Chemistry
What in the world isn’t chemistry?!
Chemistry is the study of the relationships between the microscopic structure of matter (atoms and molecules) and the macroscopic properties of substances. The study of chemistry is aimed at making sense of the physical world around us, from simple everyday phenomena to advanced technological applications.
Chemistry is often referred to as the “central science”, because an understanding of matter is critical for an understanding of biology, physics, and other sciences. Living organisms are really chemical “factories” in which hundreds of reactions happen simultaneously. Engineers fine-tune the chemical structures of metal alloys and semi-conductors to improve their performance.
Careers
Chemists can work in many types of jobs, some of which are:
- Forensic laboratory scientist
- Environmental scientist
- Research laboratory bench chemist
- Medicinal chemist
- Process chemist in a chemical plant
- Occupational health and safety officer
- Patent lawyer
- Art conservation officer
- Polymer chemist
- School teacher
- Scientific instrument sales representative
- Pulp and paper research scientist
- Agricultural scientist
- University professor
- Geochemist
- Scientific instrument development and service technician
- Metallurgical analyst
- Pharmaceutical sales representative
- Biotechnologist
Courses
At the undergraduate level, students are introduced to the main subdisciplines of chemistry:
- Organic chemistry explores the chemistry of carbon-containing compounds, including natural products and drugs.
- Inorganic chemistry involves the other elements in the periodic table, including both metals and non-metals.
- Physical chemistry quantifies the physical properties of matter, including rates and energetics of reactions.
- Analytical chemistry involves identification of unknown substances and determination of the amounts present.
Students can complete the first two years of study toward a B.Sc. in chemistry at Selkirk College before transferring to a university. Selkirk’s chemistry courses are fully transferable to universities in British Columbia. A full list of transfer agreements can be found at www.bctransferguide.ca.
Faculty
BSc (Honours) - Chemistry (UVic), PhD - Chemistry (U of Ottawa), Chemistry
BSc, PhD (Dalhousie), BEd (Acadia), Chemistry
