The Most Important Discoveries in Chemistry and the Scientists that Made them

The Most Important Discoveries in Chemistry â€" and the Scientists that Made them Do you know who Discovered the Most Significant Things in Chemistry? ChaptersDiscoveries in Medicinal ChemistryChemical Inventions in Farming and FoodChemical Technologies that Changed Our LivesRadiation - A Great Scientific DiscoveryDiscoveries in chemistry have changed the way we live. The subject’s contribution to biology, medicine, engineering, and agriculture â€" amongst many other disciplines â€" has provided us with new technologies that have transformed the way we eat, communicate, and fight disease and injury. The achievements of some famous chemists cannot be overstated, as the modern world would not be recognisable without them.We have a lot to thank our scientists for. Here are a few reasons why.Fear a world without phones? You have the discoveries of chemistry to thank.Radiation - A Great Scientific DiscoveryMarie Curie is the scientist most famously associated with the discovery of radioactivity. Yet, she was part of a team of chemists and physicists who were working on x-rays, radiation, and radioactive chemicals like uranium and radi um.Radioactivity was actually discovered by Henri Becquerel, who was examining why certain materials glow in the dark. He noticed that uranium â€" something we now know to be highly radioactive â€" changed the colour of light-sensitive sheets, even when there was a paper layer between the sheet and the element. He realised that this material must have been emitting something that he could not see with his eyes.Curie’s particular contribution was to discover polonium and radium, and to give the process the name ‘radioactivity’, something that was caused by the breakdown of particular atoms. Her legacy was to put to use Becquerel’s discovery to the purpose of fighting cancer. As a chemist and physicist, she became the first â€" and she still is the only â€" person to win the Nobel Prize in two sciences.For those who want to learn more about chemistry, check out our pieces on essential chemistry equipment or basic chemistry concepts. Or, check out our guide to all things chemis try!