Chemistry in Everyday Life Test - 3

Noradrenaline is one of the neurotransmitters which play role in mood swings. If the level of noradrenaline is low for some reason, then the signal-sending activity becomes low, and the person suffers from depression.

Morphine, a narcotic analgesic and many of its homologues, when administered in medicinal doses, relieve pain and produce sleep.

Paul Ehrlich got Nobel prize for Medicine in 1908 for the discovery of salvarsan, the first effective treatment for syphilis. Although salvarsan is toxic to human beings, its effect on the bacteria, spirochete, which causes syphilis is much greater than on human beings.

The real revolution in antibacterial therapy began with the discovery of Alexander Fleming in 1929, of the antibacterial properties of a Penicillium fungus.

Those antibiotics which are effective mainly against Gram-positive or Gram-negative bacteria are narrow spectrum antibiotics. Penicillin G is narrow spectrum antibiotic as it works against only gram positive bacteria. 

Norethindrone is an example of synthetic progesterone derivative most widely used as antifertility drug. 

Disinfectants are applied to inanimate objects such as floors, drainage system, instruments, etc. Same substances can act as an antiseptic as well as disinfectant by varying the concentration. Very low concentrations of SO₂ act as disinfectant.

Ortho-sulphobenzimide, also called saccharin, is the first popular artificial sweetening agent. It is about 550 times as sweet as cane sugar. Its use is of great value to diabetic persons and people who need to control intake of calories.

Soaps used for cleaning purpose are sodium or potassium salts of long chain fatty acids, e.g., stearic, oleic and palmitic acids. Soaps containing sodium salts are formed by heating fat (i.e., glyceryl ester of fatty acid) with aqueous sodium hydroxide solution. This reaction is known as saponification.

Shaving soaps contain glycerol to prevent rapid drying. A gum called, rosin is added while making them. It forms sodium rosinate which lathers well. So lather forms in shaving soaps is due to Sodium rosinate.