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Chemical Reactions in Our Daily Life Essay

Science being a subject of common interest, it is very intriguing to analyze visual experiments happening in day-to-day life. There are a plethora of products that you use everyday, which are formulated with application of chemical reaction. Say for example; toothpaste, soap, shampoo, cleaning agent, etc. are all results of chemical reactions. Following are some of the most profound chemical reactions, which we encounter in everyday life :

Aerobic Respiration

Do you know indulging in physical movements is associated with a chemical reaction? The process requires energy, which is yielded by aerobic respiration. Over here, respiration helps breaks down glucose (an energy source) into water, carbon dioxide and energy in form of ATP (adenosine triphosphate). The balanced cellular respiration equation is represented as:

C6H12O6 + 6O2 → 6CO2+ 6H2O + Energy (36 ATPs)

Anaerobic Respiration

Due to overexercising, sometimes our body cells run out of oxygen and respire anaerobically. This cause synthesis of lactic acid and cause muscle cramps. Anaerobic respiration is observed in some bacteria, yeast and other organisms. In contrary to the aerobic type, it breaks down glucose in the absence of oxygen, resulting in production of ethanol, carbon dioxide and energy. Anaerobic respiration equation is:

C6H12O6 → 2C2H5OH + 2CO2 + Energy


Photosynthesis is the process by which green plants manufacture their own food. This occurs in presence of sunlight and other raw materials, namely carbon dioxide and water. The chlorophyll pigment harvests the light energy from sunlight, which is then converted into glucose by the phenomenon of photosynthesis. In short, it is the opposite of aerobic respiration. The equation for photosynthesis is:

6 CO2+ 6 H2O + Light energy → C6H12O6 + 6 O2

Rusting of Iron

Very often, you notice a coating of rust over unpainted iron surfaces, which gradually leads to disintegration of iron. This is nothing, but a chemical phenomenon called rusting. In this case, iron (a very reactive metal) combines with oxygen in presence of water (more precisely, atmospheric moisture), resulting in formation of iron oxides. The chemical reaction behind rusting can be simply represented as:

Fe + O2 + H2O → Fe2O3. XH2O

Propane Grill

Have you ever prepared meat in a propane grill? The meat placed over the burner is cooked with the help of heat energy released after burning of propane gas. Thus, propane is the reactant which when burnt with the help of oxygen gives heat energy and other byproducts. Check out the balanced equation for the combustion reaction that take place in a propane grill:

C3H8 + 5O2 → 4H2O + 3CO2 + energy

Whether you consider cooking, souring, fermenting or burning, there is a chemical reaction accompanying these everyday processes. Thus, it won’t be wrong to say learning chemistry and chemical reactions start at home.

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