The Chemicals that have Saved Us

Hazardous, toxic, dangerous – some of the words that may come to mind when you hear the word 'Chemical'. But what about – Amazing, Life-changing, Life-Saving? Both naturally occurring and synthetically made chemicals have kept us alive in the past and continue to do so today. The human body alone is made up of approximately 60 chemical elements, so it's pretty clear they can't all be bad. Let's take a look at some of the chemicals in history that have earned the label 'life-saving'...

Ammonia

We have previously touched on the dangers of ammonia and precautions regarding the safe handling. There is more to this foul smelling colourless gas than meets the eye. Ammonia is used for a multitude of products – from dyes, plastics and explosives – to procedures like water purification and pesticides.

Life-saving Use:

The life-saving use of ammonia is also the number one use for this chemical worldwide – fertilizer. “Anhydrous ammonia is a highly effective fertilizer that helps farmers feed our growing population and replenish nutrients in the soil. As a fertilizer, it provides essential nitrogen for plants and is imperative that proper precautions are taken to ensure that is is handled correctly.” Source

In history there wasn't enough ammonia for farmers to fertilize all crops. The discovery of the Haber process - which enables us to mass produce ammonia - contributes to farmer's ability to fertilize their produce and therefore keep billions of people fed worldwide. Source

Penicillin

Chemicals are used to create an endless number of pharmaceuticals worldwide. Without them we would be without many life-saving medications and procedures. One of these life-saving creations is antibiotic Penicillin. Discovered by Alexander Fleming in 1928, penicillin is an “antibacterial drug that attack[s] a wide range of bacteria.” Source Though approximately 1% of the population are allergic to penicillin, this is severely outweighed by the millions of lives it has saved and continues to save everyday.

Interesting facts:

• Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin after a petri dish containing Staphyloccocus bacteria had grown a blue-green mould called Penicillium notatum and this mould was surrounded by a clear ring where the mould was unable to grow Source
• Fleming made his discovery in London, Ontario Canada
• “In March 1942, Anne Miller became the first civilian to receive successful treatment with penicillin. She narrowly avoided death following severe infection after a miscarriage” Source

Before penicillin came into widespread use in the 1940s, wounds and diseases such as syphilis were killers; antibiotics have since saved an estimated 200 million lives Source

Sodium Stearate

This next life-saving chemical is likely the least recognizable on our list – by name that is! Sodium stearate is used in the production of deodorants, latex paints, ink, food additives and most importantly – soap. The recent struggles the world is facing with the spread of the Coronavirus brings the life-saving properties of this chemical to the forefront. Posters, radio-ads and Government memos have all been sharing the importance of hand-washing and it's ability to stop the spread of Covid-19, among other viruses.

Sodium stearate is the sodium salt of stearic acid. It is “one of the least allergy-causing sodium salts of fatty acids and non-irritating to the skin.” Source “Sodium stearate is a type of surfactant, which is an agent that basically makes it easier for water to get grime off of your skin. Surfactants are made up of two parts -- one part (the hydrophilic side) attracts water, while the other part (the hydrophobic side) repels it. As you wash your skin, the hydrophobic side of the surfactant clings to oil and dirt at the same time that the hydrophilic side attracts water, allowing the debris to rinse off.” Source

According to the United Nations Children’s Fund, hand washing with soap prevents up to 1.4 million deaths per year through acute respiratory infections.

There are many other chemicals that we can be thankful for today – Sodium Chloride, Aspirin and Sulfuric Acid to name a few. Whether chemicals fall into the life-saving category or not, the proper handling and storage is still imperative in ensuring the desired outcome and safety are achieved. Chemicals can be both life-saving and life-ending in specific circumstances so it is important to always know what you are working with, especially when in abundance. With the rate at which our world advances it will be no surprise to hear about the discovery of new life-saving chemicals in our future.

Sources:

https://cosmosmagazine.com/chemistry/17-molecules-changed-world

https://www.americanelements.com/sodium-stearate-822-16-2

https://www.pure-chemical.com/blog/life-saving-chemicals/

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/216798#history

https://www.health.ny.gov/environmental/emergency/chemical_terrorism/ammonia_tech.htm#:~:text=Ammonia%20is%20also%20used%20as,and%20industrial%2Dstrength%20cleaning%20solutions.

https://www.britannica.com/science/ammonia

https://fertilizercanada.ca/safety-security/codes-of-practice/anhydrous-ammonia/#:~:text=Anhydrous%20Ammonia,that%20it%20is%20handled%20correctly.

https://fertilizercanada.ca/safety-security/codes-of-practice/anhydrous-ammonia/#:~:text=Anhydrous%20Ammonia,that%20it%20is%20handled%20correctly.

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/chemistry/sodium-stearate

https://www.chemicalbook.com/ChemicalProductProperty_EN_CB5316865.htm

https://science.jrank.org/pages/6482/Stearic-Acid.html

https://prezi.com/alocefgouatm/sodium-stearate-nac18h35o2/#:~:text=Was%20discovered%20on%20Sappo%20Hill,with%20the%20clothes%20created%20soap.

https://health.howstuffworks.com/skin-care/cleansing/products/sodium-stearate-in-skin-cleansers.htm#:~:text=Sodium%20stearate%20is%20a%20type,the%20hydrophobic%20side)%20repels%20it.