Chemistry in Our Lives

     Formally chemistry is the branch of science that deals with the identification of substances of which matter is composed. This is the side of science that deals with matter, energy and all the interactions between them, studding the way substances transform from one to another.  However, Chemistry is much more than just a mere part of science. Chemistry is all around us, we use it throughout our life in our everyday life, just like breathing. This science is there when we eat, drink, bath or even drive our car. Our whole body is going through innumerous chemical reactions even at this time, in every second, of everyday. The food we eat, the water we drink it’s all studied in the so called chemistry.

      It was thanks to so many chemists from the past that we can now enjoy so many entertaining activities, that we take for granted. The cell phones we use, the TV we watch every single day, the internet that young kids can’t get enough, and of course the cars that are so precious for our daily life. All this, are things that we can’t live without, but probably most people don’t even know how some of them actually work. This is something that chemistry can teach us.

            Chemistry gives us knowledge. It can teach us so many things that can change our lifes, and show us how the world works. This science can show us so many different things in the world, because it’s connected with almost all other sciences. If we think deeply about, medicine, engineering, biology, or geology, for example, they are ultimately connected with chemistry. When we study any of these sciences we will find points and knowledge that we gain through chemistry. So, this is a science that can open so many doors to us.

           In the film below, made and distributed by EPCA, we are shown the innumerous ways in which chemistry is important for humans.

Importance of Chemistry

Chemistry can teach us a lot of important informations that can be truly helpful in our life.  From little information that can seem insignificant like, the reason why leaves change color, or why plants are green, to knowledge that can change our entire world, information that can make life a little less mysterious and scary.

Moreover this is a science that can open a lot of paths for different kinds of careers, because chemistry applies in the most diverse fields of knowledge. For example, chemistry can help someone with the dream of becoming a chef, because ‘if the person is able to understand the chemical reactions involved in making baked goods rise, or neutralizing acidity, this will increase the chances of the person being a good cooker’ (About.comChemistry). Also, all the ‘analytical skills that people can gain by learning chemistry, can become really helpful in any kind of job’(ibid).

In addition to all that, most of all, Chemistry is fun. There is so many different and interesting experiments we can do in chemistry. Just the fact that we can take something and transform it into another completely different thing, is already fun enough, but there is so many amazing things we can do if we are creative enough. We can make substances change colors, glow or even explode. If we use all the safety measures and our knowledge of chemistry we can create the most amazing things. 

         In the video below, made for a youtube contest called 'It's Chemistry, Eh!?' you can see all the different uses of chemistry, and will probably start to see the chemistry that is all around us. 

Chemistry in Glow Sticks

Glow sticks are a colorful example of how chemistry makes our lives a little more fun and entertaining. We use them in so many occasions and in so m any ways, as an accessory for school dances, decorations in parties, and a lot of other fun ideas like use them as shoe lacers. We might not put our minds into it, but chemical reactions play a big role in the working process of the glow sticks we use so much for parties and events.

‘The process where light is produced from the chemical reaction in the glow stick is called chemiluminescence’ (Steve Spangler Science). The reaction between the different chemicals in the glow stick causes a release of energy, but this energy only becomes light, there is no heat being produced. ‘When the chemicals are mixed, the atoms are excited causing the electrons to rise to a higher energy level and then returning to their normal energy levels. When they return to their normal levels, they release energy as light.’ (ibid).

 ‘A glow stick holds a hydrogen peroxide solution and another solution that contains phenyl oxalate ester along with a fluorescent dye. The chemical compounds are kept separated in two sections. While the phenyl oxalate ester and dye solution fill the most of the plastic stick, the hydrogen peroxide is contained in a small fragile glass in the middle of the glow stick. When you snap it, the glass breaks and allows the chemicals to mix. The chemicals immediately react with one another and the atoms begin emitting light.’ (ibid). The color of the glow stick is not always the same, and this is possible because the dye is what gives the light a distinctive color, so if the dye is different, consequently the color of the stick will also be.

                ‘This is a chemical reaction that could last for a few hours or days’ (ibid), it all depends on the quantity of chemicals used. If we have a higher amount of hydrogen peroxide the light produced will be brighter, but the on the other hand, if the there is less hydrogen peroxide, the light will be dimmer. We can then conclude that the strength of the light in a glow stick can be influenced by its chemical formulation.

                Even though no heat is produce in this reaction, temperate can actually influence the durability of the light in a glow stick. This happens because ‘depending on the temperature, the rate of the reaction can be speed up or slow down.’ (ibid). A higher temperature will make the reaction happen faster and the light will shine brighter, but the light will also last less time. On the other hand a lower temperature will slow it down and even thought the light is not that strong, it will last more time. So, if we ever want to make a glow stick last after being activated it should be kept on a cold place.  

               Watch the following videos from youtube, and see how fun and incredibly crazy chemistry is.