Chemistry: Compunds and Reactions

by Gen

Can you think of some everyday items you use?

Margarine
Paper
Baseballs
Glass
Flouride
Sunscreen

Can you guess what elements or compounds are inside of these common everyday items?

Sunscreen
Sunscreen protects our skin from harmful ultraviolet rays from the sun. Sunscreens can be organic or inorganic. The compound Octyl Methoycinnamate is used in organic sunscreens. Inorganic sunscreens have a mixture of element titanium with dioxide and zinc with oxide.

Margarine
Margarine is a substitute for butter which was believed to reduce the incidence of heart disease by switching saturated fats with trans fatty acids. It has discovered though that it does not do much to reduce heart disease due to its trans fatty acids which raise bad cholesterol. Despite this, margarine is prefered over butter. Margarine contains Oliec Acid and Elaidic Acid.

Paper
Today's method of making paper is simple, plant fibers stick together when the fibers are pulped, spread on a screen, and dried. Paper has a wide range of use from bags to writing material. Paper contains polyoxometalates.

Baseballs
Baseball is one of the the most popular sports in America, its birthplace. A baseball should be a sphere formed by yarn wound around a small sphere or cork, or rubber, or similar material covered with 2 stripes of white horseide or cowhide tightly stitched together.

Fluoride
Fluoride prevents tooth decay in 2 main ways:
I reduces the ability of bactieria in plaque to generate tooth-weakening acids
It helps remineralize those tooth areas where acid attack has already begun
Fluoride toothpaste contains Stannous Fluoride, Sodium Fluoride, and Sodium monofluorophosphate.

Glass
This transparent material plays a big role in many modern applications such as, windows, glasses, jars, microscopes, beakers, etc. Glass contains Sodium Carbonate, Calcium Silicate, and Sodium Silicate.