Chemistry Goes Green

From plastics to pharmaceuticals to dry cleaning, many of life's comforts would be impossible without the chemical industry. Few people choose to live without the benefits of modern chemistry, but often the benefits are associated with other fields, such as medicine, materials, or engineering. Chemistry is more often associated in the public mind with pollution—from dioxins in waste incinerators to accidents in chemical factories, the biggest news about chemistry seems always to be bad. Even at school and the university, it is mainly considered difficult, leading to ever-decreasing numbers of students choosing to major in chemistry in many industrialized countries.