When we cook, we make a chemical change in the food to make it easy to digest, and tastier to eat! Salt is the biggest chemistry example as it’s sodium chloride, and we can’t imagine food without it! Right from our morning toothpaste, to the mosquito coil in the evenings- molecules are altered to meet our needs! Baking soda, baking powder and essence that makes cakes so good contain sodium benzoate, sodium sorbate etc. Soap and detergents work as emulsifiers to surround dirt, grime and dust so it can be washed away from clothes or the body. 

Every single antibiotic, even the off-the counter painkillers we take contain chemical compounds that attack pathogens by triggering the natural chemicals in the body, without harming human cells. Chemotherapy, radiation, sonography, x-rays etc are also extensions of chemistry playing with molecules and atoms!

The use of chemistry in daily life extends heavily to cosmetics too. A typical cosmetic product will contain 10-15 ingredients- they can be organic or chemicals. Water (H20), emulsifiers, preservatives (benzyl alcohol, parabens, tetrasodium etc), thickeners (carnauba wax, aluminium silicate), colouring agents (carmime), glitter comes from mica and the list goes on. Deodorants and perfumes too contain chemical compounds, for the fragrance and antiperspirant properties. Notice that sunscreens quote the SPF, UV or UVB protection? Sunblock contains zinc oxide or titanium oxide that help scatter away UV light, so it doesn’t penetrate the skin.

Digestion in the stomach depends on chemical reactions to break down food into nutrients. Our food comprises several vitamins and minerals- like magnesium, iron, calcium, sodium and more- these are all chemicals! Infact, the human body is made up of two main elements- carbon and oxygen! Our emotions- feeling sad, angry or happy are all a result of our neurotransmitters that are triggered by a chemical reaction in the body. Our clothes contain an organic dye called azo dye, that gives it colour.

Even animals and plants rely on chemical reactions to meet their needs. Photosynthesis is a complex chemical reaction in itself. Chlorophyll present in plants is what actually makes our leafy vegetables so green! Wonder why an onion makes you cry? It’s because when cut it releases sulfenic acid that is responsible for propanethiol S-oxide gas that causes tears in eyes. If we look at metals, rust is an oxidation reaction, the same that causes silver to tarnish over time. And so many more examples of chemistry in everyday life…. Now you can watch them, learn about them and understand them better too! How?

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