with little chemistry sets for children  before regulations –especially european - forbid anything exciting in it ) seems to have largely left France to thrive elsewhere. Yet, Chemistry was largely a French science, founded in its modern version by Lavoisier.

Then, to restore the balm to the heart for teachers of chemistry, these quotes from two disciples of Lavoisier:

Fourcroy 1800, in his synopsis of chemistry, which launches into a eulogy of medicinal chemistry: "Chemistry... discovers the nature and the composition of animal material. It will precisely determine the chemical reactions that occur in living animals, such as Spallanzani has elucidated the mechanisms of digestion and Lavoisier, respiration. By analysis of the altered bodies, it will discover what is happening in the organic injury and what diseases are. It will discover ways to prevent disease in their beginning. It will simplify the pharmaceutical remedies, will eliminate the inactive substances, will make therapeutics formula more exact and reproducible ... »

And Chaptal, for the industrial chemistry: "Before that chemistry was reduced to general principles, many industry operations, factories, manufactures were, so to speak, the preserve of a few nations and the ownership of a small number of individuals. The most absolute secrecy covered each process of the veil of mystery; formulas and practices transmitted by inheritance from generations to generations. Chemistry unveiled everything; it  made the field an heritage of all, and in a short time, we saw the people where this science was cultivated to enrich from their neighbours. Preparations of lead, copper, mercury; working iron, the manufacture of acids; the finishing of fabrics; the colors on canvas printing; the composition of crystals, terracotta and porcelain; all this was taken from the secret, and is now a common property...Thus, since twenty years, chemistry has created several branches of industry ".

Playful, dramatic, exciting, ubiquitous...

As any science done well, chemistry is a language, and those who ignore it cannot understand much about biology, drug, textiles, dyes, inks, plastics, photography, geology and its wonderful crystals, air, water and their pollutants, cosmetics, metals and their transformations, more and more technical glasses end lenses, oils and potential substitutes,  agrochemicals and fertilizers, insecticides, herbicides now discredited, but which have saved humanity from famines, to plants and amazing substances they produce - the store of the God, said Pierre Potier, the inventor of the taxotere; and the colors of paintings, and the smells of flowers and perfumes; all this without chemistry is incomprehensible.

Then perhaps we can recall that teaching Chemistry may be exciting, dramatic, playfull – may be needing some aggiornamento. That this language may in part be acquired early enough in a rather playful, elemental form. The educational journals are full of ideas for interesting demonstrations - teachers should have more time to devote to experimental chemistry. It would probably also possible to build a video library of dramatic experiences –too difficult to run in a standard school  lab. . Some aspects lend themselves well to simulations or fun presentations on computers.

Probably,  study of chemistry   should begin early enough at the college or even before by a panorama of the different areas of chemistry. And perhaps we should also further specialize teachers - separate physics and chemistry? or at least allow those passionate about chemistry teaching it as a priority.

Nothing impossible: Fourcroy taught the chemical Revolution of Lavoisier to  passionate audiences of 1500 people. It was necessary to enlarge the amphitheatre of Buffon in the Muséum d'Histoire Naturelle (Jardin du Roi)