5 Things You Wish You Learned In Chemistry Class

Unfortunately, schools tend to make science seem like a dull and drab topic. However, that is the wrong way to portray it, because science is amazing! This field of life is responsible for all of human progress and can make what seems impossible possible, especially because of chemistry. Yet, many of the more exciting aspects of it may never be brought up in the classroom. Here are five cool things about chemistry that you may be surprised to learn about.

What Your Pencil Has in Common With A Diamond

While you may have studied the periodic table to learn all of the elements, that alone will not show you some of the more amazing things about them. One thing you should know is that a pure element can actually take multiple different forms as a solid. For example, did you know that the graphite in your pencil and the diamond on a diamond ring are the same element? It is! Carbon.

How Lighting Helps the Ozone

At times in the recent past, the ozone layer has been threatened by things like the release of chlorofluorocarbons by man into the atmosphere. However, one way that the ozone layer can be replenished is through lightning strikes. Lightning that strikes naturally releases O3, which is also known as ozone, into the atmosphere.

Why the Rest of the Universe Doesn’t Have Life

The reason why Earth has life and the rest of the universe appears to be rather barren may seem puzzling to some people. However, the answer for that can be found in chemistry. It’s simply that the most common element in the universe is hydrogen. Yet, the Earth’s oceans, rivers, lakes, crust and atmosphere are primarily composed of oxygen, the element most associated with life. Because of that, life is more likely to be found here than anywhere else.

How to Make Chemicals Not Explode

Materials that have a chemical makeup that can cause them to be flammable, combustible or just plain explosive can be dangerous to mix together. That is why there are high quality air mixers for laboratories and other such facilities to use that can compress oxygen so that no explosions can occur. This is very useful for people researching different chemical compounds so that no one is harmed in the process of experimenting with different elements.

What Chemistry Has to Do With the Rainforest

“Save the rainforest” isn’t just a slogan. If you know a little bit about chemistry, then you should know that the rationale for doing so is certainly very scientifically sound. Researchers have proven that 20 percent of the Earth’s atmosphere is produced by the plant life of the rain forest and the chemical affect that it has, which means that it is something very important to keep around.

Chemistry, like many scientific fields, is both exciting and amazing. Hopefully, these five facts have opened up your eyes to just how impactful it is on your life.