Daily Chemistry

Fruit-infused Water

Water is a chemical compound with chemical formula H₂O, water in nature existed in difference forms such as liquid, solid, and gas. Water is the source of life for all living things, most the parts of our body consists of water. We can learn many interesting things about water from the hexagonal molecular structure of water that has been studied by several scientist, its function for the health of our body, the anomaly of water while the solid phase, and other properties of water that quite difficult to be understood not only for some people in general, but also for scientists. Water is one of the most studied materials on this earth.

As we know most of our body is composed of water. Even at the molecular level nearly 99% constituent of our body is water. But why do we still need water? Because much of fluid are lost and out of the body through urine, feces, sweat, and breathe. So that we need to replace fluid lost by maintaining fluid balance in our body so that it can perform its functions optimally, where the water hold a vital role in the metabolism of our body and plays a role in keeping our body temperature. In normal conditions, our body needs about 2-3 liters of water a day (+/- 8 glasses a day). This is actually not supported by scientific research. Because the actual needs of fluid supply for each person are vary, depending on activity, temperature, humidity, environmental conditions and other factors such as gender and age.

Currently there is an interesting and popular method to replace fluids in the body when we are tired of water we used to drink (plain water). We can replace it by drinking fruit-infused water. Fruit-infused water is one of the smart ways to replace fluids without excess sugar and calories. This method is able increase our daily needs of fluids and may hinder us from dehydration. How to make fruit-infused water is very easy, we just need to infuse some pieces of fruit to taste into the usual beverages we drink. After that all the flavor and nutrient of the fruit will we get. When a piece of fruit is added to water, the water will dissolve nutrients (Vitamin C), sweetness and antioxidants in the fruit. Attractive appearance, good and refreshing taste can be used as a substituent for soft drinks on the market that are generally less healthy for our body, because they contain artificial sweeteners and preservatives.

Many recipes are available on several websites. It is quite interesting to note, they offer vary of taste and benefits. One of the highlights is the recipes of fruit-infused water with extra lemon wedges. As we know lemon not only provides good taste but also a range of benefits. It can lower the risk of diseases such as cancer, heart disease, slow weight gain, prevent colds, and various other disease. Intake of food such as red meat, dairy products, and sugar tend to make the body more acidic. Citric acid contained in the lemon is also able to maintain the pH of our body system in order to remain the ideal pH range. The ideal pH is base on the range 7.35 to 7.45. In this pH range, our body system will run normally.

Vitamin C contained in lemon can improve the immune system, the absorption of iron, the complexion; helps detoxify and produce collagen; reduce skin blemishes; and prevent the formation of kidney stones. A study in the journal of clinical Biochemistry and nutrition which states that a diet rich in lemon can prevent and reduce weight gain and body fat. Consumption can also help to control blood sugar and insulin function. Other research in the journal of research in medical science discovered that orange peel extract can help prevent and reduce the oxidation of LDL (bad cholesterol). When oxidized, cholesterol is the free radical that can increase the risk of inflammation and cancer.

What Happened With My Fruits and Veggies?

Many of you would like to eat fruits and vegetables, because it’s contain fiber, vitamins and anti-oxidants that are essential for our body. But however, maybe you have had infuriating experiences while peeling apples, yam, potato, or banana and suddenly found that the color of a fruit or vegetable you peel browning, so the color of the fruit or vegetables you serve become invisible beautiful and not appetizing anymore. Sometimes not only the color changes occured but also followed by a change of taste, smell, texture and nutritional value itself. The process that occurs in the fruit or vegetable is known as browning or browning..

Banana which was one of the most easiest browning fruit found a lot in Indonesia. There is also a wide variety of traditional food can be made from banana. Some of them take an advantage of the browning process, such as ‘Sale Pisang’. If we used to prevent discoloration in fruits, the banana was left discolored naturally instead with the process of drying in the sun to help reduce the water inside. Equal process can also be used in the manufacture of raisins to create color and flavor desired.

Actually, the browning process can occur in enzymatic and non-enzymatic way. So what is an enzyme? Enzymes are protein molecules functioned as biocatalystator, or it can simply be defined as a compound that plays a role in speeding up the body's chemical processes in living organisms. The browning processes that occur in fruits and vegetables that you often meet is usually the enzymatic one, because there is an enzyme involved in the process. When fruits or vegetables are being peeled or cutted, they will release the enzyme in their cell generally. The process of stripping or cutting interfering the chemical composition in the plant tissue (Fruits and vegetables). So that these chemicals will come into contact with oxygen in the air. Fenolase enzyme catalyze the change of phenolic compounds on plant to form brown pigments known as melanin. Moreover, the presence of iron or copper on the knife that we use also accelerates the speed of this browning reaction.

There are so many ways you can use to prevent the browning process. You can soak the fruit or vegetables you peel or cut into the cold water that was able to prevent direct contact between the plant tissue with oxygen in the air. Another simple ways is by adding lemon juice to the peeled fruit or vegetable, ascorbic acid in the lemon function as an antioxidant. As for the prevention, oxygen will tend to react with ascorbic acid compared with phenolic compounds in the fruit or vegetable. The browning process can be prevent until all of the ascorbic acid completely reacts with oxygen. Heating process can also be used to prevent browning process because heat turning off the polyphenol oxidase enzyme. However, this method can only be applied for ripe fruit and vegetables.

Increasing acidity or lowering the pH of the fruit can be done to prevent the browning process. Increasing the pH value or acid levels will cause the enzyme polyphenol oxidase in inactive phase. Citric acid can act as a chelating agent or substance that was capable of binding and control metal ions. So the copper or iron ions from a knife or cutting tool we use to peeled can be bound by citric acid.

What is Hard and Soft Water?

Have you boil water using your regular pot and then one day you realize that the bottom of your pot covered by a brown colored slag? Where did this slag come from when you usually use clean, colorless and scentless water? Or maybe you have experienced while bathing or washing, the soap you use is difficult to lather.

Should you know that around 60% of water on earth derived from ground water, and that the water we use has gone through a cycle called the water cycle (hydrologic cycle). During the cycle the water is in contact with rocks and soils containing lime which dissolved minerals. Based on the mineral content, water can be divided into hard and soft water. Hard water usually contains Ca2+ (calcium ion) and Mg2+ (magnesium ion). Another cause of the water hardness is the presence of other metal ions such as Fe2+ (ferrous ion), Sr2+ (Strontium), and Mn2+ (Manganese). Calcium in the water has the possibility to bond with bicarbonate (HCO3-), sulfate (SO42-), chloride (Cl-) and nitrate (NO3-). Meanwhile magnesium in the water has the possibility to bond with bicarbonate (HCO3-), sulfate (SO42-) and chloride (Cl-). The following equation shows the reaction of water hardness origins.

Persamaan reaksi Asal Air Sadah

Another question may briefly appear in your mind, if this kind of water is a health hazard or not? Of course not, because magnesium and calcium are minerals needed by our body. Calcium ions are required in the growth of bones and teeth, so as to prevent osteoporosis. There also a research studies told that hard water can lower the risk of heart disease and mortality. Hard water is not dangerous because it contain ions that easily soluble in water. But at the high rate hard water can cause the water to become cloudy also bring some another problem.

The first problem is pipe or crane in your house will be more quickly blocked by the slag produced from mineral deposits contained in this hard water. It is also increasing the cost of heating water due to the slag emergence on the kettle or water heater. Problems in the hair and skin may also appear as it looking dull and dry. Hard water is also not good to wash, the Ca2+ and Mg2+ ions binds to carbohydrates on the residual acid soap and form deposits that are not foaming the soap as well as decreasing its ability to cleaning up.

To solve this problem, you need to know in advance what kind of hardness water in your home or neighborhood. Is that temporary hardness or permanent hardness, so you can determine the way out to overcome these problems.

Temporary hard water containing bicarbonate ions (HCO3-), or it may be containing calcium bicarbonate compounds (Ca(HCO3)2) and or magnesium bicarbonate (Mg(HCO3)2). Water containing ions or compounds can be removed by heating the water until the water is free from Ca2+ and Mg2+. By heating the compound, CaCO3 and MgCO3 will settle on the bottom of a kettle. The occur reaction is :

Persamaan Asal Kerak

While the permanent hard water contains anion other than bicarbonate ions, such as Cl-, NO3- and SO42- ions. Because that hardness cannot be simply removed by heating, then to free the water from hardness must be done by chemical substance that can precipitate the ions contained in hard water as in the Lime-Soda Ash (Lime-Soda Softening) with the addition of lime (CaO), soda ash (Na2CO3) or can also through the addition of caustic soda (NaOH). Apart from a few examples of the process of softening hard water, there are many other ways that can be done.

Here are some simple tips you can do at home to overcome the problems of hard water.

Boil water before use
Adding lime, washing soda, or lemon juice to the water in the bath shelter. But this way will take a long time.
Adding ammonia, borax, alkali or washing soda to the water used for washing.
Use white vinegar on tile, glass, and cranes to help remove mineral deposits.

How To Make Your Own Delicious Swaying Ice

In previous posts, we have discussed some benefits of salt as the most common example of chemical substance we encounter every day. Perhaps some of you who live in the four seasons countries already used to salt function as snow thinners on the street or prevent the ice formation on the car windshield during winter. We have never actually seen the use of salt directly by ourselves, because we live in the tropical country, Indonesia. But hopefully one day we can set up our foot in the four season’s country immediately. Well now we will discuss the most common function of salt in the process of making ice or ice cream.

Our country Indonesia has two season that was dry and rain. As the summer, ice or ice cream becomes the most wanted dish that can relieve our dry throat due to the hot weather. The one that caught our attention to discuss this salt function was the memories from our elementary school, when we buy an ice sold by itinerant sellers who use a wheelbarrow to sell his homemade ice known as ‘es lilin’ or Swaying ice. What is interesting from this ice is the process of making it which we had to shaking down the vending carts to make ice freezing quickly. Before we studied chemistry we had a big curiosity of how the sellers can kept the ice frozen without any cooler. It is a simply way with simple materials as well. Mix coconut milk, sugar, salt, flavor and aroma that you can get from natural ingredients such as fresh strawberries, avocado, durian, jackfruit, chocolate, green peas or even syrup and essence can be artificial aromas flavor. All the materials were mixed and cooked until it’s boiled. Once completed, prepare a rectangular mold and a box containing ice cubes that have been added salt coarse. Pour the batter into the mold and insert the molding one by one into the box contain crushed ice cubes. As its name suggest, if you want it to be quickly frozen, shake it for about 5 minutes then plug the craft sticks. To make it more delicious, dipped the ice in a melted chocolate.

Actually the basic principles of the use of salt to melt snow and ice on the streets, prevent the ice formation on the windshield in the winter were the same which we used in the making of swaying ice, that was the depression freezing point of the solution. The ice cubes used in the making of swaying ice first be melted by the addition of salt then the ice cubes will also adjust the temperature of the surrounding environment. Ionic bond in the crystals salt form will break up, this process releasing heat to the environment that was when the ice cubes melted slowly. Ice fraction that originally had a freezing point around 0°C, will be melt when salt being added forming salt solution with the freezing point below 0°C. Freezing point of a solution is the temperature when its vapor pressure equals the vapor pressure of the solvent. Because of the vapor pressure of the solution (salt solution) lower than its solvent (pure ice), so there will be no solution freezing at a temperature of 0^oC. Lower ambient temperature will help the ice to freeze. As you remember, the ice would melt if it absorbs heat or receiving heat from the surrounding environment. By lowering the ambient temperature than the freezing point of pure ice, it will create an environment that allows the temperature of the swaying ice to decrease and slowly begins to freeze.

Brief Introduction of Daily Chemistry

Have you ever wondered about the things happened around you and asked yourself about this and that? Why did it happen? For examples, maybe you have ever thought about the slag on your kettle when you boiled some water. Or why your white clothes got yellow after several wash? How detergent can pull out stain from your clothes? How carbonate water gave the fresh feeling to your throat? Those phenomenon maybe bring out your mind for so many questions..yups!! That thing is inseparable from chemical reaction.

So what comes to your mind when you heard 'Chemistry'? For beginner or those who didn't learn chemistry properly, maybe will think chemistry identically with bomb, poison, food additive or another dangerous thing. Actually, not all chemical substance is dangerous, there are a lot of very useful unrealized substance closed with us.

Writers who studied chemistry at their collage often had a pathetic feeling when a lot of people had a wrong idea with chemistry and its substances. Basically is not the thing about 'chemical substance' on something or 'chemical substance' that had a role on some negative thing happened, it is about the amount and the utilizing of that substance.

Chemistry studied about composition of a substance along with the participate alteration in it. As it said on one of chemistry's book by Ralph H. Petrucci and F. Geoffrey Herring that chemistry is the center of all branch of science. With studying chemistry properly you will got the connectivity to another disciplines, so as a writer we had a very big wish of you to get a lot of knowledge that will bring you to another field such as Biology, Physics and Health.

Science is not only focusing on concepts or theories but also talking about the scientific method. Chemistry as one of science closely related with experiment. To find a theory we have to meet observation, made a hypothesis then arrange an experiment to make a test of our previous hypothesis. So with studying chemistry you can improve your creativity and applied it to our daily life.

You don’t need to worry about your present knowledge of chemistry because we will talk about it in a simply way to make it easy to be understand along with the simple examples found around us. Don't think it harshly, look around at your house and stand at your kitchen. You will found salt, yups salt as our basic seasoning is a chemical substance too.

Salt is formed from two different chemical compounds, Sodium (Na) and Chloride (Cl). Salt had another function other than just seasoning, it was releasing your body muscle from stress, mix it on some warm water you used to take a shower. The other characteristic of salt is as anti-microbe which can minimize wound inflammation. So it same with sugar, maybe you already know that sugar is categorized as a simply carbohydrate which contains chemical compound, Carbon (C), Hydrogen (H) and Oxygen (O). Sugar also had another function such as a natural food additive, stain removal, etc. We will try to share another use of that two previous and also a lot of chemical substance in this blog. So stay tuned and aware of it!!