title: The beauty of chemistry in the words of writers and in the hands of scientists.
abstract: Chemistry is a central science because all the processes that sustain life are based on chemical reactions, and all things that we use in everyday life are natural or artificial chemical compounds. Chemistry is also a fantastic world populated by an unbelievable number of nanometric objects called molecules, the smallest entities that have distinct shapes, sizes, and properties. Molecules are the words of matter. Indeed, most of the other sciences have been permeated by the concepts of chemistry and the language of molecules. Like words, molecules contain specific pieces of information that are revealed when they interact with one another or when they are stimulated by photons or electrons. In the hands of chemists, molecules, particularly when they are suitably combined or assembled to create supramolecular systems, can play a variety of functions, even more complex and more clever than those invented by nature. The wonderful world of chemistry has inspired scientists not only to prepare new molecules or investigate new chemical processes, but also to create masterpieces. Some nice stories based on chemical concepts (1) show that there cannot be borders on the Earth, (2) underline that there is a tight connection among all forms of matter, and (3) emphasize the irreplaceable role of sunlight.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Chimica "G. Ciamician", Alma Mater Studiorum, Università di Bologna, Italy. margherita.venturi@unibo.it
authors.forename: Margherita
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Venturi
authors.forename: Enrico
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Marchi
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Balzani
mesh_terms: D002621:Chemistry; D004583:Electrons; D006801:Humans; D059232:Laboratory Personnel; D046911:Macromolecular Substances / Q000138:chemical synthesis*; D009930:Organic Chemicals / Q000737:chemistry*; D017785:Photons; D043862:Rotaxanes / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D046911:Macromolecular Substances; D009930:Organic Chemicals; D043862:Rotaxanes