Inorganic chemistry is the study of the synthesis and behavior of inorganic and organometallic compounds. It has applications in every aspect of the chemical industry, including catalysis, materials science, pigments, surfactants, coatings, medicine, fuel, and agriculture.

Traditionally, the scale of a nation's economy could be evaluated by their productivity of sulfuric acid. The top 10 inorganic chemicals manufactured in Canada, China, Europe, Japan, and the US (2005): aluminium sulfate, ammonia, ammonium nitrate, ammonium sulfate, carbon black, chlorine, hydrochloric acid, hydrogen, hydrogen peroxide, nitric acid and nitrogen.