Question

How do we sell chemistry to the public?​

Answer 1

Answer:

Digestion relies on chemical reactions between food and acids and enzymes to break down molecules into nutrients the body can absorb and use.

Soaps and detergents act as emulsifiers to surround dirt and grime so it can be washed away from clothing, dishes, and our bodies.

Answer 2

Answer:

I wanted to call attention to another blog roundtable, on several subjects related to how nonchemists see us and our business. The first post (at ScienceGeist) is on chemical safety (industrial chemicals = bad?). Day 2, at ChemJobber, is on whether the general public has any good idea of not only what chemists do (we work with chemicals, right?) but why and how we do it. Day 3, at ChemBark, takes things to a practical level, showing how lack of understanding can confuse people about energy policy (does growing corn to make ethanol make any sense?) And Day 4, at The Bunsen Boerner, is on a topic I’ve been known to go off on myself, the use (and mostly the misuse) of the word “organic”.