Several tens of thousands of the most important chemicals have densely entered our lives, dressing and shoeing, supplying our body with useful elements, providing us with optimal conditions for life. Oils, alkalis, acids, gases, mineral fertilizers, paints, plastics - only a small part of the products created on the basis of chemical elements.
This is chemistry. Did not know?
Waking up in the morning, we wash ourselves and brush our teeth. Soap, toothpaste, shampoo, lotions, creams - products based on chemistry. We make tea, drop a slice of lemon in a glass - and observe how the liquid becomes lighter. We are witnessing a chemical reaction - the acid-base interaction of several products. Bathroom and kitchen - each, in its own way, is a mini-laboratory of a house or apartment, where something is stored in a container or vial. What substance, their name we recognize from the label: salt, soda, whiteness, etc.
Especially a lot of chemical processes occur in the kitchen during cooking. Pans and pans successfully replace flasks and retorts here, and each new product sent to them carries out its own separate chemical reaction, interacting with the composition there. Next, a person, using the dishes prepared by him, starts the mechanism of digestion of food. This is also a chemical process. And so in everything. Our whole life is predetermined by elements from the periodic table.
Open table
Initially, the table created by Dmitry Ivanovich consisted of 63 elements. That is how many of them were discovered by then. The scientist understood that he had classified a far from complete list of the elements existing and discovered in different years by his predecessors in nature. And he was right. More than a hundred years later, his table already consisted of 103 items, to the beginning of zero - from 109, and the discoveries continued. Scientists all over the world are struggling to calculate new elements, relying on the basis - a table created by a Russian scientist.
The periodic law of Mendeleev is the basis of chemistry. The interactions between the atoms of certain elements gave rise to basic substances in nature. Those, in turn, are previously unknown and more complex derivatives of them. All the names of substances that exist today are derived from elements that are interconnected in the process of chemical reactions. Molecules of substances reflect the composition of these elements in them, as well as the number of atoms.
Each element has its own letter symbol.
In the periodic table, the name of the elements is given in both alphabetic and symbolic terms. Some we pronounce, others we use when writing formulas. Write down the names of the substances separately and look at a number of their symbols. It shows what elements the product consists of, how many atoms of one component or another each specific substance could synthesize during the chemical reaction. Everything is quite simple and clear, thanks to the presence of characters.
The basis of the symbolic expression of the elements was the initial, and, in most cases, one of the following letters from the Latin name of the element. The system was proposed in the early 19th century by Berzelius, a chemist from Sweden. One letter today expresses the names of two dozen elements. The rest are two-letter. Examples of such names: copper - Cu (cuprum), iron - Fe (ferrum), magnesium - Mg (magnium) and so on. In the name of the substances are given the reaction products of certain elements, and in the formulas - their symbolic series.
The product is safe and not very
Chemistry around us is much more than the average person can suggest. Without doing science professionally, we still have to deal with it in our daily lives. Everything that stands on our table consists of chemical elements. Even the human body is woven from dozens of chemicals.
The names of chemicals that exist in nature can be divided into two groups: used in everyday life or not. Complex and dangerous salts, acids, ether compounds are narrowly specific and are used exclusively in professional activities. They require caution and accuracy in their use, and in some cases special permission. Substances that are indispensable in everyday life are less harmless, but their improper use can lead to serious consequences. From this we can conclude that there is no harmless chemistry. We will analyze the main substances with which human life is associated.
Biopolymer as a building material of the body
The main fundamental component of the body is protein - a polymer consisting of amino acids and water. He is responsible for the formation of cells, hormonal and immune systems, muscle mass, bones, ligaments, internal organs. The human body consists of more than one billion cells, and each requires a protein, or, as it is also called, protein. Based on the foregoing, give the names of substances that are more indispensable for a living organism. The basis of the body is the cell, the basis of the cell is the protein. No other is given. The lack of protein, as well as its excess, leads to a disruption of all vital functions of the body.
About 20 alpha amino acids that create macromolecules by peptide bonds are involved in the construction of proteins. Those, in turn, arise as a result of the interaction of COOH substances - carboxyl and NH 2 - amino groups. The most famous protein is collagen. It belongs to the class of fibrillar proteins. The very first, the structure of which was established, is insulin. Even for a person far from chemistry, these names say a lot. But not everyone knows that these substances are proteins.
Essential Amino Acids
A protein cell is composed of amino acids - the name of substances having a side chain in the structure of molecules. They are formed by: C - carbon, N - nitrogen, O - oxygen and H - hydrogen. Of the twenty standard amino acids, nine enter the cells exclusively with food. The rest are synthesized by the body in the process of interaction of various compounds. With age or in the presence of diseases, the list of nine essential amino acids significantly expands and replenishes conditionally essential.
In total, more than five hundred different amino acids are known. They are classified in many ways, one of which divides them into two groups: proteinogenic and non-proteinogenic. Some of them play an indispensable role in the functioning of the body, not related to the formation of protein. The names of the organic substances in these key groups are: glutamate, glycine, carnitine. The latter serves as a transporter in the body of lipids.
Fats: simple and complex
We are used to call all fat-like substances in the body lipids or fats. Their main physical property is insolubility in water. However, in interaction with other substances, such as benzene, alcohol, chloroform and others, these organic compounds break down quite easily. The main chemical difference between fats is similar properties, but different structures. In the life of a living organism, these substances are responsible for its energy. So, one gram of lipids is able to secrete about forty kJ.
A large number of substances included in fat molecules do not allow for their convenient and affordable classification. The main thing that unites them is their attitude to the hydrolysis process. In this regard, fats are saponified and unsaponifiable. The names of the substances that create the first group are divided into simple and complex lipids. Simple include some types of wax, choresterol ethers. The second - sphingolipids, phospholipids and a number of other substances.
Carbohydrates as the Third Type of Nutrient
The third type of essential nutrient of a living cell, along with proteins and fats, is carbohydrates. These are organic compounds consisting of H (hydrogen), O (oxygen) and C (carbon). The structure of carbohydrates and their functions are similar to the properties of fats. They are also sources of body energy, but unlike lipids, they mostly get there with food of plant origin. The exception is milk.
Carbohydrates are divided into polysaccharides, monosaccharides and oligosaccharides. Some do not dissolve in water, others - on the contrary. The following are the names of insoluble substances. These include complex carbohydrates from the polysaccharide group, such as starch and cellulose. Their splitting into simpler substances occurs under the influence of juices secreted by the digestive system.
The beneficial substances of the other two groups are found in berries and fruits in the form of water-soluble sugars, perfectly absorbed by the body. Oligosaccharides - lactose and sucrose, monosaccharides - fructose and glucose.
Glucose and fiber
Names of substances such as glucose and fiber are common in everyday life. Both are carbohydrates. One of the monosaccharides contained in the blood of any living organism and plant sap. The second is from polysaccharides, which is responsible for the digestion process; in other functions, fiber is rarely used, but it is also an indispensable substance. Their structure and synthesis are quite complex. But it is enough for a person to know the basic functions adopted in the life of the body, so as not to neglect their use.
Glucose provides cells with a substance such as grape sugar, which provides energy for their rhythmic uninterrupted functioning. About 70 percent of glucose enters the cells with food, the remaining thirty - the body produces independently. The human brain is in dire need of glucose of food origin, since this organ is not capable of independently synthesizing glucose . In honey, it is found in the greatest quantity.
Not so simple ascorbic
A source of vitamin C familiar to everyone since childhood is a complex chemical substance consisting of hydrogen and oxygen atoms. Their interaction with other elements can even lead to the creation of salts - it is enough to change only one atom in the compound. In this case, the name and class of the substance will change. Experiments with ascorbic acid have revealed its indispensable properties in the function of restoring human skin.
In addition, it strengthens the immune system of the skin, helps to resist the negative effects of the atmosphere. It has anti-aging, whitening properties, prevents aging, neutralizes free radicals. Contained in citruses, bell peppers, medicinal herbs, strawberries. About one hundred milligrams of ascorbic acid - the optimal daily dose - can be obtained with wild rose, sea buckthorn, and also kiwi.
Substances around us
We were convinced that our whole life is chemistry, since man himself consists entirely of its elements. Food, shoes and clothing, hygiene products are only a fraction of where we meet the fruits of science in everyday life. The purpose of many elements we know and use for our own benefit. In a rare house you will not find boric acid, or hydrated lime, as we call it, or calcium hydroxide, as it is known to science. Widely used by humans, copper sulfate - copper sulfate. The name of the substance comes from the name of its main component.
Sodium bicarbonate is a common soda in everyday life. This new acid is acetic acid. And so with any element of natural or animal origin. All of them consist of compounds of chemical elements. Not everyone can explain their molecular structure, it is enough to know the name, purpose of the substance and use it correctly.