Life is Full with Chemistry

Sunday, June 7, 2009

Aspartame

One day when I’m having chemistry lecture, one of my friend offer me a sweet so I took it and have a look on the ingredient label and I saw aspartame, so I didn’t take it and returned it back to him. It’s because during few years ago I read an article about aspartame that’s it isn’t good to human health but I didn’t really read in detail so I decided to do research on it and posting it up for my chemistry assignment as the 5th posting. Basically I only know aspartame use as sweetener and it’s isn’t good but I don’t really know why is it so? So hope u will enjoy sharing my research together and less consuming aspartame containing food. ^^

Aspartame was first discovered in 1965 by James M.Schlatter, a chemist which worked under G.D. Searle & Company that undergo synthesized of aspartame in course of producing anti-ulcer drug. By coincidence he discovered that its sweet taste serendipitously when he licked his finger, which had been contaminated with aspartame accidentally.

Aspartame is the name for the artificial, non-carbohydrate sweetener, or known as aspartyl-phenylalanine-1-methyl ester. It had been an ingredient of almost 5,000 consumer foods and beverages worldwide which commonly used in diet soft drink and vitamin. On top of that, it is also use as substitutes sugar use by diabetic.

Do you know that aspartame is been subjected by vigorous public controversy regarding its safety of it?

It’s well known that aspartame contains the naturally occurring amino acid phenylalanine which is a treat to people which born with phenylketonuria (genetic intolerance to phenylalanine).

What make the properties behind aspartame causes it to be generally uses in food?

Aspartame mainly use as a sweetener due to it is 180 times sweeter than regular sugar at the same concentration and like other peptides has a caloric value of 17kilojoules per gram, the quantity of aspartame need is SMALL as to make its caloric contribution negligible.(main reason people use aspartame is to avoid calories from sugar).

How aspartame properties work?

Aspartame may break down into its constituent amino acids under high temperature or high pH. (How does this related?) It makes aspartame undesirable as a baking sweetener and prone to degradation in high-pH products which required a long life shelf. Aspartame’s stability under heating allowing it to improve by encasing it in fats or in maltodextrin while the solubility of aspartame is determined by pH. (Let me tell u how it work in soft drink when it come to solubility).

At room temperature, aspartame is stable at pH 4.3 where its half-life is nearly 300days while at pH 7 neutral, its half life is just several days. In most soft drinks its pH ranging from 3 – 5 where aspartame is stable. In production of food, it requires a longer shelf life therefore aspartame would blend with a more stable sweetener, saccharin. (Saccharin also proved to causes cancer) (Try imagining 2 cancer-causing substances added in 1 new mixture. What you think will happen? Disaster?)

Aspartame also uses in powdered beverages, it required to undergo a Maillard reaction with aldehyde groups presents in aroma compound. It is to ensure the sweetness and flavor from losing via the protection by aldehyde as an acetal.
Since now we already knew about the chemical and properties of aspartame. I will continue about the effect of it to our human body.

Well as said earlier, aspartame contains phenylalanine which is harmful for phenylketonuria people. (Do you have phenylketonuria? If u do, be careful when intake aspartame or any phenylalanine product)

Aspartame was reported by FDA(U.S Food and Drug Administration) that it caused 92 types of health effect!!! (OMG ! it’s a lot ! Now I’m really freak out ! I never gonna take any aspartame anymore)

There is a lot to list out . . . .

Here are the 92 types of health effect :

(Sort it out using this table ^-^ ).

In aspartame, there 4 chemical components that causes adverse effect on human’s health, they are methanol, phenylalanine, aspartic acid, and aspartylphenylalanine diketopiperazine.

Should I do in a separate topic on them? I know I’m very “chiong hei” (a lot thing to explain) ha-ha. .. . So I will do it separately as 6th posting which only about the 4 chemical substances.

Let’s end this posting soon it’s getting pretty long.

My Dear Reader don fall asleep yet, I save the best for the last XD

I sure not much teenager actually read the ingredient of certain product in the market but do u know a lot of the sweet and beverage u bought contain aspartame? It could appear as sugared form or artificially sweetened form and most of the products have sweet taste but no calories from sugar contain ASPARTAME! So don’t be happy seeing no calories in sugar and be glad of consuming 0% sugar. Ha-ha
Below is some example of product containing aspartame:

For those that love eclipse a lot, here a poster i found.
Don be deceive! it contain aspartame thought it not stated on it.
As i was Eclipse's lover previously but NOT NOW!

~Jasonyap~

Monday, June 1, 2009

Methamphetamine

Recently, I read an article regarding about a drug name Methamphetamine. It’s a drug which drives a boast in human body and also capable of promoting weight lost. (Interesting right? Not until I finish regarding it). It is also an addictive drug if overdosing on it. It’s something similar to nicotine in part of the effect but generally it was quite popular among the housewives and workers (especially OL) Why is it so? It's because the drug is handy yet way of consumption is easy and it doesn’t require any workout! Cool isn’t it? .

Besides that, this drug can be use as stimulator of pleasure and excitement which act like ecstasy! Dangerous! (Another drug which MUST NOT BE TAKEN!!).

Methamphetamine was first synthesized in 1894 in Japan by a chemist, Nagayoshi Nagai and during 1919; Akira Ogata was able to synthesized crystallized methamphetamine by using reduction of ephedrine using red phosphorus and iodine.

Methamphetamine was use in World War II when German military utilize it and name as Pervitin and later on it was dose on chocolates for pilot and soldier as a stimulant. This methamphetamine might be the possible cause that Adolf Hitler has Parkinson’s disease due to intravenous injections of methamphetamine for his depression and fatigue.

Methamphetamine also name as (2S)-N-methyl-1-phenyl-propan-2-amine. It could freely soluble in water, alcohol, and chloroform and partially soluble in ether. (Watch out when u drinking unknown drink from others ^-^).

Methamphetamine is a very addictive stimulant drug which affect the central nervous system and high potential for abuse as it a Schedule II stimulant. It regulates a class of neurotransmitters known as biogenic amines which regulate heart rate, blood pressure, appetite, mood, and response associate with alertness. The drug will causes a reverse effect and cause blockage of re-uptake of neurotransmitters after release and remain in the synaptic cleft. (That’s scary).

Methamphetamine can be swallowed, snorted, smoked or dissolve in water, or via injection, and inserted annually. Basically, smoking is the fastest way to induce the effect of it, follows by injection, snorting and swallowing.

It commonly smoked in glass pipes or aluminium foil heated by a flame. While smoking of methamphetamine cause mild asthma and decay of teeth due to it damage crystalline particles attach to the teeth and also reduce production of saliva. Injection is another popular method among users as in syringe is always available for them but it’s potentially risky. Users will experience skin rashes and skin disease, moreover non-sterilize needle could lead to diseases such as HIV and hepatitis to be transmitted.

Let venture into more of its effect on our body.

What can methamphetamine do for our body in a positive way?

It could increase alertness, brain activity and motivation. How? It actually increases the heart rate and blood pressure (as said earlier) which cause hyperglycemia (increase of blood sugar). Besides that, it also increases the focus, mental alertness, and eliminates fatigue but it could decrease in appetite. Overdosing of methamphetamine would cause hallucination and exhaustion due to intense fatigue and overuse of glucose in body. (Not really an advantages with so many of cons -.-“).

This could lead to euphoria and weight loss if overdosing. This occurs because when dosing over a certain period of time, body gain resistance to it and in order to gain back the effects, extra dosing are required. This will lead to blurred vision, confusion, paranoia, nausea or even death. As it could decrease appetite causes consumption of food become less leads to lose in weight.

Methamphetamine could inhibits pain and increases metabolism which allow a person to push his muscle to the limit which reaches impossible strength. This drug could also let user exhibits sexually compulsive behavior which might extend sexual encounters with more than one individuals, (ewww that so .. ewww) due to the effect of the drug prolong attention and mental concentration it could causes sexually transmitted disease (STD) such as HIV and syphilis.(Remember safe sex!)

On top of that, overdosing of methamphetamine will lead to tooth decay, erectile dysfunction (LOL!), depression, damage to immune system and long term cognitive impairment due to neurotoxicity. Methamphetamine-induced hyperstimulation of pleasure leads to persistent anhedonia. Besides that, long term of drug abusing will cause high concentration of dopamine flooded in brain cause chemical cell damage and lead to slow thinking (slowpoke XD) (what the point doing such harmful act to our precious body).
High intensity of usage could lead to EXTREME weight loss (50-100lbs), severe malnutrition, aggression, violence, belligerence, paranoia, hallucination, hysteria, sleep deprivation, stroke and heart failure. (I came across this drug few years ago when I was young. It not I’m taking it but one of my uncle, really dislike those drug addict!! Hate them hurting my family and relative! I won’t sympathy to them. They just NEVER change! [Unless they will but so far never seen one turn into a new leave]) (Sad!)

Methamphetamine could be made by some simple material such as
• Cold pill containing ephedrine or pseudoephedrine
• Acetone
• Alcohol
• Toluene (brake cleaner)
• Engine Starter (ether)
• Drain Cleaner (sulfuric acid)
• Iodine

• Salt
• Coffee filters
• Lye (sodium hydroxide)
• Muriatic acid
• Pyrex
• Anhydrous ammonia

Even with current advanced technology and research, there isn’t an antidote available for methamphetamine addiction. (I’m so sorry for those that regretted on taking it but it is too late for you to realize it) So don’t ever try it! On top of that, for those people that like to club and disco a lot. Remember to watch out for your drink. Finish your drink before doing something else and never drink something given by a stranger at any cost. Methamphetamine could be dissolve in the drink easily without any color or odor produced. Best is not to go those places. HAHA! Hope you really understand it. Last but not least, methamphetamine is call as “Ice” in local (I got to know it through some friend). REMEMBER DON’T TRY IT!

~Jasonyap~