Time to lose chemistry’s subdisciplines?
Organic, inorganic and physical – do they mean anything in modern chemistry?
A trip to Mexico is likely to leave many chemists in a spin. Recycling bins in its capital Mexico City are labelled ‘organic’ and ‘inorganic’: so where are you supposed to discard a plastic bottle? Jokes aside, many chemists will strongly identify with one of the science’s main subdisciplines: organic, inorganic and physical chemistry. But such divisions may not be fit for purpose in today’s interdisciplinary climate.