Howard

Chantel Howard
Professor Okleberry
Chemistry 1010
12 December 2016
The Importance of Chemical Reactions

In life we often dont think about the way things happen, we dont sit around and break
down what things are made of. At least, a good portion of people are this way. We are aware of
how things happen but are we really aware of what is happening beneath what we see? We
understand basic things but sometimes we dont question why things are happening and really try
to figure out what is making these things happen. Before Chemistry I never stopped to think that
the cheese Im eating or the wine Im drinking occurred from a chemical reaction of Anaerobic
Respiration by yeast and bacteria that is harnessed for fermentation to produce these things.
C6H12O6 2C2H5OH + 2CO2 + energy

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Whenever I strike a match to light a candle now I often times stop to think that this
is occurring because of a combustion reaction. Combustion reactions combine energetic
molecules with oxygen to produce carbon dioxide and water.
C3H8 + 5O2 4H2O + 3CO2 + energy

How fascinating is it to think this simple thing we do time after time occurs from a
chemical reaction we never stop to think about? When looking at rust on my bike forming I now
know that iron is going through an oxidation reaction creating this rust.
Fe + O2 + H2O Fe2O3. XH2O

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I never thought about how the things Im baking rise but now I know that a double
displacement reaction is occurring when I mix milk with baking powder. A recipe is just a type
of chemical reaction. You add the reagents (the ingredients), which yield about a dozen
cornbread muffins or a small cornbread cake (the products).

Even some chemical reactions are saving our life, the explosive decomposition of
Sodium azide (Na (N3)2) into Nitrogen gas (N2) and sodium (Na) after a small impact in the
reaction causes the airbags to blow up after an accident.

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There are things we do every day where chemical reactions are taking place and majority
of us never stop to think about it! Its amazing! Before chemistry I never thought about these
simple and yet so complex and beautiful chemical reactions. Its amazing and happening all
around us and I think we all should stop to think about how and why these things are happening
more often.

Sources:

"10 Examples of Chemical Reactions in Everyday Life." About.com Education. N.p., 2016.
Web. 14 Dec. 2016.

"How Do Air Bags Work?" Scientific American. N.p., 2002. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.

Log In to Canvas. N.p., n.d. Web. 14 Dec. 2016.

Gillman, Charlotte. "Chemical Reactions in Everyday Life." Prezi.com. N.p., 2015. Web. 14
Dec. 2016.