What Does a Chemist Do?

What Does a Chemist Do?

What Does a Chemist Do?
Reading Level

	edHelper's suggested reading level:	grades 5 to 8
	Flesch-Kincaid grade level:	8.5

Vocabulary

challenging words:

polyester, spandex, synthetic, element, lightweight, microscope, nylon, agriculture, chemist, ozone, world, better, natural, recipe, fuel, industry

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What Does a Chemist Do?
By Cindy Grigg

¹     Everything in our world is made up of chemicals. Yes, even people! A chemist studies chemicals, matter and its properties, and atoms. Atoms are the smallest particles of an element that still have the properties of that element. For instance, you can take a piece of aluminum and cut it into pieces, and it still is a shiny, lightweight metal. If you could cut that aluminum into pieces that are too small to see with your eyes, or even with a good microscope, it would still be a piece of aluminum.

²     Chemists study atoms and how they join together. For example, flour, sugar, eggs, and chocolate chips can join together to make chocolate chip cookies. However, if you first melt the chocolate, you will get a different kind of cookie. It will be chocolate all through without the chips of chocolate in it. In this same way, the same atoms can join together in different ways and make completely different substances. For instance, the chemical symbol for oxygen is O2. This means that oxygen is made up of two atoms of oxygen joined together. This is like a "recipe" for oxygen. If we change the "recipe" and join three atoms of oxygen together, then we get a different chemical called ozone, whose symbol is O3.

³     Chemists use their knowledge of how atoms combine to discover new products. Before the 1940's, clothes had to be made from natural fibers like cotton and silk. Now, many of our clothes are made of synthetic fibers which have been made completely from chemicals. Polyester, nylon, and spandex are examples of synthetic fibers made from chemicals. Thousands of new products have been developed by chemists in the last half-century. Chemical research has led to the discovery and development of new and improved synthetic fibers, paints, adhesives, drugs, cosmetics, electronic components, lubricants, and thousands of other products. Chemists work to develop new drugs to treat diseases. Chemists also work in the oil industry to find better ways to refine oil to make fuel burn cleaner. Chemists have brought about advances in medicine, agriculture, food processing, and other fields. Chemists have an impact on almost every part of our lives!

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