You know that many advances in technology have been made throughout history. As humanity learns more about the elements that exist naturally in the world and come up with ways to create synthetic elements, we are able to use that knowledge to improve the way we do things. The study of chemical reactions has led to hundreds of materials we use every day. In this activity, you will learn about some examples of the chemical changes involved in our everyday lives.

Let's think about some chemical changes that occur at home. If you did a quick survey of the cupboards in your kitchen, bathroom, and laundry room, you would probably find all-purpose cleaners, toilet-bowl cleaners, and a variety of other cleaning products. Cleaners usually contain substances that are reactive. They start chemical changes that break down the dirt and make cleaning less difficult. Drain cleaners, for example, often contain highly corrosive substances such as sodium hydroxide, which clean clogged drains by breaking down the proteins (such as skin cells and hair) and animal fats that cause the problem.

Another example of chemical changes that occur all the time at home is in cooking and baking. A knowledge of chemistry is important in the kitchen. Knowing how different ingredients react allows you to control chemical reactions. For example, if you were baking bread, you may use yeast. Yeast is a single-celled organism that needs food, warmth, and moisture to thrive. It converts its food (sugar and starch) into carbon dioxide and alcohol. Carbon dioxide bubbles make baked goods rise.

There are many other chemicals in the home (and garden) that are used for various purposes. You may wonder why people use these products if they can be dangerous to health and safety.

There are many reasons we might use chemical reactions in our homes:

• If you want to have a nice looking yard, you might use herbicides to kill weeds and pesticides to keep bugs from eating the leaves on plants. The chemical reactions involved in pesticides varies depending on the type of pesticide used. Some pesticides react with the "pest" in order to interfere with its metabolism. So, instead of allowing an animal or plant to continue to live and grow, a pesticide may cause an animal to stop breathing or may stop a plant from producing seeds.

 

Figure 4:  Herbicide.  Courtesy of Pixabay

 

 

• Heartburn results because the stomach acid your body produces is irritating your esophagus (the passageway food goes through on the way to the stomach). People may take an antacid to relieve heartburn. Antacids involve a chemical reaction where the weak base in the product reacts with the stomach acid to neutralize it, producing salt and water. The heartburn goes away.

 

Figure 5:  Antacid tablets.  Courtesy of Pixabay

 

 

The previous examples use substances you might recognize as containing chemicals, but there are many simple chemical reactions that take place with substances you might not think of as chemicals:

If you eat fish and squeeze a lemon on it, you are causing a chemical reaction where the acid in the lemon juice neutralizes the taste of some of the chemical make-up of the fish.

 

Figure 6:  Lemons on fish.  courtesy of Wikipedia

 

 

Figure 6:  Tomato sauce in aluminium pot.  Courtesy of Needpix.

 

If you cook with pots made of aluminum, you may find that acidic foods such as vinegar and some fruits such as oranges, lemons, rhubarb, and tomatoes react with the aluminum. The food tastes different than it does when prepared in a non-reactive pan such as stainless steel or glass.

Chemical reactions take place in every aspect of life; therefore, you must be very sure you are aware of the possibility that chemical reactions can take place. You must be careful with all products so that only the desired reaction occurs!