CHEM2211W21

  References: Kukreja, R.(n.d.).  What is organic food?  Conserve Energy Future.  https://www.conserve-energy-future.com/15-health-benefits-eating-organic-food.php Zaruk, D. (2015, September, 29).  20 reasons not to feed your family organic.  American Council on Science and Health.  https://www.acsh.org/news/2015/09/29/20-reasons-not-to-feed-your-family-organic Images: Shutterstock

Chemistry Myth Busting  Cindy Tran Infographic made by Canva References  Brouns, F. J. P. J. H., van Buul, V. J. & Shewry, P. R. (2013). Does wheat make us fat and sick? Journal of Cereal Science , 58 (2), pp. 209-215. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcs.2013.06.002 Carciofi, M., Blennow, A., Jensen, S. L., Shaik, S. S., Henriksen, A., Buleon, A., Holm, P. B. & Hebelstrup, K. H. (2012). Concerted suppression of all starch branching enzyme genes in barley produces amylose-only starch granules. BMC Plant Biology, 233 . https://doi.org/10.1186/1471-2229-12-223   Gilbert, E. R., Wong, E. A. & Webb Jr., K. E. (2008). Board-invited review: peptide absorption and utilization: implications for animal nutrition and health, 86 , pp. 2135-2155. doi:10.2527/jas.2007-0826  Hyman, D. (2012). Three hidden ways wheat makes you fat. Dr. Hyman . Retrieved March 9, 2021, from https://drhyman.com/blog/2012/02/13/three-hidden-ways-wheat-makes-you-fat/    Kucek, L. K., Vee...

 

 

  Infographic by Keara Wong using Canva design tool

  Infographic by Rosul Jasim made by using Canva graphic design tool.

       Infographic by Catherine Schmidt made by using Canva graphic design tool. Kilgour, L. (2015, February 23). Food Cravings: A Tormentor Or Blessing In Disguise? Collective Evolution. Retrieved March 9, 2021, from https://www.collective-evolution.com/2015/02/23/food-cravings-a-tormentor-or-blessing-in-disguise/      Schmidt, J., & Martin, A. (2017, January 20). “Smile away your cravings” – Facial feedback modulates cue-induced food cravings. Appetite , 116 (1), 536 -543. https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy.mtroyal.ca/science/article/pii/S0195666317301046

Infographic by Laura Reyes Palacios made using the graphic design tool Canva.   

                                                                                                                                                                                              (Ethier, 2018) Your body makes creatine on it's own, but sometimes that isn't enough when you want to enhance your physical fitness levels. Three amino acids are added together in the liver, kidney, and pancreas to make creatine, and it ente...

  What makes fizzy drinks taste fizzy? When carbon dioxide gas and water react, they produce a weak acid, called carbonic acid. Carbonic acid is what is in your soda or any drink with bubbles. Carbonic acid stimulates the same taste receptors as the ones that are triggered by cinnamon and mustard and it is what gives rise to that prickly sensation in your mouth. If you have ever heard your dentist mention to you that it is the soda that you drink that is ruining the enamel on your teeth, take comfort in the fact that it is not carbonic acid that is the culprit. Hint: It is Red Bull that is the worst offender. Carbonic acid has a pH of 4.2, giving carbonated water a pH of 4.5. This is slightly acidic, but certainly not as acidic as Red Bull, which is 3.3. Where can you find carbonic acid? The first place you can find it, is in you! Carbon dioxide is present in the blood and combines with water to form carbonic acid, which is exhaled as a gas by the lungs. The rate of your resp...

Steve Calcott. Soothing; 2006.

Turner, L. (2016, November 6). Toiletries, Clarendon [Photograph]. Flickr. https://www.flickr.com/photos/theogeo/30704571862/in/photolist-NMfXu3-75o4mC-bpbkc5-2hrpUjo-2kjuPnS-Q63T9r-bhB1Lz-2eFq8Yj-28K8uq9-4iZSqo-7jge64-5wABHV-6j4gu7-ck6rx-e8Rjo9-6EL2Uu-rs4X2-6cB4CQ-5k9UNL-aXcyKt-52KXZb-2jQcMn8-6zPEEA-nRcdax-2tW3hk-9UAoNr-bhFHaB-9iSULs-UVsj7M-5L2vDw-5B6iXK-9MWqaP-9bNoNB-5Wt6v2-9aZNPo-RNdyH-6TsiuF-Djafs-5jG6sS-4Ya5Ni-7L5W8W-7vnPiN-gHY9sY-32dbzo-5LG25j-7CNATe-UKAsjh-c978C-2g2CbUE-5fQqcN Ever get into a sticky situation similar to the image above? Either as the one causing trouble or catching the trouble maker red-handed? Have no fear, cyclopentasiloxane is here to the rescue.  Cyclopentasiloxane is also known as D5 is a silicon compound that is a colourless, odourless liquid and is relatively thin, silky and slippery (SpecialChem, 2021). D5 is commonly found in hundreds of cosmetics and personal care products such as shampoo, deodorant and sunscreen sprays (Cafasso, 2019).  The c...

  Tagatose  By. Tiffany Rivers  Tagatose is monosaccharide, Keto-sugar with a chemical formula similar to fructose. It is naturally occurring in fruits like pineapple and apples, and is released in lactose dairy products during the heating process; It is used as a food additive for texturizing, sweetener, and flavour enhancer, as well as in toothpaste and mouthwash.( Tagatose health Benefits, side effects, 2015). It is known to be 92% as sweet as sugar with a similar taste, but only contributing to 38% of the calories. ( Tagatose health Benefits, side effects, 2015). The most interesting fact I found about Tagatose is that when consumed by diabetics it only increases blood sugar levels by 3%, and is actually being researched as a glucose lowering agent for type 2 diabetics ( Tagato se , n.d.) . It is also known to act as a prebiotic, because what isn’t absorbed through the small intestines is stored and fermented in the large intestines which decreases the production of...

  Is Triclosan Really THAT Bad? Controversies surrounding household chemical, Triclosan, poses many questions for consumers. The first thought that may be coming to your mind right now is: "what even is Triclosan?" Triclosan is a commonly used household product that is used as an antibacterial agent in various hand soaps, disinfectants, body washes, toothpastes, mouth rinses, and in fabrics to prevent the growth of microbes. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 Pandemic, the use of this chemical has grown drastically over the past year.  Triclosan, in its purest form, is a white crystalline powder that is used universally. What does this mean for you and what are the risks? The primary risk that has actually been able to be proved through studies is the disruption of natural bacteria in ecosystems due to the presence of Triclosan in waste water. For us, this means that various living organisms can be killed off that are required in order for our ecosystems to function, provide us with...

Ethyl Alcohol (Ethanol): What Gets Us Drunk? Ethyl Alcohol (also referred to as Ethanol) - more commonly known as drinking alcohol to the majority – has the structural formula C 2 H 6 O. In low doses, Ethyl Alcohol tends not to be incredibly toxic, despite the adverse effects on the body. Beer tends to contain anywhere from 4% to 9% alcohol in volume (this relates to the drink having 4mL to 9mL of pure alcohol for every 100mL of the drink), other alcohols such as wine can have upwards of 15%, or even 20%-40% for liquors (D. Klimaszyk et al. 2014). The pleasurable effects you get from drinking alcohol come from the decrease in inhibiting the neurotransmitter dopamine . To make ethanol – for use in drinking – grains, fruits or vegetables go through a process known as fermentation. Wine and ciders will be more commonly produced by fermenting fruits, whereas beers and spirits get their alcohol content from cereals such as barley and rye. This process stimulates the reaction between the...

  Have you ever stopped to wonder about what makes plastics different or the differences in properties? What if I told you that plastics are the building blocks of several products, even ones you eat. Plastics are essentially long chains of polymers, and polymers are made up of simple units called monomers, hence beginning with "poly," which means many. The polymer called polyvinyl alcohol (PVOH) unique feature is that it can easily break down into its non-harmful monomers, being labelled as a biodegradable plastic. 1 The difference between PVOH and other polymers comes from how it's created and the properties that give PVOH its versatility with how we use it in our lives. PVOH is unique because it is created by chemically changing another polymer. The goal of chemically changing the polymer polyvinyl acetate (PVAc) is to change the acetate groups to alcohol groups . For this to happen, the process of hydrolysis is used where they dissolve polyvinyl acetate( PVAc) in me...

What's in Your Sunscreen? How the ingredient oxybenzone may be affecting your health and the environment     Moose Photos. Person Pouring Plastic Tube Bottle ; 2018. Oxybenzone is a chemical that is found in sunscreen, hairspray, shampoo, and even plastics. 1 It naturally occurs in a few flowering plants 2 , however it is more commonly created in the lab. 3 Oxybenzone is found as a cream coloured powder that is nearly odourless, making it a useful ingredient in cosmetics, as it won’t drastically affect the colour or the smell. 3 But why would you want to add oxybenzone to sunscreens and cosmetics? The answer lies in oxybenzone’s most useful property - it’s ability to protect our skin from ultraviolet (UV) radiation. 1 UV radiation can lead to tanning, burning, and aging of the skin, and when an increase in exposure to UV rays occurs, DNA can become damaged, potentially leading to skin cancer. 4 Oxybenzone is able to absorb the UV rays when applied on the skin, and rel...