General chemistry is a science that is deeply incorporated in our everyday lives, but most of the people probably aren’t even aware of it being so. After reading the information in this article, you will think a bit more about this interesting science the next time you wash your hands, clean the barbecue after a party, or pour the detergent in the washing machine. Every one of the mentioned cases can serve as an great example for chemistry reactions that we witness often.

Once again, the process of washing can be explained with the help of chemistry. The largest part of dirt that is most common on clothing, skin, and other objects that we use is composed of various kinds of fats. Because of the fact that fats are not soluble in water, they present a problem because they can’t be washed away only by using water. This is where detergents come in. They basically help in dissolve the fats in water, which can than easily be washed way.

The detergents are composed of two main parts, the first one is hydrophobic and the second one is hydrophilic. The hydrophobic parts are connected with the fats, and, for example, by rubbing the cloathing (that can be done by hands or automatically in the washing machine), the fats become more and more dispersed and in that way, a emulsion is created, that can than be easily washed away with water.

This was just some of the many situations where chemistry can give you an answer on how something works. Many other examples can also be found on the internet, and if you would like to learn more about this science, it’s never a bad idea to start with some of the basic chemistry tutorials