Is Chemistry in Everyday Life part of the EAPCET Chemistry syllabus?

Yes. Chemistry in Everyday Life is taught in Intermediate second year Chemistry, and the EAPCET Engineering syllabus is based on the Intermediate first- and second-year syllabus. Check the official notification each year for any changes.

How many Chemistry questions are there in EAPCET?

40 of the 160 questions in the Engineering paper are Chemistry, spread across 24 chapters.

What mistakes do students make in Chemistry in Everyday Life?

Classing antiseptics and disinfectants by the chemical alone — 0.2% phenol is an antiseptic while 1% phenol is a disinfectant. Calling cimetidine an antacid of the neutralising kind — it is an H₂-receptor antagonist that reduces acid secretion. Listing aspirin as a narcotic analgesic — it is non-narcotic; morphine, codeine and heroin are narcotic. Saying soaps work well in hard water — Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ precipitate soap as scum; detergents are needed instead.

EAPCET Chemistry · Intermediate second year

Chemistry in Everyday Life

This chapter covers drugs and their classes, chemicals in food, and cleansing agents such as soaps and detergents.

Subject: Chemistry
Taught in: Intermediate second year
Chemistry in the paper: 40 of 160 questions

Key formulas and results

Analgesics relieve pain; antipyretics reduce fever
Antiseptics are applied to living tissue; disinfectants to non-living surfaces
Artificial sweeteners include saccharin, aspartame and sucralose
Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of fatty acids; detergents work in hard water
Aspirin synthesis: salicylic acid + $\ce{(CH3CO)2O}$ $\to$ acetylsalicylic acid (2-acetoxybenzoic acid, aspirin) + $\ce{CH3COOH}$

What this chapter covers

Classes of drugs
Antacids, antihistamines and tranquilisers
Antibiotics, antiseptics and disinfectants
Artificial sweeteners and preservatives
Soaps and detergents

How it is usually asked

Classify a drug
Identify sweeteners or preservatives
Soaps versus detergents

Understanding Chemistry in Everyday Life

Drugs work by binding to biological targets such as enzymes and receptors, and they are grouped by their effect. Antacids (NaHCO₃, Mg(OH)₂, Al(OH)₃) neutralise excess stomach acid, while cimetidine and ranitidine block histamine receptors to reduce acid secretion. Antihistamines such as brompheniramine and terfenadine treat allergies. Tranquilisers such as equanil, chlordiazepoxide and barbiturates treat anxiety and stress. Analgesics relieve pain: aspirin and paracetamol are non-narcotic, while morphine and codeine are narcotic.

Antimicrobials fight microbes. Antibiotics may kill bacteria (bactericidal, such as penicillin and ofloxacin) or stop their growth (bacteriostatic, such as erythromycin, tetracycline and chloramphenicol); broad-spectrum antibiotics such as chloramphenicol act on many types. Antiseptics are used on living tissue (Dettol, iodine tincture, 0.2% phenol), and disinfectants on non-living surfaces (1% phenol, chlorine). The same compound can be either, depending on its concentration.

Food chemicals include artificial sweeteners (saccharin, aspartame, sucralose, alitame) and preservatives (sodium benzoate, salts of sorbic and propanoic acid). Aspartame breaks down at cooking temperatures, so it is used only in cold foods and drinks. Soaps are sodium or potassium salts of long-chain fatty acids and form scum in hard water; synthetic detergents (anionic, cationic or non-ionic) work in hard water too. Detergents with branched chains are not biodegradable.

Worked example

EAPCET-style question

Which artificial sweetener is limited to cold foods and soft drinks because it is unstable at cooking temperature?

(1)Saccharin
(2)Aspartame
(3)Sucralose
(4)Alitame

Solution

Aspartame is the methyl ester of a dipeptide made from aspartic acid and phenylalanine.
At cooking temperatures it decomposes and loses its sweetness.
So its use is limited to cold foods and soft drinks.
Sucralose is stable at cooking temperatures, which is why it suits baked foods.

Answer: Aspartame

Common mistakes to avoid

Classing antiseptics and disinfectants by the chemical alone — 0.2% phenol is an antiseptic while 1% phenol is a disinfectant.
Calling cimetidine an antacid of the neutralising kind — it is an H₂-receptor antagonist that reduces acid secretion.
Listing aspirin as a narcotic analgesic — it is non-narcotic; morphine, codeine and heroin are narcotic.
Saying soaps work well in hard water — Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ precipitate soap as scum; detergents are needed instead.

How to prepare it

A short list-based chapter — revise it in one sitting close to the exam.

Once the formulas feel familiar, test them the way the exam does: practise Chemistry in Everyday Life questions chapter-wise, then attempt a full previous year paper to see whether it holds up under a 3-hour timer.

Related Chemistry chapters

See every chapter in the EAPCET Chemistry syllabus.

Practise Chemistry in Everyday Life chapter-wise

Chapter-wise quizzes show exactly which topics in this chapter you still get wrong — before a full paper does.

Frequently asked questions

Is Chemistry in Everyday Life part of the EAPCET Chemistry syllabus?: Yes. Chemistry in Everyday Life is taught in Intermediate second year Chemistry, and the EAPCET Engineering syllabus is based on the Intermediate first- and second-year syllabus. Check the official notification each year for any changes.
How should I prepare Chemistry in Everyday Life for EAPCET?: A short list-based chapter — revise it in one sitting close to the exam.
How many Chemistry questions are there in EAPCET?: 40 of the 160 questions in the Engineering paper are Chemistry, spread across 24 chapters.
What mistakes do students make in Chemistry in Everyday Life?: Classing antiseptics and disinfectants by the chemical alone — 0.2% phenol is an antiseptic while 1% phenol is a disinfectant. Calling cimetidine an antacid of the neutralising kind — it is an H₂-receptor antagonist that reduces acid secretion. Listing aspirin as a narcotic analgesic — it is non-narcotic; morphine, codeine and heroin are narcotic. Saying soaps work well in hard water — Ca²⁺ and Mg²⁺ precipitate soap as scum; detergents are needed instead.