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ABSTRACT
We are surrounded by chemistry, but many people are not aware of that fact.
Chemistry has influenced our life so much that we do not even realise that we come
across chemicals at every moment; that we ourselves are beautiful chemical creations
and all our activities are controlled by chemicals.
Subject-Matter Objectives / Goals / Competences
By the end of the unit, students will be able to …
explain the presence of chemistry in their everyday lives.
give your opinion about the use of chemical substances in daily products.
discuss whether chemistry is just involved in manufactured products or not.
outline some phenomena of our everyday lives from a scientific perspective.
find and exchange information on the chemical explanation of some everyday facts.
SUBJECT MATTER CONTENTS:
Main Target Knowledge
The presence of chemistry in food through the use of additives.
The presence of chemistry in medicine through natural and manufactured remedies.
The presence of chemistry in personal care products through its impact on our body.
The presence of chemistry in housekeeping products and the dangers they involve.
Be able to identify chemical hazard labels.
The advantages and disadvantages of the presence of chemistry in our everyday life.
Main Target Skills
Be able to explain how certain chemical reactions from everyday life work.
Surf the Internet to find specific information.
Develop a critical approach towards the presence of chemicals in our everyday life.
extensively used by farmers to restore the fertility of soil in the fields. Pesticides are used to
protect the crop during farming and preserve the grains from pests, rats and mice during
storage. Genetically modified seeds which are used to enhance production and earn profits
through export of food grains are agricultural applications of Bio-chemistry. Whereas
refrigeration system for cold storage of vegetables and raw meat uses Poly Urethanes Foam
(PUF) and the chemical properties of gases, the preservatives in packaged food products are
known to have adverse impact on our body.
Chemicals in Food
Chemicals are added to food for (i) their preservation, (ii) enhancing
their appeal, and (iii) adding nutritive value in them. Main categories
of food additives are as follows:
(i) Food colours
(ii) Flavours and sweeteners
(iii) Fat emulsifiers and stabilising agents
(iv) Flour improvers - antistaling agents and bleaches
(v) Antioxidants
(vi) Preservatives
(vii) Nutritional supplements such as minerals, vitamins and amino acids.
Except for chemicals of category (vii), none of the above additives have nutritive value. These
are added either to increase the shelf life of stored food or for cosmetic purposes.
Medicine
Chemistry is a huge part of medicine, both as a diagnostic and treatment tool.
Chemistry departments in hospital medical labs analyze blood, urine, etc. for proteins,
sugars and other substances. Blood analysis test the amount of potassium and sodium
in our blood.
of fear down the spines across the globe. Nuclear reactors which are going to serve the future
generations through power generation leave us with the problem of Nuclear Waste
Management. Whereas the destructive power is generated through chains of chemical
reactions, we remain assured that Chemistry has facilitated the chain of counter measures too
in the form of safety suites and NBC resistant bunkers. Forensic science- the comprehensive
scientific analysis of material evidence in the context of the law uses principles of chemistry
to facilitate crime investigation. Tele-communications, Information Technology and Space
Missions- all bank on the chemistry of semi-conductor sand nano-tubes.
Environmental Issu
Chemistry is at the heart of environmental issues. What makes one chemical a nutrient
and another chemical a pollutant? How we can clean up the environment? What processes can
produce the things our need without harming the environment? We're all chemists. We use
chemicals every day and perform chemical reactions without thinking much about them.
Chemistry is important because everything you do is chemistry! Even our body is made of
chemicals. Chemical reactions occur when we breathe, eat, or just sit there reading. All matter
is made of chemicals, so the importance of chemistry is that it's the study of everything.
Reference
1. http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistry101/f/importanceofchemistry.htm
Chemistry is present in every aspect of life, and here we can see a few examples. There
are articles about the chemistry of everyday life, and also a few about physics, as it's also
present in our daily life
2. http://www.novapdf.com