Hydrolysis of salts: it's interesting about boring.

Many people consider chemistry to be a rather boring, uninteresting and inordinately difficult science. Maybe, in part, they are right. Only our life without chemistry is impossible. It surrounds us everywhere. Chemical processes are constantly occurring in nature and are used by man in everyday life. For example, hydrolysis of salts plays an important role in our life, which refers to the metabolic chemical reactions of salt with water.

Where does hydrolysis of salts occur in nature?

1. Chemical transformation of the earth's crust and mountain processes would be impossible without such a chemical phenomenon as the hydrolysis of salts. The Earth's crust contains in its composition a huge amount of sulphides. These salts are poorly soluble in water, but, as is known, water and stone grind. Therefore, interacting with water on the surface of the Earth, as well as in its depths at elevated temperature, sulfides during the hydrolysis reaction are converted to hydrogen sulphide, which is one of the main volcanic gases.

In addition to sulphides, rocks contain silicates - salts of silicic acid, and carbonates - salts of carbonic acid. The decomposition by water of silicon salts leads to the formation of metal oxides, and the hydrolysis of aluminum salts (aluminosilicates) over time leads to the destruction of the rock. The most, perhaps, known product of hydrolysis among inorganic substances is malachite - a very beautiful ornamental stone of green-blue color.

2. The world ocean is also the place where the hydrolysis of salts is one of the main chemical reactions taking place in the water. Due to this interaction of magnesium and calcium carbonate salts with water, the hydrocarbonates of these metals are formed, due to the presence of which the seawater has a slightly alkaline medium. In such water, photosynthesis takes place in marine plants with high intensity, and marine animals grow and grow faster and better.

Where is the hydrolysis of salts used in the household and everyday life of a person?

1. Complete hydrolysis of ammonium salts, such as carbonate and ammonium bicarbonate, results in the formation of ammonia and carbonic acid, which immediately decomposes into carbon dioxide and water. It is due to the formation of gas, this reaction can be used in the food and confectionery industry to give the test airiness and splendor.
2. The hydrolysis of aluminum salts is used to purify water. In fact, aluminum salts are clays, passing through which, water is purified due to the fact that particles of dirt and harmful impurities are enveloped in the product of hydrolysis with insoluble aluminum hydroxide and settle to the bottom. For the purification of water, the reaction of hydrolysis of sodium carbonate or phosphate is also used.
3. Hydrolysis of salts on an industrial scale is used to obtain from a non-food raw material a number of useful substances, such as protein yeast, dry ice, ethyl alcohol, glucose, and the like.
4. A person faces the phenomenon of hydrolysis constantly - during washing clothes, washing, washing dishes. Even the processes that take place inside of us, for example, the digestion of fats, proceed by the mechanism of hydrolysis.

But the phenomenon of hydrolysis can not only benefit the person, but also harm. So, for example, it brings many problems to the oil industry. Everyone knows that oil contains a certain amount of many salts and water. When refining and heating it above 250 degrees, a hydrolysis reaction occurs between the chlorides of magnesium and calcium when it interacts with water vapor. In this case, hydrogen chloride Hcl is formed, which is a rather strong oxidant. It interacts with the metal from which the oil equipment is made and destroys it, causing corrosion. If there was not this phenomenon, the oil products would be much cheaper.
I would like to believe that after reading this article, you will change your opinion about chemistry as a science and stop considering it boring, uninteresting and unnecessary.