Importance of chemistry

What is the importance of chemistry and why would you want to learn about it ? Chemistry is
the study of matter and its interactions with other matter and energy. Here's a look at the importance of
chemistry and why you should study it. Chemistry has a reputation for being a complicated and boring
science, but for the most part, that reputation is undeserved. Fireworks and explosions are based on
chemistry, so it's definitely not a boring science. If you take classes in chemistry, you'll apply math
and logic, which can make studying chemistry a challenge if you are weak in those areas. However,
anyone can understand the basics of how things work...and that's the study of chemistry. In a nutshell,
the importance of chemistry is that it explains the world around you.

Chemistry Explained

 Cooking : Chemistry explains how food changes as you cook it, how it rots, how to preserve
food, how your body uses the food you eat, and how ingredients interact to make food.
 Clearing : Part of the importance of chemistry is it explains how cleaning works. You use
chemistry to help decide what cleaner is best for dishes, laundry, yourself, and your home.
You use chemistry when you use bleaches and disinfectants and even ordinary soap and water.
How do they work ? That's chemistry.
 Medicine : You need to understand basic chemistry so you can understand how vitamins,
supplements, and drugs can help or harm you. Part of the importance of chemistry lies in
developing and testing new medical treatments and medicines.
 Environmental Issues : Chemistry is at the heart of environnemental issues. What makes one
chemical a nutrient and another chemical a pollutant ? How can you clean up the
environment? What processes can produce the things you need without harming the
environnement ?

We humans are all chemists. We use chemicals every day and perform chemical reactions
without thinking much about them. Chemistry is important because everything you do is
chemistry! Even your body is made of chemicals. Chemical reactions occur when you breathe,
eat, or just sit there reading. All matter is made of chemicals, so the importance of chemistry is
that it's the study of everything.

Importance of Taking Chemistry

Everyone can and should understand basic chemistry, but it may be important to you to take a course
in chemistry or even make a career out of it. It's important to understand chemistry if you are studying
any of the sciences because all of the sciences involve matter and the interactions between types of
matter. Students wanting to become doctors, nurses, physicists, nutritionists, geologists, pharmacists,
and (of course) chemists all study chemistry. You might want to make a career out of chemistry
because chemistry-related jobs are plentiful and high-paying. The importance of chemistry won't be
diminished over time, so it will remain a promising career path.

By AMADJIKPE Winoc F.L.C.

Text1: Developed countries and industrial pollutions
The industrial pollution problems faced by different countries worldwide are different. Generally
speaking, in developed countries, the pressures created by industrial activates, the emission of
traditional pollutants from iron and steel, metal fabrication and petrochemicals) has grown slowly in
recent decades. Other types of environmental problems, e.g., contamination of soil and buildings at
closed sites, with subsequent high costs for remedial treatments have received growing attention. In
developing countries, the environmental pressure coming from the traditional pollutants created by
industries is still very heavy. For both developed and developing countries, the growing technology-
based industries, created new problems due to the use of toxic material in their production processes,
which can cause soil and water contamination.
In developed countries, early in the twentieth century, pollutant emissions to air and water were
considerable at production sites, and large volumes of waste material were often dumped in the
immediate surroundings of the factories. A classic example is the industrial districts in Northern
England, where the fallout of soot put a dark coating cover over the whole landscape. In the Ruhr area
in Germany, undesirable amounts of dust fallout from the steel industry as well as large amounts of
sewage effluents transformed the river Ruhr into an industrial sewer. In the United States and in Japan,
similar situations occurred.
The pollution situation in the OECD countries is now quite different from the previous decades.
Treatment measures have been introduced to treat much of the pollution. Wastewater tubes do not end
up any more at dead bottoms, trees and vegetation surrounding factories are alive and green, and the
surrounding air has cleared up substantially. The efforts in many OECD countries to reduce pollution
started in the 1980s, after the need for such efforts became apparent. The discharges of early identified
pollutants have been reduced to a large extent since the beginning of the 1970’s, and many
environmental problems have been solved. Industrial growth is commonly regarded as being
accompanied by an increase in consumption of energy and raw materials. However, industrial
experiences in many countries show that the opposite situation can prevail. Industrial growth may
favor environmental protection work and govern research and development, thereby promoting new
technologies in industry to further minimize environmental risks. It also provides the necessary
financial conditions under which large investments in new technology, necessary for further reducing
environmental effects, can be made. As a result, the prerequisites are created for a sustainable
industrial development of products with lower requirements for natural resources, and enhanced waste
recycling and minimization. However, the environmental problems have not disappeared in many
OECD countries. The local, intense industrial pollution has merely been replaced by regional or global
diffuse pollution. Local sources and individual contaminants may be found and identified. Clean, non-
contaminated reference areas are still difficult to find. The environmental accidents erupt sometimes.

By KPADONOU DOMINIQUE

What is the role of chemistry in pharmacy?

Chemistry is very important in pharmacy, as most drugs are organic and inorganic materials
prepared in laboratory, Role of chemistry in modern life Chemistry is the science of the
composition, structure, properties and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular
systems. Life itself is full of chemistry; i.e., life is the reflection of a series of continuous
biochemical processes. Right from the composition of the cell to the whole organism, the
presence of chemistry is conspicuous. Human beings are constructed physically of chemicals,
live in a plethora of chemicals and are dependent on chemicals for their quality of modern
life. All living organisms are composed of numerous organic substances. Evolution of life
begins from one single organic compound called a nucleotide. Nucleotides join together to
form the building blocks of life. Our identities, heredities and continuation of generations are
all governed by chemistry. In our everyday life, whatever we see, use or consume is the gift of
research in chemistry for thousands of years. In fact, chemistry is applied Chemistry for
Pharmacy Students Satyajit D Sarker and Lutfun Nahar # 2007 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
everywhere in modern life. From the coloring of our clothes to the shapes of our PCs, all are
possible due to chemistry. It has played a major role in pharmaceutical advances, forensic
science and modern agriculture. Diseases and their remedies have also been a part of human
lives. Chemistry plays an important role in understanding diseases and their remedies, i.e.
drugs. The focus of this section is given to the role of chemistry in modern medicine.
Medicines or drugs that we take for the treatment of various ailments are chemicals, either
organic or inorganic. However, most drugs are organic molecules. Let us take aspirin as an
example. It is probably the most popular and widely used analgesic drug because of its
structural simplicity and low cost. Aspirin is chemically known as acetyl salicylic acid, an
organic molecule. The precursor of aspirin is salicin, which is found in willow tree bark.
However, aspirin can easily be synthesized from phenol using the Kolbe reaction (see Section
4.6.10). In order to have a proper understanding and knowledge of these drugs and their
behaviour, there is no other alternative but to learn chemistry. Everywhere, from discovery to
development, from production and storage to administration, and from desired actions to
adverse effects of drugs, chemistry is involved directly. In the drug discovery stage, suitable
sources are explored. Sources of drug molecules can be natural, e.g. narcotic analgesic,
morphine, from Papaver somniferum (Poppy plant), synthetic, e.g. a popular analgesic and
antipyretic, paracetamol, or semi-synthetic, e.g. semi-synthetic penicillins
By TOGBE Esperance

Text :

Chemical engineers apply the principles of chemistry, biology, physics, and math
to solve problems that involve the production or use of chemicals, fuel, drugs, food,
and many other products. They design processes and equipment for large-scale
manufacturing, plan and test production methods and byproducts treatment, and
direct facility operations.

Duties

Chemical engineers typically do the following:

  Conduct research to develop new and improved manufacturing processes
 Establish safety procedures for those working with dangerous chemicals
 Develop processes for separating components of liquids and gases, or for
generating electrical currents, by using controlled chemical processes
 Design and plan the layout of equipment
 Conduct tests and monitor the performance of processes throughout
production
 Troubleshoot problems with manufacturing processes
 Evaluate equipment and processes to ensure compliance with safety and
environmental regulations
 Estimate production costs for management

Some chemical engineers, known as process engineers, specialize in a particular

process, such as oxidation (a reaction of oxygen with chemicals to make other
chemicals) or polymerization (making plastics and resins).

Others specialize in a particular field, such as nanomaterials (extremely small

substances) or biological engineering. Still others specialize in developing specific
products.

In addition, chemical engineers work in the production of energy, electronics, food,

clothing, and paper. They must understand how the manufacturing process affects
the environment and the safety of workers and consumers.

Chemical engineers also conduct research in the life sciences, biotechnology, and
business services.

By KOUDJOU Benjamin

Cholesterol is a type of fat that is part of all animal cells. It is essential for many of the body’s
metabolic processes, including the production of hormones, bile and vitamin D. However, there’s no
need to eat foods high in cholesterol. The body is very good at making its own cholesterol, you don’t
need to help it along.
Cholesterol is important
Cholesterol is produced by the liver and also made by most cells in the body. It is carried around in the
blood by little ‘couriers’ called lipoproteins. We need a small amount of blood cholesterol because the
body uses it to :
 build the structure of cell membranes
 make hormones like oestrogen, testosterone and adrenal hormones
 Help your metabolism work efficiently, for example, cholesterol is essential for your body to
produce vitamin D
 produce bile acids, which help the body digest fat and absorb important nutrients.

How cholesterol moves around the body ?

 Cholesterol is a white, insoluble and waxy substance. It is carried around the body by two key
transport systems in the blood, which include :

 Low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol – carries most of the cholesterol that is delivered to
cells. It is called the ‘bad’ cholesterol because when its level in the bloodstream is high, it can
clog up your arteries.
 High-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol – is called the ‘good’ cholesterol, because it helps
remove excess cholesterol out of the cells, including cells in the arteries.

Safe blood cholesterol levels

Health authorities recommend that cholesterol levels should be no higher than 5.5 mmol per litre if
there are no other risk factors present. If there are other cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking
and high blood pressure or pre-existing cardiovascular (heart) disease, then the aim for the LDL levels
would be less than 2 mmol/l. Approximately half of all adult Australians have a blood cholesterol
level above 5 mmol/l. This makes high blood cholesterol a major health concern in Australia Effects
of high cholesterol levels
The liver is the main processing centre for cholesterol and dietary fat. When we eat animal fats, the
liver transports the fat, together with cholesterol in the form of lipoproteins, into our bloodstream.

Too much cholesterol circulating within LDL in our bloodstream leads to fatty deposits developing in
the arteries. This causes the vessels to narrow and they can eventually become blocked. This can lead
to heart disease and stroke.
You do not need cholesterol in your diet
You don’t need to eat foods that contain cholesterol. Your body can produce all the cholesterol it
needs. High-cholesterol foods are often foods that are also high in saturated fats. These foods should
be limited in a healthy diet.Foods that contain cholesterol
The cholesterol in your diet comes mainly from eggs and from animal products that are rich in fat such
as meats and full fat dairy foods. All foods from animals contain some cholesterol. Foods from plants
do not contain cholesterol.
By SANNY Farhlananth

DEVELOPMENT OF CHEMICAL PROCESSES

TEXT
Chemical engineering is the science that deals with the development of chemical
processes from a small-scale laboratory reaction vessel to a large-scale production
process under economic, safety, ecological, and juristic boundary conditions. The
chemical engineer has to develop and to improve the quality of the corresponding
technical tools.
The bases of chemical engineering are:
• Mathematics
• Natural science such as physics, chemistry and biology
• Engineering science, especially mechanical and electrical engineering
• Business administration, especially cost accounting.
The basis was founded by important people such as:
•Sadi Carnot, French physicist (Thermodynamics of combustions in steam
engines)
CHEMICAL ENGINEERING AND CHEMICAL PROCESS TECHNOLOGY – Vol. IV - Development Of Chemical Processes -
Herbert Vogel
©Encyclopedia of Life Support Systems (EOLSS)
• Rudolf Clausius, German physicist (Thermodynamics of chemical systems at
molecular scale)
• Josiah Willard Gibbs, American scientist (Developed much of the theoretical
foundation that led to the development of chemical thermodynamics)
• Hermann von Helmholtz, German scientist (Thermodynamics of electrochemical
processes)
Henry E. Armstrong offered the first course in Chemical Engineering at the Imperial
College in London in 1885. George E. Davis produced the first Handbook of Chemical
Engineering in 1901.
The difference between laboratory and industrial chemistry can be highlighted by the
following simple example:
The polymerization of acrylic acid takes place in a round bottom flask (5 cm diameter)
and a production vessel (spherical, 2 m diameter).The heat of polymerization is 77.4 kJ
mol-1.The geometric parameters and heat produced for the reaction are shown in Figure
1.
The example shows that the heat liberated for the reaction on the laboratory scale can
easily be removed by water cooling, whereas in the case of the production scale, the
heat liberated will cause the vessel to explode
By HOUNKANRIN Judith

Exemplary Literature of Industry 4.0

Industry 4.0 is able to lead to more significant challenges. Widespread competition can further
enhance economic growth and profitability to the industry. It just not only focuses on the new
technologies, but the basics, mission, vision and policies will change the direction of the industry
respectively especially in manufacturing industry. Industry 4.0 improve cost, speed and quality. It
takes lot of cooperation and commitment in order to enable this planning to be achieved. Eventually,
the manufacturing industry is able to earn more revenue and profit by applying Industry 4.0.
Basically, if the industry can managed the challenge well, then the opportunity to propel the
company's name will become higher and well known worldwide. Nowadays, the requirement of
manufacturing industries must to maneuver in an extreme economical and tremendously, then, they
need to continuously increase the product quality at lowest costs and within the shortest possible
time in order to retain their position in the market especially satisfy what customer need [18]. For
example, manufacturers need to provide one or two products to enable customers to make a choice.
With emphasis on cost and quality, the customers can choose easily for the product. However, for
existing products, either the quality good or bad, for the terms of delivery, it may be troublesome to
customers especially the duration that may take a long time. Therefore, the key to accomplishment
the expansion global market share and an indispensable requirement is to concentrate on quality
management [18]. Moreover, Industry 4.0 determined change of accountability and responsiveness
from the manufacturing progression to the company’s product [19], and it will lead to a smart and
interrelating key part of manufacturing companies especially in the information infrastructure

By FAGNON André

English Text
Text 1: Process engineering in the pharmaceutical industry
The pharmaceutical industry is an important part of the health system worldwide. It includes
many public and private services and companies that discover, develop, manufacture and
market medicines for human and animal health. The pharmaceutical industry relies mainly on
the research and development of drugs intended to prevent or treat various conditions or
disorders. The different drugs have a pharmacological action and very different toxicological
properties. In the past, most drugs came from natural sources (plants, animals, fungi and other
organisms). Natural drugs are pharmacologically very diverse and difficult to produce on an
industrial scale because of their complex chemical composition and side effects. It was therefore
necessary to turn to new processes for synthesizing the active ingredients of natural substances.
Moreover with scientific and technological progress these industries had more than ever
engineers in chemical engineering processes. Process engineering engineers improve the effects
of drug preparations by increasing their potency and specificity. They use biological agents
(such as bacteria and viruses) in many special applications, such as vaccine production,
fermentation processes, preparation of blood derivatives and biotechnology. Chemical agents,
also used, can be classified into two categories: industrial chemicals and drug substances; it can
be raw materials, intermediate products or finished products. The production of the active
ingredients of drugs involves three main types of processes: fermentation, organic chemical
synthesis and biological and natural extraction. Antibiotics, steroids and vitamins are obtained
by fermentation, while many new drugs are prepared by organic synthesis.
The production of drugs is a dangerous process. Industrial chemicals are used for the
development of active substances and the manufacture of raw materials and finished
pharmaceutical products. Organic and mineral products can be raw materials used as reagents,
catalysts or solvents. The use of industrial chemicals depends on the process used and the
manufacturing operations. Many of these products may be hazardous, leading governments and
technical or professional government agencies to set occupational exposure limits, such as
thresholds. As a result, many pharmaceutical companies are present in national and
multinational markets, so their activities and products are subject to the laws, regulations and
policies that apply to the development, manufacture authorization, quality control and
marketing of medicines in many countries.
Researchers from academic institutions and chemical-process engineering engineers play a
significant role in the discovery, development, manufacture, marketing and production of drugs.
It is therefore important to protect them despite their know-how in view of the complexity and
dangerousness of certain products to which they are exposed in pharmaceutical processes.
Produced by : Antoine WOTTO

Discovery of chromatography
Chromatography is a physico-chemical method of separating constituents of a mixture based
on the different affinities of one or more compounds to one or other of two immiscible phases
in contact : the stationary phase and the mobile phase. The stationary phase as indicated by his
name remains fixed in place while the mobile phase carries the components of the mixture
through the medium being used. The stationary phase acts as a constraint on many of the
components in a mixture, slowing them down to move slower than the mobile phase. The
movement of the components in the mobile phase is controlled by the significance of their
interactions with the mobile and/or stationary phases. Because of the differences in factors such
as the solubility of certain components in the mobile phase and the strength of their affinities
for the stationary phase, some components will move faster than others, thus facilitating the
separation of the components within that mixture. There are several types of chromatography
but before we come, let's take a step back in the past. Chromatography was first employed in
Russia by the Italian-born scientist Mikhail Tsvet in 1900.He continued to work with
chromatography in the first decade of the 20th century, mainly for the separation of plant
pigments such as chlorophyll, carotenes, and xanthophylls. Since these components have
different colors (green, orange, and yellow, respectively) they gave the technique its name
(‘chroma’ which means color and ‘graphein’ which means to write).New types of
chromatography developed during the 1930s and 1940s made the technique useful for many
separation processes.
Chromatography technique developed substantially as a result of the work of Archer John
Porter Martin and Richard Laurence Millington Synge during the 1940s and 1950s, for which
they won the 1952 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. They established the principles and basic
techniques of partition chromatography, and their work encouraged the rapid development of
several chromatographic methods: paper chromatography, gas chromatography, and what
would become known as high-performance liquid chromatography. Since then, the
technology has advanced rapidly. Researchers found that the main principles of Tsvet's
chromatography could be applied in many different ways, resulting in others varieties of
chromatography.
In limiting to the above-mentioned examples, it should be noted that: Paper chromatography is
a technique that involves placing a small dot or line of sample solution onto a strip of
chromatography paper. The paper is placed in a container with a shallow layer of solvent and
sealed. As the solvent rises through the paper, it meets the sample mixture, which starts to travel
up the paper with the solvent. Gas chromatography (GC), also sometimes known as gas-liquid
chromatography, (GLC), is a separation technique in which the mobile phase is a gas. Gas
chromatographic separation is always carried out in a column, which is typically "packed" or
"capillary". Packed columns are the routine work horses of gas chromatography, being cheaper
and easier to use and often giving adequate performance. Capillary columns generally give far
superior resolution and although more expensive are becoming widely used, especially for
complex mixtures. High Performance Liquid Chromotagraphy (HPLC) is an analytical
technique used for the separation of compounds soluble in a particular solvent. We easily notice
that chromatographic techniques are diverse.Advances are continually improving the technical
performance of chromatography, allowing the separation of increasingly similar molecules.
By HOUEGBELO