Chemistry

Fluoride is a group of compounds consisting of naturally occurring elements of fluorine plus one or more elements. These compounds are naturally found in water and soil. However, waters are still fluoridated through the process of fluoridation. Water fluoridation is a process that involves addition of fluoride into the amount of water in order to have about one particle of fluoride in every one million particles of water (ppm) or one milligram of fluoride in every one liter of water (mgL). This...

Many of us might think that chemistry is just another science. For me, once I hear the word, a picture of a scientist mixing different chemicals in the laboratory immediately comes to mind. At least this was what I initially thought before taking this chemistry class. What now retains in my head is the fact that chemistry works in ways people might not have realized  from the food we eat, the clothes we wear, the cars we ride, the processes inside our bodies, the products we consume, the air...

Urbanization and modernization have brought with them financial prosperity, economic betterment and a higher standard of comfort and living. However, man has sacrificed all the elements, with absolutely no consideration, only to achieve and accomplish prosperity at the cost of natures biodiversity and ecological balance. The world today faces the threat of extinction of innumerable species of plants and animals that have a right to stay on planet Earth more than us as they were its first occupants....

One big fear that the world is always faced with is what it would be if all the fossil fuel the it has been relying on are depleted. There is a continuously growing consumption of energy in all aspects of human life. The production processes all require enormous amounts of energy and they keep on growing each and very day. The consequences of these have been overexploitation of fossil fuel and which lead to great pollution of the environment.  The  from the statistics California institute...

This paper researches on the history of explosives over the past century, its types and usage. A brief introduction of the explosives has been given. The research question or problem is that the explosives accessibility should be limited and restricted for public use because of its negative effects. The method used has been secondary research. The explosives have been classified as high, low, primary and blasting agents. Disadvantages of the explosives are concerned with safety and health issues,...

Polychlorinated biphenyls also known as PCBs belong to a group of 209 synthetic organic chemicals composed of between 1 and 10 atoms of chlorine attached to biphenyl rings (1). These individual chlorinated biphenyl rings, congeners, were mainly manufactured as mixtures comprising of 60-90 congeners. The PCBs have a general formula of C12H10-xClx (1). PCBs are sparingly soluble in water but highly soluble in oils, fats and organic solvents. They are stable compounds and not easily degradable although...

A majority of substances used by humans in daily life such as air, water and food contain thousands of unknown substances. Other organisms also present in the environment such as insects, animals and microorganisms may be harmful to humans and can result in serious health effects on human beings. The following paper will examine health risks in relation to pesticides, chemical contaminants and natural toxins. Their history, mode of manufacture, safety and toxicity, relevance and importance based...

From the early 19th to the current 21st century people have come to rely on electricity almost as much as much as the water they drink and the air they breathe. This relationship came about from the integration of electronic based technologies and a society that has growing increasing dependent on them for either education, entertainment and even a means of comfort, all of which has ensured that the society as most people know it today would cease to exist should electricity ever stop flowing into...

The properties of plastics are determined by the polymers that constitute the unit. Based on this, plastics can be modified into biodegradable products by varying the constituents synthetically. Their chemical structures vary due to the substituting polyesters in the polymer chain. Lets study about the chemical differences and structure of green plastics PHA and PLA. Amylose and Amylopectin are the major polymer components of starch. In the link structure, all identical chain points are connected...

This essay is a review paper on the article Insulin by Nanette M. Wachter. The author of the article Insulin deals briefly about the various aspects of Insulin, namely- history, source, structure, manufacturing process, metabolic function and the clinical importance.  The article is well structured, written in a concise, coherent and impressive manner. The Chemical structure of Insulin is given in a pictorial form for easy understanding. This article is useful for beginners of Biochemistry...

This week my contributions to the problem of global warming, and subsequently the size of my carbon footprint are the same as they are every week. My daily routine means that I am contributing a lot to the problem of global warming and adding to the levels of carbon dioxide, methane and chlorofluorocarbons in the atmosphere. I drive my car every day, to school and to the shops, to see friends and to run other errands. I burn fossil fuels when having a BBQ at home or with friends, and I use chlorofluorocarbons...

Phosphorous is a major essential element found in abundance to forms of life for their activities. Other than in life activities, it is also important in diverse applications and so many other industries. In nature phosphorus is never found free. Because of its reactivity with air and other oxygen containing substances it occurs as bound to other elements mostly as inorganic phosphate in minerals. Phosphorus is the eleventh most abundant element on the surface of the earth. Some of the most popular...

Preservation of food is very important because it aims at preventing microbial spoilage of food products and growth of food borne pathogens. There are a number of methods used to preserve food and among them is radiation. Preserving food by radiation means ionizing radiation also known as irradiation. The process involves exposing food to ionizing radiation that destroys microorganisms, insects, bacteria or virus that might be present in food. The method works through processing of food with ionizing...