Chemistry in Everyday Life Test - 7

Histamine is a potent vasodilator. It has various functions. It contracts the smooth muscles in the bronchi and gut and relaxes other muscles, such as those in the walls of fine blood vessels. Histamine is also responsible for the nasal congestion associated with common cold and allergic response to pollen. So anti-histamine is given to treat seasonal rhinitis and conjunctivitis. They interfere with the natural action of histamine by competing with histamine for binding sites of receptor where histamine exerts its effect and thus relieve the symptoms.

Aspirin prevents platelet coagulation. Because of its anti blood-clotting action, aspirin finds use in prevention of heart attacks. So it is not used for blood-clotting.

Valium is a tranquilizer, which is a class of chemical compounds used for the treatment of stress, and mild or even severe mental diseases. These relieve anxiety, stress, irritability or excitement by inducing a sense of well-being. So it is used to treat sleeplessness problem.

BHA is a preservative, SO₂ is used as a disinfectant in very small concentrations and saccharin is an artificial sweetener. Thus all these belong to different classes of chemical compounds. In all other options, the compounds belong to the same class of chemical compounds.

Antiseptics are the chemicals which either kill or prevent the growth of microorganisms. These are applied to the living tissues such as wounds, cuts, ulcers and diseased skin surfaces. Commonly used antiseptic, dettol is actually a mixture of chloroxylenol and terpineol.

If the hydrocarbon chain of detergents is highly branched, then bacteria cannot degrade them easily. Slow degradation of detergents leads to their accumulation. Effluents containing such detergents reach the rivers, ponds, etc. These persist in water even after sewage treatment and cause foaming in rivers, ponds and streams and their water gets polluted.

Narcotic analgesics like morphine and many of its homologues, when administered in medicinal doses (and not in huge amounts), relieve pain and produce sleep. In poisonous doses, these produce stupor, coma, convulsions and ultimately death.

Soaps that float in water are made by beating tiny air before their hardening.

The highly branched hydrocarbon chain of some detergents is difficult to degrade. Slow degradation of detergents leads to their accumulation. Effluents containing such detergents reach the rivers, ponds, etc. These persist in water even after sewage treatment and cause foaming in rivers, ponds and streams and their water gets polluted.

Artificial sweetening agents like saccharin are not metabolized in the body and hence don’t add calories.So use of artificial sweeteners is of great value to diabetic persons and people who need to control intake of calories.