The importance of chemistry in human life cannot be overestimated. Here are the fundamental areas in which chemistry has its creative impact on people's lives.
1. The emergence and development of human life is not possible without chemistry. It is chemical processes, many of whose secrets scientists have not yet revealed, that are responsible for that gigantic transition from inanimate matter to the simplest unicellular, and further to the top of the modern evolutionary process - man.
2. Most of the material needs that arise in human life are served by natural chemistry or are satisfied as a result of the use of chemical processes in production.
3. Even the lofty and humanistic aspirations of people are based on the chemistry of the human body, and, in particular, are highly dependent on the chemical processes in the human brain.
Of course, all the richness and diversity of life cannot be reduced to chemistry alone. But along with physics and psychology, chemistry as a science is a determining factor in the development of human civilization.
Chemistry of life
As far as we now know, our planet formed approximately 4.6 billion years ago, and the simplest fermenting single-celled life forms have existed for 3.5 billion years. Already 3.1 billion years they could have used photosynthesis, but geological data on the oxidative state of sedimentary deposits of iron indicate that the Earth's atmosphere acquired an oxidizing character only 1.8-1.4 billion years ago. Multicellular life forms, which apparently depended on an abundance of energy, possible only by breathing oxygen, appeared on Earth from about a billion to 700 million years ago, and it was at that time that the path for the further evolution of higher organisms was outlined. The most revolutionary step, after the birth of life itself, was the use of an extraterrestrial source of energy, the Sun. Ultimately, this is what turned the miserable germs of life, which used randomly occurring natural molecules with great free energy, into a huge force capable of transforming the surface of the planet and even going beyond it.
At present, scientists adhere to the point of view that the origin of life on Earth took place in a reducing atmosphere, which consisted of ammonia, methane, water and carbon dioxide, but did not contain free oxygen.
The first living organisms obtained energy by decomposing molecules of non-biological origin with high free energy into smaller molecules without oxidizing them. It is assumed that at an early stage of the Earth's existence, it had a reducing atmosphere, consisting of gases such as hydrogen, methane, water, ammonia and hydrogen sulfide, but containing very little or no free oxygen. Free oxygen would destroy organic compounds faster than they could be synthesized as a result of naturally occurring processes (under the influence of an electric discharge, ultraviolet radiation, heat, or natural radioactivity). Under these reducing conditions, organic molecules, which were formed by non-biological means, could not be destroyed by oxidation, as is the case in our time, but continued to accumulate for millennia, until, finally, compact localized formations of chemicals appeared, which can already be considered living organisms.
The living organisms that appeared could support their existence by destroying naturally occurring organic compounds, absorbing their energy. But if it were the only source of energy, then life on our planet would be extremely limited. Fortunately, about 3 billion years ago, important compounds of metals with porphyrins appeared, and this opened the way to the use of a completely new source of energy - sunlight. The first step that raised life on Earth beyond its role as a mere consumer of organic compounds was the incorporation of coordination chemistry processes into it.
Apparently, the restructuring was a side effect of the emergence of a new way of storing energy - photosynthesis* - which gave its owners a huge advantage over simple enzymatic energy absorbers. Organisms that developed this new property could use the energy of sunlight to synthesize their own energy-intensive molecules and no longer depend on what is in their environment. They became the forerunners of all green plants.
Today, all living organisms can be divided into two categories: those that are able to produce their own food with the help of sunlight, and those that do not. Most likely, related bacteria are today living fossils, descendants of those ancient fermentable anaerobes that retreated to the rare anaerobic regions of the world when the atmosphere as a whole accumulated large amounts of free oxygen and acquired an oxidizing character. Since organisms of the second category exist due to the organisms of the first category that they eat, the accumulation of energy through photosynthesis is the source of the driving force for everything living on Earth.
The general reaction of photosynthesis in green plants is the opposite of the reaction of glucose combustion and takes place with the absorption of a significant amount of energy.
6 CO 2 + 6 H 2 O --> C 6 H 12 O 6 + 6 O 2
Water is broken down into its elements, which creates a source of hydrogen atoms to reduce carbon dioxide to glucose, and unwanted oxygen gas is released into the atmosphere. The energy needed to carry out this highly non-spontaneous process is provided by sunlight. The most ancient forms of bacterial photosynthesis did not use water as a source of reducing hydrogen, but hydrogen sulfide, organic matter, or hydrogen gas itself, but the easy availability of water has made this source the most convenient, and it is now used by all algae and green plants. The simplest organisms that carry out photosynthesis with the release of oxygen are blue-green algae. It is more correct to designate them with the modern name of cyanobacteria, since these are, in fact, bacteria that have learned to extract their own food from carbon dioxide, water and sunlight.
Unfortunately, photosynthesis releases a dangerous by-product, oxygen. Oxygen was not only useless to early organisms, it competed with them by oxidizing naturally occurring organic compounds before they could be oxidized by the organisms' metabolism. Oxygen was a much more efficient “devourer” of energy-intensive compounds than living matter. Even worse, the layer of ozone, which gradually formed from oxygen in the upper atmosphere, blocked access to the ultraviolet radiation of the Sun and further slowed down the natural synthesis of organic compounds. From all modern points of view, the appearance of free oxygen in the atmosphere was a threat to life.
But, as often happens, life managed to get around this obstacle and even turned it into an advantage. The waste products of the primary protozoa were compounds such as lactic acid and ethanol. These substances are much less energy intensive compared to sugars, but they are able to release a large amount of energy if they are completely oxidized to CO 2 and H 2 O. As a result of evolution, living organisms have arisen that can “fix” dangerous oxygen in the form of H 2 O and CO 2 , and in return receive the energy of combustion of what used to be their waste. The benefits of burning food with oxygen have been so great that the vast majority of life forms - plants and animals - now use oxygen respiration.
When new sources of energy appeared, a new problem arose, no longer with obtaining food or oxygen, but with transporting oxygen to the proper place in the body. Small organisms could get by with simple diffusion of gases through their fluids, but this is not enough for multicellular creatures. Thus, another obstacle arose before evolution.
The way out of the impasse for the third time was possible due to the processes of coordination chemistry. Such molecules appeared, consisting of iron, porphyrin and protein, in which iron could bind an oxygen molecule without being oxidized. Oxygen is simply transferred to different parts of the body to be released under the right conditions - acidity and lack of oxygen. One of these molecules, hemoglobin, carries O 2 in the blood, and the other, myoglobin, receives and stores (stores) oxygen in muscle tissues until it is needed in chemical processes. As a result of the appearance of myoglobin and hemoglobin, restrictions on the size of living organisms were lifted. This led to the emergence of a variety of multicellular, and, ultimately, humans.
* Photosynthesis is the process of converting light energy into chemical bond energy of the resulting substances.
** Metabolism is the breakdown of energy-rich substances and the extraction of their energy.
Chemistry as a mirror of human life.
Take a look around and you will see that the life of a modern person is impossible without chemistry. We use chemicals in food production. We move around in cars whose metal, rubber and plastics are made using chemical processes. We use perfumes, eau de toilette, soaps and deodorants, the production of which is unthinkable without chemicals. There is even an opinion that the most exalted feeling of a person, love, is a set of certain chemical reactions in the body.
This approach to considering the role of chemistry in human life is, in my opinion, simplified, and I suggest that you deepen and expand it, moving to a completely new plane of assessing chemistry and its impact on human society.
If you have corrections or suggestions for this lesson, write to us.
By investigating the processes occurring in nature and discovering the laws that govern them, chemistry, together with other natural sciences, forms the basis of the chemical industry and the chemicalization of the country's national economy.
The chemical industry pursues the goal of supplying the national economy with various substances, materials, and products obtained by it by changing the composition or structure of the starting materials, that is, by chemical methods. These methods of chemical industry are supplied by chemistry, together with mechanics, physics and other natural sciences, which develop under the influence of the requirements of material production. The chemical industry, with its needs, has a decisive influence on the development of chemical science.
Chemicalization of the national economy is the introduction of chemical methods of processing materials and products of the chemical industry in all sectors of production, culture and everyday life. It is, as we have seen above, one of the main directions of scientific and technological progress, the creation of the material and technical basis of communism. Chemicalization accelerates technological progress, making an invaluable contribution to the improvement of materials, tools, and production technology. It contributes to increasing labor productivity and creating an abundance of products necessary for the comprehensive satisfaction of people's needs. For the implementation of the chemicalization of the national economy, it is necessary to develop chemical science and the chemical industry, to disseminate chemical knowledge among the people.
From this one can see the importance of chemistry in the construction of a communist society. Let us consider in more detail the role of chemistry in modern life.
Solid, liquid and gaseous fuels are of paramount importance for industry, agriculture, transport, national defense and everyday life. Chemistry has a prominent role in the development of processes for the production of these fuels. She substantiated methods for the production of various types of gaseous and liquid fuels from coal, peat, oil shale. She developed methods for distillation and various types of oil cracking, which ensured the production of a large amount of gasoline, kerosene and other types of motor fuel from it. Chemistry has developed methods for obtaining fuel for jet engines and, from this side, has ensured the development of jet propulsion. Together with physics, she created the scientific foundations for obtaining fuel for nuclear reactors. Chemistry has revealed the scientific basis for the rational combustion of fuels with a high efficiency. In other words, chemistry plays a prominent role in modern energy.
Modern production is unthinkable without machines and tools. The main materials from which they are made are metals and their alloys, which are obtained on the basis of the chemical processing of natural materials. Chemistry provides metallurgy with methods for studying natural materials in order to determine the content of the necessary metals in them, methods for enriching raw materials with the necessary substances, methods for obtaining metals and alloys from these substances. Modern methods of metal production are based on redox processes. The production of pig iron is based on the reduction of iron with carbon monoxide, obtained by burning coke. The roasting of sulfur ores and the reduction of metals with coal form the basis for the production of copper, zinc, and lead. The reduction of metals by hydrogen from oxides is used in the production of molybdenum, tungsten, vanadium and other metals. Recovery in electric furnaces of chromium and manganese from their oxides underlies the production of ferrochromium and ferromanganese. Recovery by electric current is used in the production of aluminum, magnesium, sodium, potassium, as well as in the refining of copper and other metals. The use of oxygen in metallurgy increases labor productivity. Chemistry is of great importance for the development of metallurgy.
The production of machines and devices is mainly a physical and mechanical production, requiring the manufacture of various parts and their assembly. But chemistry has also penetrated deeply into the production of instruments and machines. Products of the chemical industry, plastics for the manufacture of parts, rubber for the manufacture of tires, tires and gaskets, various insulating materials for electrical engineering and radio electronics, lubricating oils to prevent wear of rubbing surfaces, etc., are widely used in mechanical engineering and instrumentation. Chemistry suggested the correct ways to prevent metals against corrosion: oxidation, copper plating, chromium plating, nickel plating, coating of metals with varnishes and paints, the use of various inhibitors, etc. In this regard, acids and salts, varnishes and paints, synthetic resins, etc. are widely used in mechanical engineering. makes extensive use of chemical methods and products of the chemical industry.
The construction industry needs steel, bricks, cement, glass, blocks, panels, ceramic products, paints, varnishes, varnishes, various synthetic materials (to cover floors, doors, ceilings, walls), which are products of physical chemical processing of natural materials. Installation of buildings from panels and blocks, laying brick walls and their plastering, concreting, cementing are important processes in the construction business. The discovery of the chemical bases of these processes was of great importance for the rational and productive performance of construction work. Chemistry provides the production of building materials with methods for their production, and the construction business with chemical methods for combining materials, finishing rooms, etc.
Food production is the task of agriculture. High yields are unthinkable without the use of mineral and organo-mineral fertilizers, chemical weed control agents (herbicides), pests and diseases of agricultural plants (insectofungicides), without growth stimulants, etc. Every year, the consumption of phosphorus and potassium in agriculture is increasing. and nitrogen fertilizers, compounds of boron, manganese, molybdenum and other substances used as microfertilizers, hexachlorane, DDT, parachlorobenzene, dichloroethane and many other means of combating pests and diseases of cultivated plants obtained in the chemical industry. For the production of fertilizers, the chemical industry consumes hundreds of thousands of tons of nitric acid and millions of tons of sulfuric acid. Chemistry delivers fodder, medical and sanitary products to animal husbandry. Many processes of the food industry processing primary agricultural products are based on chemistry - the production of starch syrup, acetic acid, alcohol, sugar, margarine, etc. Chemistry has deeply penetrated into agriculture and the food industry.
In the production of clothing and footwear, products of the chemical industry and methods of chemical technology are also widely used. In recent years, chemistry has begun to successfully compete with nature in the manufacture of artificial (viscose, acetate silk) and synthetic (nylon, nylon, enanth, chlorine, etc.) fibers for textiles and leather substitutes for the shoe industry. Boiling and bleaching, mercerization and dyeing, printing patterns and dressing of fabrics are chemical processes and for their implementation require the use of chemical industry products: alkalis, hypochlorites, dyes, acetic acid, various salts used as mordants, detergents, etc. A powerful anilo-dye chemical industry developed to provide the textile industry with dyes.
Chemistry has penetrated widely into the realm of culture. The manufacture of paper, the preparation of printing inks and alloys, the production of materials for radio and television equipment, films, photographic materials is based on the use of chemistry and products of the chemical industry.
Chemistry is of great importance for health care. Since the second half of the 19th century, organic synthesis products have been increasingly used for treatment, anesthesia and disinfection. The well-known drugs such as aspirin, phenacetin, salol, urotropin were the first successes of this synthesis. In recent years, medicine has received from chemistry such important synthetic drugs for the treatment of diseases as streptocide, sulfidine, sulfazol, streptomycin, vitamins, etc.
Chemistry has widely entered the modern life of people not only indirectly, through the use of food, clothing, footwear, fuel, dwellings, but also directly, through the use of soap, washing powders, soda, disinfectants and prophylactic substances, stain removers, food flavoring substances, etc. . P.
A truly great seer was M. V. Lomonosov, when, at the dawn of modern chemistry, in his speech “A Word on the Benefits of Chemistry” in 1751, he said: “Chemistry spreads its hands wide in human affairs, listeners.” K. Marx's prediction is being realized that as humanity masters chemical methods and reactions, mechanical processing will be more and more inferior to the method of chemical action.
From this it becomes clear why the Communist Party and the Soviet government have paid and continue to pay close attention to the development of chemistry and the chemical industry in our country.
So, in the report of N. S. Khrushchev at the XXII Congress of the CPSU on the Party Program it is said: “The chemical industry is acquiring exceptional importance. In 20 years, its production, with intensive expansion of the range, will increase by about 17 times. The chemistry of polymers will be widely used. The production of synthetic resins and plastics will be increased by about 60 times. The output of artificial and synthetic fibers, which are of particular importance for the production of consumer goods, will increase by about 15 times. The production of mineral fertilizers is to be increased by 9-10 times” (“Materials of the XXII Congress of the CPSU”, Gospolitizdat, Moscow, 1961, p. 149).
The Program of the Communist Party sets the task of the all-round development of chemistry, the chemical industry and the introduction of chemical methods of processing materials in various branches of production.
“One of the biggest tasks is the all-round development of the chemical industry, the full use in all sectors of the national economy of the achievements of modern chemistry, which greatly expands the possibilities for increasing national wealth, producing new, more advanced and cheap means of production and consumer goods. Metal, wood and other materials will increasingly be replaced by economical, practical and lightweight synthetic materials. The production of mineral fertilizers and plant protection chemicals is growing sharply” (ibid., p. 372).
Thus, in order to understand the chemical processes that take place in nature, in order to master the scientific principles of modern production and, consequently, to have a polytechnic outlook, in order to understand the essence of the chemicalization of the country, in order to be ready for work in the field of modern production, culture and life, it is necessary to know the basics of modern chemistry.
Workers in the mass professions of industry are now required to know the composition and properties of various types of raw materials and materials, methods of chemical modification of them, the properties of the most common chemical reagents, the nature of their effect on the main materials, etc. All workers in the mass professions of agricultural labor are now required to know the composition plants and soils, nutritional chemistry and chemical methods of controlling weeds, pests and diseases of plants, properties and methods of storage of fertilizers, herbicides, insectofungicides, chemistry of nutrition and keeping of farm animals, scientific foundations for preventing corrosion of agricultural machines, knowledge of the composition and properties of motor fuel, theory its rational combustion, etc. Construction workers are required to know the composition and properties of building materials, the chemical bases of their use, etc.
With technological progress, the elimination of the essential difference between mental and physical labor, the rise of production workers to the level of intellectual workers, these requirements for education will become ever broader and deeper.
In order to meet these requirements of communist construction, it is necessary that our students, during their schooling, acquire a solid and systematic knowledge of chemistry, an orientation in the scientific principles of chemical production, information about the successes and tasks of chemicalization of the country, and some practical skills in handling the products of the chemical industry. Students who master the basics of chemistry, practical knowledge and skills, will quickly and better master various types of labor in production and at the same time will be a good addition to technical schools and universities that train qualified personnel for the increasingly chemicalized national economy of the country.
Significance of chemistry in modern society
Chemical knowledge is a powerful force in the hands of humanity. Knowledge of the properties of chemical substances and methods of obtaining them not only allows one to study and understand nature, but also to obtain new, still unknown substances, to assume the existence of substances with the necessary properties.
But chemistry can also pose a danger to humans and the environment. Noted science fiction writer and chemist Isaac Asimov wrote: “Chemistry is death packed in cans and boxes.” And what has been said is true not only for chemistry, but also for electricity, radio electronics, and transport. We cannot live without electricity, but a bare wire is deadly, cars help us move around, but people often die under their wheels. The use by mankind of the achievements of modern science and technology, including chemistry, requires deep knowledge and a high general culture.
Only responsible, rational nature management can become the key to the sustainable development of our civilization!
Chemistry in everyday life
Without chemistry, it is impossible to imagine the modern life of people. And not only indirectly, through the use of food, clothing, footwear, fuel, housing, but also directly, through the use of glass, plastic, porcelain and faience products, medicines, disinfectants, cosmetics, various adhesives, varnishes, paints, food additives, etc.
Various detergents have finally entered our everyday life. But besides soaps and shampoos, we use many other products, in particular bleaches. The action of most of them is based on the properties of chlorine-containing compounds, which are strong oxidizing agents. Some products are labeled "Chlorine Free". Such products contain other strong oxidizing agents, such as sodium perborate NaBO 2 . H2O2. 3H 2 O or sodium percarbonate Na 2 CO 3 . 1.5H2O2. H 2 O. Hard water can damage washing machines, so we use water softeners.
Creation of new materials
The creation of new materials is a necessity of modern life. Materials with new, improved properties should replace obsolete ones. New materials are also required by high-tech industries: space and nuclear technology, electronics. For practical needs, metals, polymers, ceramics, dyes, fibers and much more are needed.
Composites occupy a special place among new materials. In many properties - strength, toughness - composites significantly exceed traditional materials, due to which the society's demand for them is constantly growing. More and more resources are spent on the creation of composites, and the main consumers of composites today are the automotive and space industries (Fig. 40.1).
Biomaterials
With the development of medicine, there was a need to replace organs and tissues in the human body. Materials that can be used to make various implants are created in chemical laboratories. Metal prostheses are easy to manufacture, very strong, chemically inert, and relatively cheap. The main disadvantage of metals is that they are subject to corrosion, due to which the mechanical strength is reduced, and the body is poisoned by ions of metal elements. Quite promising for the manufacture of implants are titanium alloys (for example, Ti-Al-V). They are strong, relatively light and resistant to corrosion.
Today, ceramic bioimplants are being used more and more. Ceramics is a wonderful biomaterial: it is durable and does not corrode. In addition, ceramics are not abraded, which is important for artificial joints, and is also characterized by biocompatibility.
Rice. 40.1. The use of composite materials: carbon fabric (carbon fiber) (a) is used to reinforce parts of bicycles and cars, hulls of kayaks and small boats are made of fiberglass (b) and even entire houses (c)
Rice. 40.2. Modern biomaterials are used for the manufacture of artificial joints and multifunctional limb prostheses.
Rational use of natural raw materials
Nature seems to be an inexhaustible pantry from which humanity takes the necessary raw materials. Over the past 20 years, more minerals have been consumed than in the entire history of mankind. About 100 billion tons of rocks are mined and processed annually in the world. Many sources of raw materials have already been depleted, so the problem of raw materials is acute. Already today, many countries lack certain natural resources. Ukraine, for example, lacks oil and natural gas.
The integrated use of raw materials and waste is the basis of combined industries (various chemical, chemical with metallurgical, etc.). It is necessary to introduce non-waste technologies, i.e. such production processes in which waste from one production becomes raw materials (reagents) for another.
An inexhaustible source of raw materials are industrial and household waste. The task of chemists is to develop methods for the efficient use of such waste. The use of secondary raw materials makes it possible to save natural raw materials and energy, as well as reduce the cost of the product, since resource costs are 2-3 times (and for some types up to 6 times) less than production from primary raw materials. For example, smelting steel from scrap metal requires 6-7 times less energy costs and 25 times cheaper than making steel from ore.
Key idea
Chemistry has entered into all spheres of life and activity of mankind. In our daily life we use many products of the chemical industry. Chemistry allows you to create new materials that do not exist in nature.
Control questions
486. Name the chemical products that you use in everyday life.
487. Give examples of the adverse effects of chemicals and technologies on the environment or humans.
488. Describe what your life would be like if there were no chemical products in it.
489. Describe the role of chemistry in the creation of new materials, in solving energy and raw materials problems.
Tasks for mastering the material
490*. Find out from adults if there are chemical enterprises in your city, village, region. Which? What do they produce? How do they affect the environment? Can a person refuse the products of these industries? Justify the answer.
491* Find information in additional sources about the principles of environmental management and the importance of chemistry in the implementation of these principles.
This is textbook material.
The development of the chemical industry brings human life to a completely new qualitative level. However, most people consider chemistry to be very complex and impractical science engaged in abstract things that are completely unnecessary in life. Let's try to dispel this myth.
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Why does humanity need chemistry
The role of chemistry in the modern world is very great. In fact, chemical processes surround us all the time, this applies not only to industrial production or domestic moments.
Chemical reactions in our own body take place every second, decomposing organic substances into simple compounds like carbon dioxide and, as a result, we get energy to perform elementary actions.
In parallel, we create new substances necessary for the life and work of all organs. Processes stop only after the death of a person and its complete destruction.
The food source for many organisms, including humans, are plants that have the ability to produce organic substances from water and carbon dioxide.
This process includes chain of complex chemical transformations, the result of which is the formation of biopolymers: fiber, starch, cellulose.
Attention! As a fundamental science, chemistry is engaged in the formation of ideas about the world, about the relationships in it, the unity of the discrete and the continuous.
Chemistry at home
Chemistry in human life is present daily, we are faced with the implementation of a whole chain of chemical transformations with:
- using soap;
- making tea with lemon
- extinguishing soda;
- lighting a match or gas burner;
- cooking sauerkraut;
- using powders and other detergents.
All these are chemical reactions, during which others are formed from some substances, and a person receives some benefit from this process. Modern powders contain enzymes that decompose at high temperatures, so washing in hot water is impractical. The effect of eating away spots will be minimal.
The action of soap in hard water is also significantly reduced, but flakes appear on the surface. You can soften the water by boiling, but sometimes this is only possible with the help of chemicals that are just added to the washing machine products that reduce the scale formation process.
Chemistry and the human body
The role of chemistry in human life begins from breathing and digestion.
All processes occurring in our body are carried out in a dissolved form, and water acts as a universal solvent. Its magical properties once allowed origin of life on earth and are now very important.
The basis of the chemical structure of a person is the food that he consumes. The better and more complete it is, the better the well-coordinated mechanism of life functions.
With a lack of any substance in the diet, processes are slowed down and the functioning of the organism is disturbed. Most often, we consider vitamins to be such important substances. But these are the most noticeable substances, the lack of which manifests itself quickly. The lack of other components may not be as visible.
For example, vegetarianism has negative aspects associated with the lack of food intake of some complete proteins and the amino acids contained in them. In such a situation, the body cannot synthesize some of its own proteins, which leads to various violations.
Even table salt must be included in the diet, since its ions help to carry out osmotic pressure, are part of the gastric juice, help work.
With various deviations in the activity of organs and systems, a person first of all turns to a pharmacy, which acts as the main promoter of human achievements in the field of chemistry.
More than 90 percent of medicines displayed on the shelves of pharmacies are artificially synthesized, even if they are present in nature, today it is easier to create them in a factory from individual components than to grow them in natural conditions. And although many of them have a side effect, the positive value of eliminating the disease is much higher.
Attention! Cosmetology is almost entirely built on the achievements of chemists. It allows you to prolong the youth and beauty of a person, while simultaneously bringing substantial income to cosmetic companies.
Chemistry at the service of industry
Initially, the science of chemistry was driven by people who were curious, as well as greedy.
The former were interested in finding out what everything consists of and how it turns into something new, the latter wanted to learn how to create something valuable that would allow them to acquire material wealth.
One of the most valuable substances is gold, followed by others.
Exactly mining and processing of ore for the production of metals - the first directions in the development of chemistry, they are very important today. Because they allow get new alloys, use more efficient methods of cleaning metals, and so on.
The production of ceramics and porcelain is also very ancient, it is gradually being improved, although it is difficult to surpass some of the old masters.
Oil refining today shows a huge h the meaning of chemistry, because in addition to gasoline and other types of fuel, several hundred different substances are created from this natural raw material:
- rubbers and rubbers;
- synthetic fabrics such as nylon, lycra, polyester;
- car parts;
- plastics;
- detergents and household chemicals;
- plumbing;
- stationery;
- furniture;
- toys;
- and even food.
The paint and varnish industry is completely based on the achievements of chemistry, all its diversity is created by scientists, synthesizing new substances. Even construction today is using with might and main new materials that have properties that are uncharacteristic of natural substances. Their quality is gradually improving, proving that chemistry is necessary in human life.
Two sides of the coin
The role of chemistry in the modern world is enormous, we can no longer live without it, it gives us a lot of useful substances and phenomena, but at the same time it causes certain harm.
Harmful effects of chemicals
As a negative factor, chemistry in a person's life appears constantly. Most often we celebrate environmental impact and public health.
The abundance of materials alien to our planet leads to the fact that they contaminate soil and water without being subjected to natural decay processes.
At the same time, during decomposition or combustion, they release a large amount of toxic substances further poisoning the environment.
And yet, this question is quite resolvable with the help of the same chemistry.
A significant part of the substances can recycle, again turning into the desired goods. The problem, rather, is connected not with the shortcomings of chemistry as a science, but with the laziness of a person, and his unwillingness to spend extra effort for the processing of waste products.
The same problem is associated with industrial waste, which today is rarely processed efficiently, poisoning the environment and human health.
The second point, saying that chemistry and the human body are incompatible, is artificial food, which many manufacturers are trying to stuff us with. But here the question is not so much the achievements of chemistry as the greed of people.
Chemical advances make human life easier, and perhaps the role of chemistry in solving the food problem will be invaluable, especially when combined with the achievements of genetics. The inability to use these achievements and the desire to earn - that's the main enemies of human health rather than the chemical industry.
The use of a large number of preservatives in food has become a problem in some countries, where the inhabitants are so saturated with these substances that, after death, the processes of decomposition in them are greatly inhibited, as a result the dead just don't rot and lie in the ground for many years.
Household chemicals often become a source allergic reactions and poisoning organism. Mineral fertilizers and means for treating plants from pests are also dangerous for humans, and they are also harmful to nature. have a negative impact gradually destroying it.
The benefits of chemistry
In psychology, there is such a concept - which consists in removing internal stress through redistribution, to achieve a result in some available area.
In chemistry, this term is used as a designation for the process of obtaining a gaseous substance from a solid without a liquid stage. However, in this industry, you can apply the approach of psychology.
Redirecting energy towards achievements in various industries related to chemistry brings a lot benefit to society.
Speaking about why chemistry is needed in human life or industrial production, we recall many of its achievements that have made our life comfortable and longer:
- medicines;
- modern materials with unique properties;
- fertilizers;
- energy sources;
- food sources and more.
Chemistry in human life
If chemistry didn't exist. Why Study Chemistry
Conclusion
The role of chemistry in the modern world is undeniable, it occupied an important place in the system of human knowledge accumulated over millennia. Its active development in the 20th century is somewhat frightening and makes people think about the ultimate goal of applying their knowledge. But without knowledge, humanity is only a separate group of individuals with not the best characteristics.
