Have you ever thought about the reasons why you cry when you chop onions, why the leaves have chlorophyll and how the food is digested? You might be surprised to find out that chemistry is the answer to the questions mentioned above. Chemistry is the science that deals with matter and its composition of various substances in several components of the universe. Chemistry is present everywhere in our daily activities, even if, in most cases, it is imperceptible to us. However, it influences our lives and the products we use to maintain cleanliness and our well-being.
Chemistry has been present in the lives of people for centuries already, whether it was used in cooking food, in the manufacturing of lotions, in maintaining household tidiness or in doing laundry. As chemistry is the study of matter, it is included in numerous phenomena, from the composition of rocks to the process of photosynthesis. In this article, we will delve into the intriguing world of chemistry, why it is important to us, and what are its applications in our everyday life?
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Why is chemistry so important?
Chemistry has a vital role both in education and in our everyday lives because of its massive implications. For instance, chemistry is the foundation for understanding the behavior and composition of matter and the science that offers important insights into atomic structures, chemical reactions, and also the periodic table. With a good knowledge of chemistry, students can also gain basic concepts of numerous other technological developments and scientific disciplines. Plus, now chemistry can be learned in simple ways, as students can enroll in online courses or study it with the help of the resources they find on the internet.
Chemistry manifests in our everyday activities, from the air we breathe to the water we drink and the products we use to clean our houses. Additionally, chemistry is present in medicines and healthcare for diagnosis or drug development. Another domain in which chemistry is used is in agriculture, in pesticides and fertilizers, which can impact food production. Furthermore, chemistry can contribute to essential innovations in the production of cosmetics, energy and even construction materials.
As you can see, chemistry is not only a discipline studied in schools but a powerful force that sustains the world we live in.
What are the applications of chemistry in daily activities?
The human body has chemical elements
The human body is a very complex machine that contains various functioning parts that make the basics of a healthy life for an individual. In these very complex ecosystems, chemical elements represent the building blocks of life, where the combination of molecules forms cells, DNA, organs, tissues, or cellular organelles. The human body is made up of chemical elements, including oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, calcium, nitrogen, phosphorus, potassium, sulfur, chlorine, and magnesium.
Oxygen is the most important element in the human body, accounting for 61% of an individual’s mass. It plays a vital role in numerous body processes, including respiration, metabolism, and cellular oxygenation. Additionally, oxygen is found in various molecules of the body, including carbohydrates, proteins, nucleic acids and fats.
Chemistry creates human emotions
The human brain goes through several emotions on a daily basis, including fear, happiness, anger, surprise, fear and disgust. Emotions in the human body occur with the help of neurotransmitters, which are often seen as the chemical messengers of the body. They convey chemical signs and messages from one neuron to another via a chemical synapse. This process is responsible for controlling pleasure, pain or other emotional responses. The most important neurotransmitters of our emotions are serotonin, dopamine, adrenaline, noradrenaline, gamma-aminobutyric acid, acetylcholine, histamine and glutamic acid. Dopamine is a chemical that makes us feel good, as its neurotransmitters trigger the pleasure and reward system of our brain.
Chopping onions is a chemical response
If you like to cook, you probably have cried more than once the moment you start to chop onions. But what does this happen? Well, as this article is about chemistry, you probably have guessed the answer already. Onions are made of amino acid sulfoxides that contain sulfenic acids in the cells of the vegetable. This is why when you start to chop an onion, the sulfenic acids mix with the normal cell enzymes and produce propanethial S-oxide, which is a gas that begins to float through the air and goes into your eyes. Your brain perceives that there is something in your eyes, and this is why it leads to crying. Cooked onions don’t have the same effect as cooking inactivates these enzymes.
The process of how soap cleans
Household cleaners have developed a lot since the first soap was created. The concept of soap has been present for a very long time, and it can be traced to around 3000 B.C., undergoing many changes to be the way it is now. The cleaning agents that are found on the market nowadays are much more complex than what was created previously, but the basic process behind has remained the same, which happens thanks to a chemical reaction. Soaps contain two crucial elements: the solvent and the surfactant. The solvent is used to dissolve the dirt, and the surfactant forms a line between the dirt and the solvent. This is why, when a dirty surface, soap and water are combined, a chemical reaction occurs.
The surfactant has a hydrophilic end (water-loving) and a hydrophobic end (water-fearing), which are attracted to each other by opposite forces and cluster together, and this is how soap cleans dirt.
The bottom line
Chemistry is present everywhere in our lives, even though we are not aware of this aspect. Now that you know this, you will probably think about the chemical reactions when you cook food, clean the house, or apply perfume or lotions.
