There are many different numbers of chemical reactions in our day-to-day life that we notice. We often tend to see a flaky brown coloured layer that appears on the surface of several iron items, for example, the bodies of vehicles, gates, etc. During the festivities and celebrations of Diwali, we burn crackers which when burned, gives a bright light and sound. The bright light is a result of the burning of the components like magnesium that is used amongst one of the ingredients of the crackers and sparklers that we burn. In this article, we will study these chemical processes in everyday life that we see around us.
Types of Chemical Reaction in Daily Life
Some common types of chemical reactions are given below.
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Photosynthesis:
The process of photosynthesis refers to the process by which autotrophs tend to manufacture their food. It is one of the natural chemical reactions in everyday life. In the presence of chlorophyll and sunlight, the plants produce glucose in the form of energy from water and carbon dioxide from the environment.
6CO₂ + 6H₂O → C₆H₁₂O₆(aq) + 6O₂ (g)
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Rusting:
The process of oxidation, which refers to the reaction in the presence of oxygen, gives a brown flaky layer that we often notice over the metal surfaces like the one on the iron. This layer is formed because of the oxidation of the topmost layer for forming the metal oxide. We know this and call it rust. Similarly, several layers get formed on other metals as well, for example, in silver in which a green coloured layer gets formed when it undergoes an oxidation reaction.
Fe + 3O₂ + xH₂O → Fe₃O₄ . xH₂O
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Cellular Respiration:
The process of respiration in humans in their lungs also involves a chemical reaction. In this reaction, the glucose molecules tend to undergo an oxidation reaction and produces water and carbon dioxide along with energy. This process happens at a cellular level and hence, is called cellular respiration.
C₆H₁₂O₆ (aq) + 6O₂ (g) → 6CO₂ (g) + 6H₂O(l) + energy
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Anaerobic Respiration:
When a living organism tends to undergo the process of fermentation, the components present in it which contain starch or sugar get converted to alcohol, acids, and gases.
C₆H₁₂O₆ → 2C₂H₅OH + 2CO₂
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Combustion:
The process of combustion is amongst the chemical changes in everyday life. It tends to involve the oxidation reaction of a material when it is exposed to the presence of both heat and oxygen from the surroundings to produce smoke, ash, and several other gases.
C + O₂ → CO₂
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Acid–-base Reactions:
The acid–-base reactions are also a part of the chemical reactions in our daily life. In these reactions, the weaker acids that are produced inside our mouth overnight because of the sugary foods and bacteria get neutralized in the presence of base that is present in the toothpaste that we use in the morning every day.
Acid + base → salt + water
In a similar manner, the oxide layer that is found on the metallic artefacts gets removed with the help of weaker acids like vinegar. This process helps to give us the layer of the metal clean and a fresh new layer of the metal gets exposed.
CH₃COOH + FeO → CH₃COOFe + H₂O
Conclusion
In everyday life, we witness a number of chemical reactions. These reactions are very essential for the existence of human beings as well as for all living beings. In this article, we get to know about some common everyday life chemical reactions with their chemical equations.