What is chemistry?

Chemistry is the study of matter and its components, and how these components react with each other. All matter is made up of atoms, the smallest building blocks of everything that exists. Specific atoms with certain properties make up elements, and they bond together to make molecules and compounds. Chemistry studies the properties of atoms and the elements they make up in order to better understand our natural world. Chemistry also takes a close look at the molecular structure of substances and studies the chemical reactions that occur between them. Although we cannot see atoms and molecules, we can better understand them through the processes of chemical reactions and the study of chemistry makes this possible. There are several different specialized branches of chemistry, including organic, physical, inorganic and biochemistry.