Organic chemistry is also subdivided into four main areas: environmental chemistry, biochemistry, crystal chemistry, and macromolecular chemistry. The study of organic substances in nature is known as the natural chemistry field. This area studies the effects of environmental chemicals, including temperature, sunlight, wind, and rainfall, on organic substances in the atmosphere. These substances are then studied in the laboratory under controlled conditions for a variety of functions, such as identifying and classifying compounds, determining rates of Photosynthesis, detecting the effects of external stimuli on molecular structures, and so forth. All the properties of organic substances can be mathematically calculated, studied in detail, and then used to predict future climate changes and weather patterns.
Biochemistry is the study of how living organisms use energy to grow, develop, multiply, store up food, produce tissue repair, and so forth. The DNA of living organisms is constructed in a particular way so that it will code for a specific function and structure of the organism, and in doing so, the DNA duplicates itself over. This process in turn produces particular sets of biochemical processes, which in turn affect the development of living organisms and their physiology.
Crystal chemistry deals with the study and appreciation of how light interacts with matter. This is a rather general topic that can include the study of the properties of solutes, like water and oil, in solid form. It also can include the study of the properties of light itself, such as the spectrum of colors and the properties of visible light. This is extremely important in the field of communication, telecommunications, electronics, photography, and so forth, because communications and electronics industries are largely based upon the utilization of light in this fashion.
Macromolecules are molecules with single atoms and a collective center. Organic macromolecules do not have electrons; they are made up of quarks, which are particles with two or more electron shells. This class of macromolecules is the most common type of organic compound found in living systems, including plants, animals, and humans. Organic macromolecules play important roles in metabolism, biology, and anatomy. This field also has a great deal of overlap with the chemistry of proteins and DNA.
The chemistry of organic compounds is closely tied to the process of photosynthesis, which is the process through which plants and trees convert sunlight into food and fuel. Organic compounds can be used in a variety of different ways in the process of photosynthesis; the most commonly known being through the use of green house gases. Other organic compounds can also be used for the same purpose, by the proton motive force and through chemical synthesis.
Theoreticians of organic chemistry have studied the effects of radioactive substances on living matter for nearly two hundred years. Radioactive particles have been discovered to cause different types of changes in the atomic composition of various species of plants, animals, and bacteria. These studies have had a tremendous impact on our understanding of the workings of organic chemistry, but it has also brought about a controversy. Because some forms of evidence to show that some organic compounds decay without being changed, while other forms of evidence show that changes occur slowly enough that they are compatible with the formation of life.
There are numerous examples of how science has attempted to solve the mystery of organic chemistry. One of the most well-known is the search for the fountain of youth. The theory goes that if you give a young person a vitamin that doesn’t have any organic substance in it, he will develop a deficiency and thus won’t grow. This theory was tested on animals, but was later found to be faulty. Other theories have been proposed in an attempt to solve other problems in science, including the origin of life.