TABLE OF CONTENTS Over the past few years the word chemical has taken on some very negative connotations. Apart from being difficult to define, the word all too often generates the wrong images in people's minds and is the source of the current chemophobia.
There are some among the anti-chemicals lobby who create confusion by promoting the idea that chemicals are nasty man-made substances, damaging to humans, animals and the environment and that we should use natural materials that are both healthy and environmentally friendly.
Such messages are unhelpful and foster in the minds of the non-scientists notions that there are natural substances and there are chemicals and the two are totally different things. This is unfortunate but we might expect those with only a basic knowledge of chemistry to see the flaw in it. Sadly this is not the case for even those with a scientific background can be confused.
I asked some A Level chemistry students: What is a chemical? There was an instant response that went something like this: Dangerous substances like acids, poisonous gases, pesticides and other stuff that damages the environment . So, where do we go from there?
It is my view that any text on chemicals or applied chemistry has a duty to acknowledge those fears, put things in a true perspective and hopefully bring about some reassurance. And to do this it is essential to be absolutely clear as to what a chemical is.
Even if this goes only as far as explaining that the...
