- Top 30 Examples of Chemistry in Everyday Life
- 1- Organic acids
- 2- Polymers
- 3- Petrochemicals
- 4- Damaged food
- 5- the sky
- 6- Human body
- 7- Ice and water
- 8- digestion
- 9- Sunscreen
- 10- Soaps
- 11- drugs
- 12- perfumes
- 13- Pressure cooker
- 14- coal
- 15- Biopolymers
- 16- Fructose and glucose
- 17- Cooking
- 18- infatuation
- 19- Food
- 20- Coffee
- 21- The color of vegetables
- 22- Diamonds
- 23- The crying that produces the onions
- 24- Baking powder
- 25- Plastic
- 26- Vaseline and paraffin
- 27- Paints and adhesives
- 28- Vanilla
- 29- Mint
- 30- Gelatin
- 31- Cosmetics
- 32-Chemistry in construction
- 33-Cleaning products
- References
The chemistry in everyday life is very easy to perceive. It can be found in the foods you eat, the air you breathe, cleaning chemicals, and literally every object around.
All humans are made of chemicals and everything around humanity is made of chemicals.
Everything that the human being hears, sees, smells, touches and tastes involves chemistry and organic compounds; all the senses involve chemical reactions and interactions.
Chemistry is not limited to laboratories; It exists around the world and is present in all aspects of everyday life. Basically nothing would exist in the world if chemistry did not exist.
Top 30 Examples of Chemistry in Everyday Life
1- Organic acids
They are organic chemical compounds with acidic properties. Propane acid, acetic acid, and hydroxybenzene are some of the most common.
Hydroxybenzene is used to prepare resins and in pharmaceuticals; acetic acid is used in vinegar and in the chemical industry; and propane is used as a preservative.
2- Polymers
They consist of long chains of molecules. Many organic compounds are polymers.
The most common are nylon, used in clothing and toothbrushes; and acrylic, which is used in paints and plastics.
3- Petrochemicals
They are chemicals derived from crude oil or petroleum; distillation separates the material into different organic compounds.
Gasoline and natural gas are the most used since they work as fuel.
4- Damaged food
Food goes bad because of the chemical reactions that occur between food molecules.
Fats turn rancid and bacteria growth can make people sick.
5- the sky
The sky is blue because an object takes on the color of the light it reflects. White light from the sun contains waves, but when it hits an object some of its waves are reflected.
6- Human body
The human body is made of different chemical compounds, which are combinations of elements.
Most of the body is made up of water, which is a mixture of hydrogen and oxygen.
7- Ice and water
Ice floats on water because ice is less dense than water. The heavier water displaces the lighter ice, so the ice ends up floating on top.
8- digestion
Digestion depends on chemical reactions between food, acids, and enzymes that break down molecules into nutrients that the body can absorb and use.
9- Sunscreen
Sunscreen combines organic and inorganic chemicals to filter sunlight and prevent it from penetrating the skin.
The reflective particles in sunscreen usually consist of titanium oxide or zinc oxide.
10- Soaps
Animal fat is used to make soap. Soap is made from a saponification reaction, which reacts a hydroxide with an organic molecule (the fat) to produce glycerol and crude soap. Soaps are emulsifiers.
11- drugs
Drugs work because of chemistry. Chemical compounds can enter a binding site for natural chemicals in the body, such as to block pain receptors.
They can also attack chemicals found in pathogens but not in human cells, such as antibiotics.
12- perfumes
It does not matter if the fragrance comes from a flower or from a laboratory and is used in the cosmetic industry; both molecules are an example of chemistry.
13- Pressure cooker
Food cooks faster in a pressure cooker because the lid closes tightly to the pot.
This way the steam cannot escape, so it stays inside and builds pressure. Under pressure the temperatures are higher, causing the food to cook faster.
14- coal
The coal used as fuel in many power plants is derived from carbon molecules.
15- Biopolymers
Many auto parts are made of biopolymers. Biopolymers are polymers produced by living organisms and are made of many molecules attached to larger structures.
16- Fructose and glucose
These elements are used in the food industry for their sweet taste. These are the most basic unit of carbohydrates, which means they are an example of a chemical compound.
17- Cooking
Cooking is a chemical change that alters food so it can be digested. It also kills dangerous microorganisms.
Cooking heat can caramelize sugar, promote chemical reactions between ingredients, among other actions.
18- infatuation
When a person falls in love, his brain undergoes various changes and certain chemical compounds are released.
Love is driven by these hormones: oxytocin, endorphins, and vasopressin.
19- Food
All the molecules that make food, such as carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, are made up of organic compounds.
20- Coffee
Coffee serves to wake you up due to the presence of a chemical compound called adenosine in the brain.
It sticks to certain receptors and slows the cellular activity of the nerves when sleepiness is indicated.
21- The color of vegetables
Vegetables are colored because they contain certain chemical compounds called carotenoids.
These compounds have a region called the chromophore, which absorbs and releases particular waves of light, generating the color we perceive.
22- Diamonds
The diamonds used in jewelry are made of carbon, they are allotropes of carbon. Likewise, the graphite that is placed in the pencils is also an allotrope of carbon.
23- The crying that produces the onions
Onions make them cry due to the presence of sulfur in the cells, which break when the onions are cut. Sulfur mixes with moisture, irritating the eyes and causing them to water.
24- Baking powder
Baking powder and baking soda have chemicals that make food rise.
25- Plastic
All the plastics that make up the objects that exist around are made with chemical reactions.
26- Vaseline and paraffin
Vaseline, which is marketed as a cosmetic; and the paraffin wax used to make candles are by-products of petroleum refining.
Likewise, kerosene and diesel are also derived from petroleum and used as fuel.
27- Paints and adhesives
Most plastics, paints, and adhesives owe their existence to petrochemicals.
28- Vanilla
Vanilla is an aldehyde. This compound is what gives vanilla its distinctive aroma.
29- Mint
Carvone and camphor impart their characteristic flavors to mint leaves and cumin seeds.
30- Gelatin
Gelatin is a type of edible polymer.
31- Cosmetics
Cosmetics are made with chemical reactions between different compounds.
32-Chemistry in construction
Cement and other materials that we use in the construction of houses, such as paints, plaster and many others are products of chemistry.
33-Cleaning products
Chemicals make our clothes clean. Not only clothes, but we also use chemicals to wash utensils.
References
- 30 examples of organic compounds and uses. Recovered from azchemistry.com
- Examples of organic chemistry in everyday life (2017). Recovered from thoughtco.com
- Examples of chemistry in daily life. Recovered from sciencenotes.org
- Organic chemistry-real life applications. Recovered from scienceclarified.com
- 6 important of organic chemistry and its applications. Recovered from studyread.com
- Chemistry in everyday life. Recovered from worldofchemicals.com
- Organic chemistry in our daily life (2012). Recovered from organicchemistryucsi.blogspot.com