The Química of Vinegar

In order to learn and to understand chemistry, sometimes we only need to look through all those things that is necessary for daily routine or life. So, related to this we are going to explore about vinegars. I guess almost everyone knows what is a vinegar and some common uses and purpose of vinegar. What is the relation between vinegar and chemistry? Has anyone try making vinegar? What solely make up the vinegar that we used in kitchens??

Various type of flavored vinegar 

What makes this long lasting ???

Commonly found in Malay & Chinese restaurant

Pickles

There are various type of vinegars in the stores such as apple cider, balsamic, cane, date , distilled, fruit, kombucha and so on. These various type of vinegar consist of various type of usage and purposes. What is the composition of vinegar?

The 3D structure of Acetic acid

The structure of acetic acid

Basically, vinegar is a liquid that consist of Acetic acid (CH₃COOH) + water. How is the acetic acid being produced? It is produced by the fermentation process of ethanol by acetic acid bacteria (AAB). AAB is a kind of bacteria that derives their energy from the oxidation of ethanol to acetic acid during fermentation. Currently, vinegar is being used in cooking as ingredients and food industry but before this vinegars are also used in medical industry and domestic uses .

The acetic acid fermentation process

Production of Vinegar

Commercial vinegar is produced either by fast or slow fermentation processes. In general, slow methods are used with traditional vinegars and fermentation proceeds slowly over the course of months or a year. The longer fermentation period allows for the accumulation of a nontoxic slime composed of acetic acid bacteria. In fast production processes, vinegar is produced in a period ranging from 20 hours to three days. With those fast processes, commercial vinegar contains residual alcohol.

Why not try making your DIY vinegar at home?

The Secret to Silky, Straight Hair

All creatures called as women have dream to own a beautiful, silky, straight and manageable hairs. Almost everyday we are able to see ladies spending hundreds of money at the salon to own a manageable hair. So what kind of magic is actually applied to your hair and why it is always seems perfect at the salon ?? What make up our hair ?? What is the cream used to set your hair perfectly ? 

 

Ever heard about keratin before ? What is keratin all about ? 

Keratin is a kind of protein and it is a major component of our skin,hair,nails and teeth. Keratin is made by the combination process of amino acids. Its random combination of amino acids result to several unique properties and the organisation level of the various amino acids somehow determine the flexibility and hardness of your hair, nail or teeth. To be more precise , I will say that keratin is actually produced by keratinocytes. The high composition of disulphide in this kind of protein gives the keratin the flexibility and hardness characteristic. So, this sums up why different women have different type of hair. 

 

    A sample of typical keratin structure 

Keratin Shampoo

Straightening and relaxer cream

Now, let's discover something about keratin shampoo and creams used in a keratin treatment. How it works ??? 

Keratin hair treatments give you a smooth, straight hair that remains sleek and curl-free for several months. This treatment available at most of the salons  and it can take up to an hour. This process provide double treatments by fortifying the hair through the use of keratin, a natural protein, and then altering the structure of the hair with chemicals in order to make it remain straight.

Keratin is a basic protein found in the bodies of mammals and it is usually present in hair and nails. During keratin treatments, a solution is applied that infuses the hair with keratin, repairing damage and flaws within the hair. Keratin is responsible for increased shine and reduced frizz, but does not directly straighten the hair itself. After the keratin solution is applied, a cocktail of chemicals is added to the hair that creates the straightened effect by semi-permanently altering the hair's structure. 

TRY YOURSELF =)

The Chemistry of Perfume

When your mom is going to a party you'll have seen her

spray on some expensive perfume.

Why does she do this?

What's the secret in the bottle?

We encounter perfumes and fragrances in a large proportion of the products we come into contact with each and every day such as shampoos, personal fragrances and cleaning products. What is actually a P-E-R-F-U-M-E? Perfume is a substance that gives off a pleasant odor. The word perfume comes from the Latin word, perfumare which means "through smoke". There are thousands of chemicals that are used in perfumes. But many of them can be grouped according to their chemical properties. One such group is esters.

Do you know that esters that make up perfumes and sweet fruity flavorings start out with bad smelling organic acids, like butyric acid (which gives rancid butter its odor), acetic acid (sharp smell of vinegar) or caproic acid, which commonly known as haxanoic acid due to the smell of goats in a barnyard. These foul smelling acids combine with odorless alcohol such as methanol and ethanol to produce pleasant smelling floral scents used in perfumes, candies, candles and desserts. 

Esters are made by reacting an alcohol with an organic acid. A small amount of sulphuric acid is needed as catalyst. The general equation for the reaction is:

Alcohol + Organic acid   →  Ester + Water

The diagram shows the process and where the water comes from

Ester have small molecular weight and very nice odor. They are responsible for the pleasant odor in jasmine, roses, apples, durian and many more. The higher the molecular weight, the weaker the odors they carry. Do you know that unsaturated esters have stronger odor than the saturated ones? Beside used in fragrance and flavoring industries, esters are also used as fixatives and carrier solvents. 

Benzyl Acetate is one of the thousands of esters used in making perfumes. Benzyl Acetate is produced from the condensation reaction of benzyl alcohol and acetic acid. It provides a basic odor that can be found in many perfumes and other cosmetic products. The characteristics of Benzyl Acetate are combustible, clear colorless liquid, has pungent or bitter taste, very low solubility in water, stable under ordinary conditions and is found naturally in flowers. 

Formula of Benzyl Acetate is C₆H₅CH₂OCOCH₃

Different esters have different smell. 

Alcohol	Organic acid	Ester made	Smell of ester
Pentanol	Ethanoic acid	Pentyl ethanoate	Pears
Octanol	Ethanoic acid	Octyl ethanoate	Bananas
Pentanol	Butanoic acid	Penthyl butanoate	Strawberries
Methanol	Butanoic acid	Methyl butanoate	Pineapples

LET'S MAKE OUR OWN!

You'll need some pure alcohol, water and a few drops of  lemon and orange essence. Mix alcohol and water in the ration 70:30 and add five drops of lemon essence and 5 drops of orange essence. Pour the mixture into your favorite empty scent bottle. There you have it!! 

A light fragrance called eau-de-Cologne for yourself!!