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Drug discovery is an expensive process that can take dozens of years and result in only a few compounds making it to market. More

Do biologists need to know how to build corrugated metal roofs? More

“Chemistry is all around us—it's the reason we exist. From the enzymes that break down our food to blood clotting and skin healing after we scrape our elbow, everything is chemical and biochemical reactions—molecules dancing with one another that give rise to everything we are and do.”

“Two specific ways that chemistry affects (improves!) the average person's life come to mind: one is the Haber-Bosch method of ammonia production, developed in the early 20th century. It enables the abundant nitrogen gas in the atmosphere to be converted to ammonia, which can then be turned into nitrates and nitrites for fertilizer. The process has revolutionized modern agriculture. The second is the production of antibiotics, which came about initially through careful isolation and analysis of natural compounds. The challenge to scientists and to society is to use such advances wisely.”

“Chemistry touches on every aspect of our lives. We live in a material world, and molecules are the stuff of materials. Over the next 20 years, the need to develop new sources of energy and to manage the impact of energy use on the environment will drive profound developments in catalysis—the process of making reactions more efficient. Chemists will pave the way toward lowering the energy it takes to produce materials and enabling recycling of unwanted
by-products.”

“Chemistry is a body of knowledge, a set of tools, and a philosophy. The knowledge and the tools have enabled life-saving drugs, computers, higher crop yields, ways to harvest and store energy, and all the non-natural substances used by society including steel, paint, suntan lotion, and modern anesthesia. The philosophy embraces manipulating the structure of molecules to change their properties. It encourages us to improve upon nature's substances and dares us to design and make our own molecules that might fight a disease, make a better battery, or shed light on life's origins.”