Chimica e Creatività: il chimico da esploratore della natura a ingegnere molecolare

Chemistry is a central science because all the processes that sustain life are based on chemical reactions and all things we use in everyday life are natural or artificial chemical compounds. Chemistry is the unique scientific discipline that works at three levels: the macroscopic level, the ultramicroscopic level, and the symbolic one. 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. Chemists, by exploring Nature, discovered and identified millions of natural molecules, but very soon they also became inventors of artificial molecules and today they continue to play such dual role. More recently, chemists, working as an engineer at the molecular level, have also learnt to assemble molecules and to create supramolecular systems that can behave as nanometric devices and machines. This molecule-by-molecule approach opens totally new perspectives to the development of nanotechnology.