What Are the 8 Common Chemical Reactions in Everyday Life?

There are many common chemical reactions in everyday life but they indeed happen so commonly that they go unnoticed. When you clean or cook, it is chemistry happening. Your body is living and growing, that too is because of chemical reactions. But that is not all, there are many other instances of chemical reactions that occur in our daily life and we shall learn about 8 of them right away.

1.  Rusting - Popular Chemical Reaction In Metals

Rusting happens because of a reaction that occurs owing to oxygen. This reaction results in the formation of a flaky brown layer over iron surfaces. The layer forms when the topmost layer gets oxidized and results in the creation of metal oxide. Not just with iron, such normal chemical reactions also happen on other metals like gold, silver, and copper.

2.  Photosynthesis - A Usual Chemical Reaction In Plants

Yet another popular chemical reaction that you must have read about when in school is photosynthesis. Similar to humans, chemical reactions occur in plants also. And, when photosynthesis happens, water and carbon dioxide is converted into plant food - oxygen and glucose. It is an important chemical reaction as it helps in the generation of oxygen and offers food for plants and animals as well.

3.  Digestion - One of the Common Chemical Reactions In Everyday Life

Do you know that when you eat, a common chemical reaction occurs to help you digest that food? Digestion is a complex procedure wherein many chemical reactions happen. For instance, once you eat anything, the water and an enzyme known as amylase begin breaking down sugar and carbohydrates into simple molecules. Hydrochloric acid and enzymes that are present in the stomach start breaking down the proteins, and sodium bicarbonate starts getting released into your small intestine to neutralize the acid and keep your digestive tract protected.

4.  Soap and Detergent Chemical Reactions

Another chemical reaction that happens in daily life is when you use soap or detergent. The chemical reaction that occurs helps emulsify grease and lowers surface tension. This, in turn, helps you easily get rid of dirt. Maximum reactions happen in laundry or dishwashing detergents as they have certain enzymes that help in breaking whiteners and proteins to avoid clothes from appearing dirty.

5.  Acid-Base Chemical Reactions

The acid-base effects are common chemical reactions in everyday life. In such case, the weaker acids that get produced within our mouths overnight, owing to bacteria and sugary foods, are neutralized in the existence of a base present in the toothpaste that you use each morning.

6.  Cellular Respiration - A Usual Chemical Reaction

The procedure of respiration that happens in the lungs of humans also involves a usual chemical reaction. Herein, the glucose molecules experience an oxidation reaction and create carbon dioxide and water together with energy. As this procedure occurs at a cellular level it is known as cellular respiration.

7.  Anaerobic Cellular Respiration - A General Chemical Reaction In Organisms

Yet another common chemical reaction that occurs in daily life is known as anaerobic cellular respiration. Organisms can get the energy that they need even without oxygen. Anaerobic respiration happens mostly without oxygen and less energy is released. When this kind of respiration occurs in microorganisms it is called fermentation. Yeast and bacteria make use of anaerobic respiration to create everyday products like wine, vinegar, beer, bread, cheese, and yogurt.

8.  Chemical Reactions in Cooking

When you mix only dry ingredients then usually no chemical reaction is achieved. But, when you use a liquid ingredient, it mostly causes a reaction. As you combine flour, salt, and sugar you get no chemical reaction, and the same is the case when you mix vinegar and oil.

However, when you cook an egg it results in a normal chemical reaction as the proteins present in the eggs are polymerized because of heat, and the sulfur and hydrogen present in the yolk can react and result in hydrogen sulfide gas. Even when you heat sugar, a reaction known as caramelization occurs. And, baked goods also rise because of a chemical reaction between baking soda or powder and liquid ingredients.

To Conclude -

These are just some of the normal chemical reactions that you may have experienced already in your daily life but never perhaps thought that these are chemical reactions indeed. So, chemical reactions do not really happen in chemistry labs only, but also in your day-to-day life. The more you learn about it, the more amazed will you be at how extraordinary things are that you so long believed to be so simple.