Chemistry

Chemistry is the study of matter, including its composition,structure, physical properties, and reactivity. There are manyapproaches to studying chemistry, but, for convenience, wetraditionally divide it into five fields: organic, inorganic, physical,biochemical, and analytical. Although this division is historical andarbitrary, as witnessed by the current interest in interdisciplinary areassuch as bioanalytical and organometallic chemistry, these five fieldsremain the simplest division spanning the discipline of chemistry.Training in each of these fields provides a unique perspective to thestudy of chemistry. Undergraduate chemistry courses and textbooksare more than a collection of facts; they are a kind of apprenticeship. Inkeeping with this spirit, this text introduces the field of analyticalchemistry and the unique perspectives that analytical chemists bring tothe study of chemistry.