Chemistry is a central science and connects several peripheral disciplines. In fact, it can be described as a giant banyan tree spreading its branches all around. A look at how chemistry touches everything from ‘salt to camphor’.

Is everything that has the tag of ‘chemical’ bad? Are there no good chemicals? The fact is nobody really knows — not the doctors, not the scientists. The problem is that the human body is very complex and its interaction with the environment impossible to clarify. People are exposed to a vast array of compounds and how they interact with each other and with the naturally present compounds in the body defies analysis. This article highlights the fact that the numbers are important and everything chemical is not necessarily bad.

How can teachers build on the natural curiosity of children and make chemistry a subject that students can enjoy learning? Involvement, humour and wonder can be powerful in helping students understand the subject. Here are a few tips that teachers can use to make their chemistry classes interesting.