chemistry
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chemistry
The natural science that deals with the structure, properties, and transformation of substances.
Im Fach Chemie haben wir heute ein Experiment mit Säuren gemacht.
In chemistry class today, we did an experiment with acids.
You can easily recognize the meaning of 'Chemie' from the context. In a scientific or school context, it refers to the natural science. If you are talking about relationships between people, it means harmony. In the context of food or agriculture, it is often used colloquially to refer to unwanted chemical substances.
Mein Sohn ist in der Schule am besten im Fach Chemie.
My son is best at chemistry in school.
When it is about the relationship between people, 'Chemie' is almost always used with the verb 'stimmen' (to be right / to fit). The fixed expression is 'die Chemie stimmt' (the chemistry is right) or 'die Chemie stimmt nicht' (the chemistry isn't right).
Bei einem guten Team muss die Chemie zwischen den Mitgliedern stimmen.
In a good team, the chemistry between the members has to be right.
To say between which people the relationship is good or bad, you use the preposition 'zwischen' (between) with the dative. The people can also be replaced by a pronoun such as 'uns' (us) or 'ihnen' (them).
Die Chemie zwischen den beiden Hauptdarstellern war unglaublich.
The chemistry between the two lead actors was incredible.
The meaning 'chemical products' is used mainly in colloquial language and often has a negative connotation. It refers to artificial additives, pesticides, or cleaning agents.
Dieses Obst sieht perfekt aus, da ist sicher eine Menge Chemie drauf.
This fruit looks perfect; there must be a lot of chemicals on it.
relationship / connection
'die Beziehung' and 'die Chemie' can both describe how people are connected or get along with each other. 'Beziehung' refers more to the connection itself, for example a partnership, a friendship, or a relationship between people. 'Chemie' refers more to the feeling between people: whether they harmonize well and understand each other easily. The words are confused because both talk about people. But 'die Chemie stimmt' (the chemistry is right) says something about the mood and mutual liking, not necessarily about a committed relationship.
Schon beim ersten Gespräch hat die Chemie zwischen Lisa und dem neuen Team gestimmt.
From the very first conversation, the chemistry between Lisa and the new team felt right.
Die Beziehung zwischen den beiden Kollegen ist seit dem Streit schwieriger geworden.
The relationship between the two colleagues has become more difficult since the argument.