3 DISCOVERIES IN CHEMISTRY THAT CHANGED THE WORLD
Chemistry had its origins ever since civilizations began many thousands of years ago. Back then, many of the laws and phenomenon that we are familiar with today didn’t exist. Therefore, people would associate natural phenomenon like thunderstorms or earthquakes with the supernatural. Today, our lives totally depend on the advancements in science and technology. Here are 3 discoveries in chemistry that changed the world.
PERIODIC TABLE
You would have heard of the periodic table in your class 11 chemistry ncert solutions, but did you know who and when it was discovered? It was Dmitri Mendeleev that discovered the modern day periodic table in 1869. Today, the table helps us to categorize the elements based on various criteria such as the atomic structure, physical and chemical properties. The modern day periodic table contains about 118 elements and it is an excellent tool for reference.
RADIOACTIVITY
Your ncert solutions for class 12 chemistry would have given you an idea of what radioactivity is. But the general consensus is rather negative due to its applications and effects during World War 2. However, radioactivity is very useful for modern applications in the field of medicine, energy and food. A nuclear reactor is the closest we can get to a safe and clean source of energy. And unlike a coal reactor, carbon emissions are almost non existent.
PENICILLIN
During the Middle ages, the mortality rate was so high that you could probably die from a cut on your finger. The reason was that once you were infected, the infection would have ravaged your body and rendered it incapable of defending itself. All this changed with the discovery of penicillin by Dr. Alexander Fleming in 1928. We no longer have to worry about getting infected from an open wound or a cut because penicillin kills the bacteria by breaking up its cell wall and it is effective for almost all bacterial infections.
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