CHEMICAL PROCESSES IN EVERYDAY LIFE: CONCEPTUAL ISSUES

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Cover image taken by @sidalim88, using public domain image. Source:

Greetings my dear readers of this great platform @StemSocial, today I want to share with you valuable information about chemistry and its implications in everyday life.

Sometimes when we hear the name of this science it seems something cumbersome and difficult to understand, many of us during our education found it difficult to learn chemistry as a result of the lack of relationship between the conceptual content and its application in our daily lives, which is why today I want to share with you the influence that this science has on society.

INTRODUCTION

Chemistry as a science is responsible for the study of the composition and transformation of what is considered matter, understanding as "matter" any object or substance that has a mass and occupies a place in space, based on this concept everything that is around us is part of the matter, since it meets these basic characteristics and therefore chemistry is responsible for studying the different reactions that occur in it. So why is the study of this science so complicated for us? Is it because we do not associate it with our daily life? Let's develop its use in everyday life.

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Did you know that the air you breathe is made up of a mixture of chemical elements such as nitrogen (78.06%), oxygen (20.98%) and carbon dioxide (0.04%), together with other gases found in smaller proportions. So the food you eat, the clothes you wear, the cleaning and personal hygiene products, the medicines and even the vaccines we receive, have gone through a chemical transformation before reaching the human being. This and much more should lead us to reflect on the importance of chemistry in our society.

That is why it is important to highlight the different applications that chemistry has in our environment and how beautiful and interesting it can be to study it in depth. As well as how this science has made our lives easier with the continuous advances in its field.

GENERAL INFORMATION ON SOME AREAS OF DEVELOPMENT WHERE CHEMICAL PROCESSES ARE INVOLVED

In this section of the subject we will address some areas of development driven by chemical processes, which we will describe below:

1. FOOD CHEMISTRY

All the foods we consume in our homes go through a chemical process, from fruits and vegetables to the different types of meats and dairy products. It is also important to highlight the nutrients and vitamins they provide for the proper functioning of our body.

In addition to the different chemical substances that are used to improve the product, preserve it for long periods of time and even change its organoleptic properties to make it more appealing to humans. We can not only focus on the chemical composition of food, it is also important to take into account the various reactions that occur in them during their preparation.

A very clear and simple example of the chemical reactions of food can be seen in the process of photosynthesis, during which saccharides (sugar) are synthesized, this is stored in fruits such as apples and that is why its flavor is sweet. Something as common as table salt, chemically known as Sodium Chloride (NaCl), which is obtained from the sea, through a technique called evaporation, which consists of changing the state of salt water from liquid to gas, leaving as a final result the saline product used as a seasoning. Likewise, these foods reach our table thanks to the use of fertilizers and pesticides that are used during their cultivation to prevent pests from damaging them.

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2. CHEMISTRY IN INDUSTRY

Chemistry is considered the fundamental basis for the economic growth of any country. At the industrial level, various products can be obtained on a large scale and in the shortest possible time, but they also generate jobs and pollute the environment, since they use non-renewable resources during their production.

Some of the most important products obtained are petroleum derivatives, such as: (plastic, disinfectants, gasoline, asphalt, gas, synthetic fabric, among others), which help us to have a better quality of life. We can also mention cleaning products such as soap, chlorine, shampoo, deodorant, toothpaste and many others that are of daily use and essential for personal hygiene.

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Let's take a closer look at how petroleum derivatives are obtained. This process is carried out through a technique called fractional distillation, which consists of separating the derivatives of crude oil (petroleum), by generating heat until these derivatives reach their boiling point in this step will equalize the vapor pressure of the liquid with the surrounding pressure. In this way the substances with lower boiling point such as gases (methane, ethane, propane, butane, gasoline, among others) will go to the top, while the heavier components are deposited at the bottom (asphalt, oil, paints, kerosenes and much more).

3. CHEMISTRY IN HEALTH

Chemistry in health has been applied since the alchemists, only that at that time it was not determined as a scientific method but rather as part of home remedies or witchcraft, but now all the advances that have been developed at the level of health around the production of analgesics, antibiotics, antipyretics, anti-inflammatory, vaccines and other types of drugs according to their function, have allowed the cure of diseases such as (Dengue, Tetanus, Malaria, Papilloma, Ebola, among others), antipyretics, anti-inflammatories, vaccines and other types of medicines according to their function, have allowed the cure of diseases such as (Dengue, Tetanus, Malaria, Papilloma, Ebola, among others) and improve the quality of life of many patients suffering from incurable diseases such as (Cancer, Asthma, AIDS, Diabetes and Lupus).

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The different vaccines that have been developed thanks to scientific advances in chemistry have made it possible to reduce the number of people killed by diseases such as smallpox in 1796, discovered by Edward Jenner, to the vaccines currently used to combat the outbreak of Covid-19 worldwide.

On the other hand, the finding of artificial organs, orthopedic prostheses, surgical thread, all of these are composed of chemical substances. Likewise, syringes, alcohol, hydrogen peroxide, serums and anesthesia are products of common use and very important in our lives.

4. ENVIRONMENTAL CHEMISTRY

For many years, man and industrial development have contributed to continuous damage to the environment, seriously affecting the planet and therefore society. This development has generated water, soil, air and land pollution, in addition to causing acid rain, the greenhouse effect and the destruction of the ozone layer.

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Why is it said that man and industries are the main responsible for environmental pollution? The different changes in the environment are due to the hand of man and the activities that he develops, such as the cutting of trees for the manufacture of furniture, pencil and paper, the uncontrolled burning of forests that destroy our ecosystem, the implementation of industries to obtain various products on a large scale, the use of automobiles and much more.

La lluvia acida es un proceso natural en el cual reacciona el vapor del agua y oxigeno presente en el aire que respiramos con los dióxido de azufre y nitrógenos (SO2 y N2O3) que son generados por las industrias, la quema de combustibles fósiles y el humo de los autos, dando como resultado la formación de ácidos sulfúrico (H2S04) y ácido nítrico (HNO3).

These acids are diluted in the water droplets found in clouds and fall to earth through precipitation. This results in the death of different marine species, the alteration of soil pH and thus the loss of agriculture, the corrosion of large buildings and water toxicity.

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In the same vein, the deterioration of the ozone layer is caused by the prolonged use of chlorofluorocarbons (CFCs) that were previously used as refrigerant gas and the use of pesticides, chloroform and halon, which is the gas used in fire extinguishers, which has resulted in the passage of ultraviolet rays from the sun to the earth's surface, causing damage to human health.

Y por último y no menos importante tenemos los gases responsables del efecto invernadero, el cual es provocado por el Dioxido de Carbono (CO2), Óxidos de Nitrógeno (NOx), metano (CH4), vapor de agua (H2O), Ozono (O3) y los Clorofluorocarbonaos (CFC), ellos son los responsables de absorber los rayos infrarrojos y devolverlos a la superficie terrestre, es por eso que se logra mantener una temperatura optima entre el día y la noche. Sin embargo, este fenómeno natural está comenzando a ser perjudicial para el ser humano, ya que gracias al aumento de estos gases a nivel atmosférico están provocando un sobre calentamiento global en el planeta, lo que trae como consecuencia que los glaciares de derritan, inundaciones, cambios bruscos en el clima como huracanes y tormentas.

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FINAL CONSIDERATIONS

Chemistry is considered a science that has undoubtedly contributed great advances to society in its different fields, but during its development it has also caused serious damage to the environment and therefore has affected human beings directly and indirectly.

However, man has sought better alternatives to reduce these side effects in society and over the years has been committed to achieving a better quality of life that will allow him to live more comfortably in all areas of life.

Undoubtedly there is a wide variety of applications that can be given to chemistry, which generates a large amount of information that we will share in future publications.

MATERIAL CONSULTED

Sotelo Sancho, José Luis. Química, Industria y Sociedad. Source:

Mulet Hing, Lilia N. La historia de la Química y el Desarrollo de la Sociedad. Source:

Sardi López, Estela. Química y medio ambiente. Source:

Badui Dergal, Salvador. Química de los alimentos. Source:








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