Monday, November 15, 2010

Hot Issues in Chemistry


Using theory and simulation, Amitabh Bhattacharaya and Anna C. Balazs have designed a system of interacting microcapsules that effectively act like a relay: receiving a chemical signal from one capsule and transmitting this signal to another, so that a “message” is propagated over macroscopic distances. These configurations have the potential to be usedto design biomimetic chemical devices, including chemical oscillators, sensors and waveguides. Basically this means that they are replicating signals and are transmitting them through animal bodies. They send signals through tiny bubbles or capsules that are one beside another, and the signal is sent from one bubble to the next. This is transporting the signal through the body and telling it what to do.
http://pubs.rsc.org/en/Content/ArticleLanding/2010/JM/C0JM01682A



COIL (Chemical oxygen iodine laser)

Iodine Oxygen Is mainly used for a military laser called COIL. COIL, (Chemical oxygen iodine laser) is an infrared
chemical laser. Because beam is infrared, it cannot be seen with the naked eye. It is capable of output power scaling
up to megawatts in continuous mode. Its output wavelength is 1.315 µm, the wavelength of transition of atomic
iodine.

How It Works:
“The laser is fed with gaseous chlorine, molecular iodine, and an aqueous mixture of hydrogen peroxide and potassium hydroxide. The aqueous peroxide solution undergoes chemical reaction with chlorine, producing heat, potassium chloride, and oxygen in excited state, singlet delta oxygen. Spontaneous transition of excited oxygen to the triplet sigma ground state is forbidden giving the excited oxygen a spontaneous lifetime of about 45 minutes. This allows the singlet delta oxygen to transfer its energy to the iodine molecules injected to the gas stream; they are nearly resonant with the singlet oxygen, so the energy transfer during the collision of the particles is rapid. The excited iodine then undergoes stimulated emission and lasses at 1.315 µm in the optical region of the laser.”

EXTRA:
COIL was developed by the US Air Force in 1977, for military purposes. However, its properties make it useful for industrial processing as well; the beam is focusable and can be transferred by an optical fiber.



Global Warming.

I think that the scientist and chemists around the world are doing a great job at what they do and making new inventions every day; but, they are not focusing a lot on a big problem, global warming. Yes, we are talking a lot about what can be done but we are not doing much. I have two easy tasks that the scientists and chemists should be able to do that will help our plaent earth tremendously. One of these is to fix the ozone. ozone, is a molecule called O3. o3 is what manyh drinking water factories use to clean the water. This ozone is kept in a small, but tightly sealed room as to not let the ozone escape. Scientists should

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Absolute Zero (notes on movie)

  • absolute zero = -273 degrees Celsius. this is an important temperature because nothing can survive below that temperature.

Monday, November 1, 2010

Phases of Matter

What are the phases of matter? Describe them.

Solid: A solid is something that does not take the shape of its container and does not allow things to poke through easily. Also, if you were to come close to the atoms of the solid, all of the molecules and atoms would be fairly close together and there is hardly any movement.
Fluid: A fluid is something that does take shape of its container, and is fairly easy to poke th
ings through it, but slows it down. Also, if you were to come close to the atoms of the liquid, all of the molecules and atoms would be able to move freely, but still not too far apart from one another and some movement.
Gas: A gas is something that does take
shape of its container, and is extremely easy to poke things through it. Also, if you were to come close to the atoms of the gas, all of the molecules and atoms would be flying around freely and at random distances from one another, with a lot of movement.
Plasma: Eventually, given enough heat, the electrons and nucleus become separated and into positively, charged ions and negatively charged electrons. This soup of ions and electrons is known as a plasma
Temperature is also part of matter. Temperature changes the atoms kinetic energy, also the faster the atoms move, the farther they move from being a solid.






















How is one phase different from another?

the temperature, and the distance between each atom.


Identifying Tests:

Place it into Zip lock Bag:

Solid: it will stay the same shape
Liquid: it will take the shape of its container
Gas: when the bag is closed it will be inflated with an invisible substance

Place on the table:

Solid: when we remove the substance the table will have no stains
Liquid:
when we remove the substance the table will have wet stains
Gas:
when we remove the invisible substance the table will have no stains

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

Flame Tests



A flame test is a procedure used in chemistry to detect the presence of certain metal ions, based on each element's characteristic emission spectrum. The color of flames in general also depends on temperature; see flame color.
"The flame test is used to visually determine the identity of an unknown metal or metalloid ion based on the characteristic color the salt turns the flame of a bunsen burner. The heat of the flame converts the metal ions into atoms which become excited and emit visible light. The characteristic emission spectra can be used to differentiate between some elements." -http://chemistry.about.com/od/analyticalchemistry/a/flametest.htm

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Prezi(s)

Iodine compounds:


Wednesday, October 6, 2010

Red Dread

In October 2010, a company in Hungary called MAL, that produces aluminium had created Hungary's "Economic Disaster". MAL had created a giant reservoir full of toxic waste sealed with a giant dam. Up until October 2010, this reservoir has held but for some reason the dam broke, presumed to be from too much rain, and the toxic sludge escaped and filled the streets of Hungary. No one knows for sure, what caused the dam to break but it has been presumed that only two present of the wastewater escaped the reservoir and still flooded most of the country including the farms were most of their food is grown and exported. The Hungarian police are doing the best they can to clean the roads, the houses, rivers, and most of all the farmlands. It will also affect other areas because it is now reaching into the Danube that runs though most of eastern Europe all the way to the dead sea. Also, the farmlands will be reused after the toxic disaster is dealt with and the crops exported one again, even though the area on which the crops are contaminated, and would take years to clean completely.

links:

Thursday, September 30, 2010

Aluminium foil + Copper Sulfate Lab Pictures













In our first experiment we used a spoon to take out the aluminum from the solution and this is what it looked like when we took it out.

















This is another picture of the aluminum out side of of the copper solution. I also think that this particular piece looks like the continent of Africa.

























This is a close up picture of the aluminium when it is still in the copper sulfate. you can see how the red substance is growing and emitting gas on tiny little bumps that resemble volcanoes.



















When we took the aluminium out of the copper sulfate solution this is what we saw. the aluminium was all covered in a soft red material we presumed to be copper.


















when we placed the aluminum in a box formation after a fey minutes the copper ate away at the aluminum and the base of the aluminium rose to the top of the copper sulfate.














In this picture you can clearly see that when the aluminium was reacting with the copper sulfate, some of the copper became a gas. we can see this because there are gas bubbles forming on the side of the aluminium.
















We placed the aluminium in a box shape and placed
it into the copper sulfate. when we placed it it we immediately noticed that the copper sulfate within the box of aluminium changed color to a dull gray, blue color that defiantly stood out.








Periodic Table of Videos - Sodium



Sodium is a type of metal. Because sodium is so reactive it is stored in oil to prevent it from oxidizing. IF this was not done, there would be a high sign of an explosion. Sodium is also a very soft metal that can be cut with an ordinary knife. But, When Sodium enters water it starts to burn. then it pops like a fire cracker multiple times presenting a magnificent reaction.

Periodic Table of Videos - Neon



Neon is a very interesting gas. One of the interesting things about neon is that it has given no benefits whatsoever to the human world except for neon lights. Neon also doesn't for any compounds. When neon gas is placed into neon tubes, the only way to make them work is by adding electricity. Because of the electricity the neon atoms each get exited producing light. these tubes are then made into signs.

Periodic Table of Videos - Fluorine



Fluorine is a very interesting element. It is the most reactive element of all. If there is even a small fluorine leak in a room, and you breathe it in. it combines with the water in your nose and creates HF, or Hydrogen Fluoride. HF is very reactive and will dissolve human flesh.

Periodic Table of Videos - Oxygen



Oxygen is mostly seen in the form O2. This is type of oxygen that we breathe. Oxygen is also present on the form O3 or ozone. Similar to nitrogen, oxygen, as a liquid is extremely cold. In fact, if you drank liquid oxygen, your insides would probably freeze. Liquid oxygen is usually made by mistake. Because it is extremely reactive, in an uncontrolled environment it could result in an explosive reaction. This is the reason no one makes it on purpose. Another great thing about oxygen is, that if you have a splint and you light it on fire, then put it out, the top will glow. But, when you put it in pure oxygen, the splint will light up again.

Periodic Table of Videos - Nitrogen



In this video, nitrogen is presented in a liquid state. Liquid nitrogen is one of the coldest elements with a boiling point of about -196C, so by that you can see that it is extremely cold. Also, the bond between two nitrogen atoms is the strongest bond of two of the same atoms. But when separated the bond releases energy and an explosion. This is why many explosives, such as TNT use nitrogen atoms. But I think that nitrogen is the most interesting of the elements because you can use it freeze the lens of somebodies eye, mend it back into shape, and place it back. when it unfreezes, the patient will see normally.

Periodic Table of Videos - Carbon



Carbon is one of the most commonly used element on the planet, not only by humans but by all of the multi-cellular organisms, both plant and animal. Carbon is mostly seen in the form of CO2 or Carbon Dioxide. Because Carbon has four electrons it can bond with four other elements so it can be used in numerous compounds. Carbon has an atomic mass of 12 and is an extremely important element because it is used to measure all the atomic masses of all the other elements. Carbon is not only used by us as a gas that we exhale, but it is also one of the elements that make up our entire body, we are all made out of carbon. But, the most interesting fact of all is that carbon, in the form of amorphous carbon, is used in gas masks. air enters through one area, toxins are traped inside, and the pure are enters the mask.

Periodic Table of Videos - Beryllium




Beryllium is a very unknown substance. It is also very dangerous and can intoxicate a human. Beryllium, even in small doses, if inhaled can attack your lungs and can clog them resulting in death. Also, beryllium is the only metal that cannot be detected by X-ray radiation unlike all other metals. Another interesting fact i learned is that beryllium can be compressed so much that the atmosphere within the container made of beryllium cannot escape, even if its helium.

Periodic Table of Videos - Lithium



Lithium is one of the most reactive metals on the periodic table. Lithium is a very interesting element mostly because it is stored in a container and covered in oil so that it is not exposed to air or water molecules because it is so reactive. When Lithium is exposed to H2O, it immediately starts to react. it starts to fizz and then catches on fire. they say that if lithium catches fire you can never put it out.

Periodic Table of Videos - Helium


Helium, because it is the smallest gas, is used in areas such as vacuums to detect holes and leaks because it can detect the smallest holes. It is also now used for blimps instead of hydrogen because of the Hindenburg incident. Also, even though helium and hydrogen are similar in many ways such as weight and use there is one major difference, this is that helium in not flammable were as hydrogen is.

Wednesday, September 29, 2010

Periodic Table of Videos - Hydrogen



Hydrogen is the lightest element on the periodic table. it has only one proton and only one electron with an atomic mass of 1. It is also a very abundant element meaning it is very common. It is found throughout the universe. Another thing I learned is that Hydrogen is lighter than air and there for it floats. IT is also highly flammable.

Thursday, September 16, 2010

Chemistry Mind Map 1





When I was Creating My mind map it was rough at first. I had no idea what I was going to write. But after thinking back about all the things we have done so far, i managed to remember a lot of information. I then looked over my own personal blog and found many different posts we had made like Green Plastics. I then summarized all of the information I had on a couple of different posts and placed them on my map. Then I remembered about learning about the states of matter in sixth grade and decided to place that on my map too.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

Nitrogen (reflection on reading)


1. The article lists three chemical elements needed for plant growth. Name them.
There are three types of chemicals in a non-organic fertilizer. These three are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium. Nitrogen being the most important one.
2. Most plants cannot use diatomic nitrogen to help them grow. Name three plants that can use N2 and explain why they are able to use N2.
Soybeans, peas, and clover are three of the plants that can use the nitrogen form the air (N2). The reason that N2 is not used for other plant is that it
reacts very little and cannot
be used by other plants to grow. Because these exceptional plant is
because they
have symbiotic bacteria growing in their roots.
These bacteria have the unusual ability to con
vert atmospheric nitrogen (N2) into a chemically
usable form.

3. In what form is nitrogen present in most fertilizers?
Because N2 reacts very poorly, it is not used in fertilizers. instead the form most fertilizers use is
either ammonia (NH3) or the ammonium
ion (NH4
+). These are then changed within the plants into
nitrite ions (NO2
–) using bacteria called Nitrosomonas found in the roots of plants.
4. Nitrogen makes up what percent of the air?
Pure nitrogen, which is N2 makes up 78% and most of the air on Earth.
5. In what ways can nitrogen harm the environment?
If nitrogen enters the water it can help algae grow larger. then when the algae dies, and bacteria uses up oxygen to decompose it, because it is so large, and might use up all the oxygen in a big area. This then results in suffocation of fish, and other marine life with gills. also
nitrogen from fertilizers can become
nitrous oxide (N2O). When released into the air,
This gas contributes to
global climate changes and depletes the Ozone (O3).
6. How can changing annual crops (like wheat, corn, sorghum and sunflowers) to perennial crops reduce the need for fertilizer?
Scientists at the Land Institute in Salina, Kan., are breeding new crops that would live for many years. Plants that can live for years are called perennials. But, most crops live for only one year (annuals). By breeding or reproducing annual crops with their perennial relatives, the scientists at the Land Institute have created plants that have the better of both two things. The high quality of an annual, that stays ripe for years.

My Golg

Iodine:

Friday, September 10, 2010

Reactants, Products and Leftovers




1. Using the "Sandwich Shop" tab, adjust the components of a Cheese Sandwich or a Ham and Cheese Sandwich which will qualify as a product in the reaction. Then, adjust the reactants at the bottom left of the screen and observe what forms for products and leftovers. What are reactants, products and leftovers? What happened as you adjusted the amount of reactants? What happens when you adjust the components for a Ham and Cheese Sandwich?

After using the sandwich shop tab, i have discovered that reactants are the materials used at the beginning, to create the product(s). The leftovers are the reactants that there was too much of. I have also discovered that the amount of products and leftovers is determined solely on how much reactants you have, and how many of each you need to create a product.

2. Now, using the "Real Reaction" tab, play with the various settings for the "Make Ammonia," "Make Water" and "Combust Methane" experiments listed at the top of the screen. What can you learn from this? What are the reactants, products and leftovers in each of the reactions?

After doing real reactions I learned a few different things. I already knew how to create water, but i never knew how to create ammonia, or that Methane, when combusted creates water. these were the compounds 2*H2+O2=2*H2O (Making Water), N2+3*H2=2*NH3 (Making Ammonia), CH4+2*O2+CO2=2*H2O (Combusting Methane).

Thursday, September 9, 2010

Chemical Interactions (reflection on video)



In this video all of the actors are representing the element on the periodic table. It also shows what happens when two or more of the elements are combined. Some of the reactions in the video are Neon (Ne) and Hydrogen (H). When you combine these two elements, there is no reaction (in the movie it is shown by the couple not having much chemistry between them. The next of the interactions is Carbon (C) and Hydrogen (H) attract. Carbon can attract up to four hydrogen atoms for it to be full. The video also shows how two already combined atoms, can be separated using electricity. The last of the chemical interactions shown in the video is Water, a combination of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen (H2O) that gets and extra atom of potassium (K). The reaction of this interaction is and explosive reaction (or in the video, a fight).

Tuesday, September 7, 2010

Structure of Matter

1. The ocean
The ocean ca be broken down into many parts. The basic parts are ones such as; water, oxygen, salt, fish, algae, and aquatic mammals. A way we could test this by taking a large piece of the ocean to study. There we could see all of the life that there is, form bacteria, to large mammals. then we could take portion of the water, and evaporate it. After there is no water left, we can study all that is left.
2. Sea water
Sea water has many different components. It is made up of mostly the same component as the ocean. But, because we are only looking at the water, the components would be, water and salt. we could test this with desalinization.

3. Beach Sand

Sand is made of minerals and tiny pieces of rock because of erosion. The composition of sand varies, because not all of the places around the world have the same rocks from which sand can made of. The most common components of sand on beach sand, as well as other sand is silica (silicon dioxide). I think that the only way we can prove this is by talking one grain of sand, and put it under a microscope to see if we can match it with a type of rock.

4. Salt

Salt consists of the elements sodium chloride. Salt comes from two main sources. Seawater, salt from the sea, is salty because rain water dissolves minerals containing sodium and chlorine in rocks and soil. The other main source of salt occurs in hard massive layers beneath the ground. This is called rock salt which is formed by the evaporation of large parts of oceans millions of years ago. Underground salt deposits are found on every continent. In the U.S.A. these deposits occur in 32 states. The only way we can separate the salt, is by using Electrolysis, or the use of electricity.

http://www.petzfamilyschool.com/youngsalt.htm

5. Silicon
Because silicon is an atom it is only made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons. a way we could figure out how many of the protons, electrons, and neutrons, by using and electron microscope.
6. Chlorine

Because silicon is an atom it is only made up of protons, electrons, and neutrons. a way we could figure out how many of the protons, electrons, and neutrons, by using and electron microscope.
Extension:

7. Protons
A proton is made of Quarks. or an elemental particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. there are different combinations of quarks so they can make up neutrons and protons. the combination for protons is two up quarks and one down quark.
8. Electrons
Electrons are not made of Quarks. they are are leptons, of which only six are known. many scientist think they know what electrons are made of but it is not really certain.
9. Neutrons
A neutron is made of Quarks. or an elemental particle and a fundamental constituent of matter. there are different combinations of quarks so they can make up neutrons and protons. the combination for neutrons is tone up quark and two down quarks.
10. Energy
Energy is a property of its own. it can not be seen, felt, detected in any way. all we know is that its there. Therefor, we don't know what its made of. asking this question is like asking "what is length made of?" or "what is momentum made of?"

Sunday, September 5, 2010

The Octet Rule, Bohr Diagram, and the Lewis Dot Diagram


The Octet rule is a rule that states that atoms with eight electrons on the outer shell, tend to bond more easily, and that when an atom has 8 electrons on its outer shell, it is at its maximum capacity and the next electron will be placed on a new shell. For example Neon has eight electrons on its outer shell. The next element on the periodic table is Sodium with 11 electrons, two on the first shell, 8 on the second shell, and the last electron, because according to the octet rule, the second shell is full, the last electron goes onto a new third shell. a definition of the octet rule is; The observation that atoms of nonmetals tend to form the most stable molecules when they are surrounded by eight electrons (to fill their valence orbitals).Also, the route of the octet rule is Oct meaning eight. Some examples of the octet rule are; (see pictures).

The Bohr Diagram is a diagram of a specific atom, used to show how may elections, neutrons and protons it contains. You can also use the periodic table to help you make this graph. If you look at what row the element is in, you can figure out how many shells it has. If you look at the number on the element, you can see how many protons it contains. Also, it is the number of neutrons, and electrons. An interesting fact is that if you double the number, you get the atomic mass. The inner area of the atom contains ONLY the protons and the neutrons, and the shells contain the electrons. Note, that on the first shell, there is a maximum of 2 shells, and on any additional shell added there is a maximum of eight shells (see the example of Argon in the picture).

The lewis dot diagram, or the electron dot diagram, is a drawing of an atom, used to sow how it can bond with valence electrons. valence electrons are electrons outside filled rings or shells. They are the outer electrons.

Thursday, September 2, 2010

Green Plastics (reflection on Video)

ChemMatters - Episode 2: Plastics Go Green from ACS Pressroom on Vimeo.


Did you know that about 90,718,474,000kg, or 200,000,000,000lbs of plastic is manufactured every year? And that 20 present of that could be Bio-degradable, and Eco-friendly Bioplastic? what is Bioplastic you ask? Well, in this video from Vimeo.com,it tells us everything you need to know about this newly discovered plastic. Green Plastic, or Bioplastic, is a plastic made of of Corn, Sugar Cane, and Sugar Beets, and is supposedly the best way to go. Or is it? In this video the narrator talks about the good, and bad characteristics of Bioplastic. He also talks about were plastic comes form, how its manufactured, and what it is manufactured out of.

Like I said before, Bioplastic is made up of the sugar form Corn, Sugar Cane, Sugar Beets, and many others. This plastic, because it is made up of biological material, is more environmentally friendly, than traditional plastic. But is it all good?

Organisations like "Nature Works LLC", who manufacture Bioplastic, say it is the best way to go. That it is extremely environmentally friendly. It does not require any fossil fuels, natural gas, or coal, it can be used to make compost, it uses organic substances such as corn, and it does not cause water, or air pollution. What could be better right? Wrong. Yes, the product itself does not pollute, but look around it. To grow corn and other crops used to make Bioplastic you need pesticides, urbacides, and fertilizers, contributing to water pollution. Also, motor vehicles used for planting, cultivating, harvesting, and shipping crops use crude oil and release carbon dioxide and are mayor affects in air pollution. Also, Bioplastic factories may not use oil to make the plastic, but they use electricity that is made usually by using fossil fuels. Also, the risk of using too much farmland for plastic instead of food, could result in a food crisis, or famine. Some organisations might cut down forests and jungles to make more farmland, but thats not a solution either. Another thing is that when degrading in a compost pile it gives of CO2 and methane gas that is harmful to the environment. Sometimes even, instead of being used as compost, it is thrown away like the rest of the trash, and then dangerous gases get released into the air causing more air pollution. So Bioplastic is not as great and perfect, as it sounds.

Like I mentioned earlier, the production of Bioplastic creates a lot of chemical reactions. here are a few; Molecules (a group of two or more elements or atoms binded together), Monomers (a pair of molecules), Polymers (long chains or collections of monomers, Polymerization (linking different monomers to create irregular polymers), Condensation Reaction (when polymerization gives off a small molecule, every time a bond is formed), Addition Reaction (when polymerization is occurring, and molecules have double bonds or triple bonds), when Bioplastic is degrading it can give off CO2 or methane gas. In the video we saw a number of elements, but only a few were different. These were; Oxygen, hydrogen, Carbon, and element “R”. This just proves that multiple molecules, are made up of similar elements and make totally different results.

Tuesday, August 31, 2010

What is Water Anyway? (Reflection on Reading)

http://discovermagazine.com/2010/may/20-things-you-didn.t-know-about-water

On this site, I read about different facts about, water, drinking water factories, and doctors advices. 5 of my favorite facts were.

E. coli doesn't sound so bad. In 1999 the Natural Resources Defense Council found that one brand of spring water came from a well in an industrial parking lot near a hazardous waste dump.
I found this very interesting because, being a consumer, I should know what type of water i am buying, and were its coming from.

You can make your own water by mixing hydrogen and oxygen in a container and adding a spark. Unfortunately, that is the formula that helped destroy the Hindenburg.
This was very interesting because at first when I read this i wanted to try it out. But then when i saw what it did to the Hindenburg, I started having second thoughts. This is a shame because by making your own water, that is lean and drinkable, you could help many organisations around the world, like in Africa were they do not have access to clean water.

Scientists at Oregon State University have identified vast reservoirs of water beneath the ocean floor. In fact, there may be more water under the oceans than in them.
I think that this is a very funny fact because it is basically saying that they found water... under water, and they find it amazing. But it think that it means that they found drinkable water.

Without water, ocean crust would not sink back into the earth’s mantle. There would be no plate tectonics, and our planet would probably be a lot like Venus: hellish and inert.
This was a very interesting quote because it was something I only partially knew. I knew that the tectonic plates float on the water, but i did not know that it is used so as to cool the hot magma trying to escape the earths core.

Recent evidence suggests that when the solar system formed 4.5 billion years ago, comets had liquid cores. If so, life may have started in a comet.
I think that this is the most fascinating fact of them all because it is the coolest one. If you would be born on a comet rotating around the sun at high speeds and passing numerous other comets, asteroids, stars and even planets. I also think that if we were able to attach a probe to the next comet that comes close to earth, we could check to see if there are any bacteria, frozen in the ice by taking a specimen, or if there is take a sample of water.

My five fact about water:

Most of the earth's surface consists of water; there is much more water than there is land.

3.575 million people die each year from water-related disease.

A lack of water to meet daily needs is a reality today for one in three people around the world.

Roughly 70 percent of an adult’s body is made up of water.

The average toilet uses 8 liters of clean water in a single flush.