Burning Issues In Chemistry

The latest news that I have found in chemistry comes from Harvard University. Engineers  at this prestigious college have invented  a nanostructured  material that can repel water before it has a chance to freeze. According to the college, this is a great discovery. It is already being linked with use on highways, buildings, and powerlines instead of salt to get rid of unwanted ice. Students and professors that helped invent this nano technology have said that it has been created not to stop but prevent ice buildup. This technology is currently being tested in real life scenarios. This method of getting rid of ice in winter is now officially the most earth friendly way to do it. It has beaten heating and icing methods to now hold the number on spot. One last great thing about this is that it could be used throughout the world. The nanotechnology used here can be used in temperatures as low as -30 degrees Celsius meaning that this is yet another way to be greener.

Their has also been a new breakthrough in bomb sniffing world. A scientist and his research team are leading a new study at Tel-Aviv University that uses nanotechnology to detect different kinds of bombs. This could be the end for bomb sniffing dogs if this project comes out with positive results which has already happened. This technology could push aside the sniffer dogs because it it already more reliable and sensitive than any other bomb sniffing dog. This new technology has already grasped the attention of many security companies and scientists throughout the world  says Fernando Patolsky, the head scientist of this current discovery. What is even better about this current technology is that it can identify any type of bomb quickly and it is so reliable that is has never been wrong. One last thing is that it can also detect toxic attacks or threats such as anthrax, or cholera and it is for this reason that security companies are even more interested than before about this brand new technology.

Phases of Matter

In chemistry, their are many states or phases of matter but most people really like to focus on the three main phases solid,liquid, and gas.

Solid- Solid is probably the most well known phases of matter. Solid isn't like the gas or liquid, it won't spread out when you put it in a container and it won't evaporate. Solid is also solid. It won't split up when you touch it like water.

Liquid- Liquid is very different from a solid. Liquid's will always spread out when poured into a container and it will evaporate.

Gas- Gas is very different from a solids and liquids. Gas will be created when a liquid reaches it boiling point or when a solid reaches its melting point.

What is a Flame Testnin Chemistry

"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 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

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flame_test

Acid Rain

Acid Rain Essay

By: Marshall Harrison

8B

Acid rain, it’s a problem that most people are probably unaware of but it is still a serious issue in some parts of the world.  This essay will be your complete guide to Acid Rain. We will go over every corner and aspect of acid rain so that you can be totally aware of this major issue at hand.

So let’s start off on the basics what is acid rain. Acid is basically any form of precipitation that has acid in it. Acid rain occurs when emissions of the compounds ammonium, nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur react with the water in the air thus making acid rain.  Acid rain is mainly a problem in the United States, Europe, and China. Although all of these places have problems with acid rain, the United States and Europe have passed several laws that have been decreasing the amount of acid rain in the last 30 or so years. The only problem though is China. As America and Europe’s acid rain percentages decrease, China’s is increasing and it is beginning to worry some scientists mainly because of all the effects it has on nature. Acid rain has a massive effect on nature. The rain can damage plants, aquatic animals, and infrastructure through the process of wet deposition. So far, you can see why people are concerned about acid rain. There are also some health concerns about acid rain.  The major health issue is inhaling the bad chemicals. Inhaling these chemicals can cause earlier than expected deaths for people with heart problems of breathing disorders like asthma.

Now we know so far that emissions of the  compounds of ammonium, nitrogen, carbon, and sulfur are to blame for acid rain and we also know the health problems that occur because of acid rain  but let’s look into what kinds of reactions are going on up in the clouds. Now I’m about to get very scientific on you because I will have the formula’s for what compounds are combining with the water to make the acid that causes acid rain. Sulphur dioxide and water form sulphurous acid (H₂SO₃) SO₂ (g) + H₂O (l) <--> H₂SO₃ (aq). In some cases sulphur dioxide (SO₂) oxidizes to sulphur trioxide (SO₃) 2SO₂ (g) + O₂ (g) -> 2SO₃ (g). The sulphur trioxide (SO₃) then combines with water making sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) SO₃(g) + H₂O(l) -> H₂SO₄(aq).Some oxides of nitrogen like nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) react with water to form nitrous acid (HNO₂) and nitric acid (HNO₃) 2NO₂(g) + H₂O(l) -> HNO₂(aq) + HNO₃(aq). Now all of that was very complicated and you may have not understood it but this is basically a few examples of how you can incorporate chemistry into this major pollution problem we know to be acid rain.

Now that we know how acid rain is formed and how we can incorporate chemistry into this problem, we need to now know how to stop this from happening. The first and most obvious way of stopping this problem would be to reduce the amount of sulfur oxide and nitrogen oxide emissions. This is the main and pretty much only way of lowering the amounts of acid rain. But wait, there is more that we can do to stop acid rain. If in factories that create these emissions start burning low sulfur coal, it will reduce the amount of acid rain largely. Or if we begin using nuclear energy to provide power to all of society, then the amounts of acid rain reduce which is exactly what we all want right.

What is good to know about all of this acid business is that governments have been passing laws to try to help reduce this acid rain. In 1981, the U.S government passed a law that let a research company look into this problem over a ten year time period and give the government a full report. Then in 1991, after all the information had been handed over to the government, they began to pass a series of laws within the Clean Air Act to help reduce the amount of acid rain by the year 2010. So far, it appears to have been a success as the amount of acid rain a year has definitely gone down.

It’s about time that I let you know how I feel about the topic and what you guys can do to help stop acid rain for good.  Now I feel that the world has made great progress in reducing the amounts of acid rain. Think about it. If we hadn’t reduced the amount of acid rain falling a year, almost everyone you’d talk to would know about it but very few folks don’t know anything at all about acid rain.  Now that I have gotten my opinion out, I need to tell you what you can do to stop acid rain. First of all, electricity is what is causing all of this so if we use less of it, we can have less acid rain so whenever you leave a room, turn off the lights. Just small things like that can have a huge impact on the future. Also, what is causing these problems is fuel being burnt off in yours cars. What you can do is use your cars less or use fewer cars. Take public transportation or even carpool. It could have a major impact on your future.

So in conclusion, we have learned a lot today about acid rain. I hope that whoever is reading this learned a thing or two about acid rain.

Prezi

Aluminum on Prezi

Periodic Table of Videos- Sodium

1. Sodium is stored under oil so that it won't mixed in with moisture or air. Sodium is also another one of those very soft metals.

2. Sodium is also a very shiny metal. Sodium also has a atomic number of 11. When you put sodium in water, it creates a reaction much like an explosion.

3. The experiment that the men did in the video was very interesting. I thought it was cool that when the sodium first exploded, all the sodium fragments went everywhere and the ones that stayed in the bowl exploded again.

Periodic Table of Videos- Neon

1. Neon is most popular in using it to make neon signs that glow up and are very attractive.

2. Neon has a atomic number of ten. Was is really neat is that you can freeze neon at low temperatures and create a solid neon.

3. Neon signs are made when you take a glass tube, fill it with neon, and then you add a high voltage to it so it creates a red light. Some glass makers make these signs so that they say pizza or cheese for sale things like that.

Periodic Table of Videos- Fluorine

1. Fluorine is a pale green color. What is cool about this chemical is that it can react with the air around you and with your nose to create a form of fluorine which smells terrible.

2.  Fluorine can also dissolve things such as human flesh.

3.  Fluorine has an atomic number of nine.

Periodic Table of Videos- Oxygen

1. Liquid oxygen is a blue color. Oxygen has to forms, one we breath and another one called ozone.

2.  Liquid oxygen is very reactive and some chemists get worried when they make it. Generally, liquid oxygen is made by accident.

3. The ozone is much more reactive than oxygen. One more awesome thing I discovered from this video is that because liquid oxygen is so reactive, it can reignite a burnt out match.
 

Periodic Table of Videos- Nitrogen

1. Nitrogen has an atomic number of seven. The bond between two nitrogen atoms is the strongest bond that you can get out of any other atoms.

2.  One thing that I found extermly interesting is that all explosives like tnt and such all have nitrogen in them. When the explosive goes off, the nitrogen atoms come together and they react.

3. Another cool thing I discovered from this video was that unlike water, when you pour liquid nitrogen on the floor, it will make these bubble things and will take dust off the floor in the bubble.

Periodic Table of Videos- Carbon

1. Carbon has an atomic number of six. Carbon is all around and their is a type of carbon that is actually within us.

2. Carbon is a very common element that can come in many different forms. Carbon can also be arranged in many different ways such as in the shape of a soccer ball.

3.  Carbon can come in this form called amorphous carbon which is used in gas masks because the poison goes in one direction and the carbon absorbs that so you get clean air coming out the other side. 

Periodic Table of Videos- Beryllium

1. Beryllium is a toxic chemical. Beryllium is seriously dangerous. Beryllium dust can be found on earth and can cause a type of lung cancer.

2. Beryllium has a atomic number of four. One thing bad about beryllium is that it costs a lot. Just a small sample of Beryllium can cost up to 15,000 euros.

3. Another bad thing about Beryllium is that it is poisonous. An interesting thing that I have learned about beryllium is that x-rays don't work well with beryllium. 

Periodic Table of Videos- Lithium

1. Lithium is the lightest of all metals. It is a very shiny metal when you cut it fresh. What some people don't know is that lithium is also used as a medicine for people with depression.

2.  Lithium is a very reactive metal. When you add water to lithium it will begin to fizz up and then can ignite on fire.

3.  Lithium is usually stored underneath oil so that it doesn't react with water or the air.  Also Lithium is very soft and can easily be cut.  

Toxic Water Spill in Hungary

On Tuesday of this week, a dame broke at the Ajkai Timfoldgyar aluminum plant causing gallons of toxic water waste to spill into towns in Hungary. This all began when the dame holding back all of the red sludge broke, causing it all to flow out. Luckily only two percent of the toxic water escaped into the neighboring towns. My assumption  is that the company that this plant belonged to ,M.A.L probably didn't check the condition of their dames. If they did, this could probably have been avoided.http://www.care2.com/causes/environment/blog/toxic-sludge-spill-kills-four-and-threatens-rivers-in-hungary/

Periodic Table of Videos- Helium

Three facts about Helium
1. Helium ways twice as much as a hydrogen atom.

2. Helium is also one of the most unreactive elements in existence. It is also a fact that one day we will run out of helium mainly because when its taken out into the atmosphere, it goes up into outer space.

3. Helium is created by decaying radioactive minerals which then create these natural gas pockets that we call helium. This is also a reason as to why it is so common to find in the United States of America.

Periodic Table of Videos- Hydrogen

Three things I learned about hydrogen-
1. Hydrogen has an isotope called Deuterium. Its a little odd because deuterium ways about twice as much as hydrogen. In chemistry that's a huge difference so that's why its so interesting.
2. Hydrogen has a third isotope called Tritium which is a radioactive element.
3.  A cool new experiment that I have discovered thanks to this show is that hydrogen reacts with fire to make an explosion.

Nitrogen

1. The three chemicals that are needed for plants to survive are nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium.

2. The three plants that can use N2 are soybeans, peas, and clover. These plants can use just N2 because they all have a symbiotic bacteria in their roots that converts the N2 from the air into chemically usable form.

3. The form that nitrogen is most present in fertilizer is in a chemical form.

4. The amount of nitrogen in the air total adds up to about 78% of the total amount of air.

5. Nitrogen can harm the environment in many ways. One way is that overuse of fertilizer will cause the nitrogen in the fertilizer to sink in the ground, get into water systems which will eventually harm marine life, and finally kill all the animals.

6. It will reduce the need for fertilizer because making crops that are annual  perennial will reduce the need for fertilizer because instead of using fertilizer each year this would mean that they would only add fertilizer just once over about three years.

The elements I found were:
Ne+ H= no attraction
When you mix neon and hydrogen  as I discovered in the video you will get no reaction at all.

H+C= attraction
In this reaction the Carbon and Hydrogen attract each other.

Sodium Chloride+ electricity= Element separation
 When you add sodium chloride (also known as salt) with electricity you get what is called element separation.
H2o+K= Explosive reaction
When you add H2o or water to potassium you will get a explosive reaction.

Octet Rule, Bohr Diagram, and the Lewis Dot Diagram

Octet Rule- The Octet Rule is a scientific rule that states that atoms will tend to combine in a certain way so that they will have eight electrons on the outer most shell. Some elements that are good examples of the octet rule are carbon,nitrogen,oxygen,and halogens. 

20 Things You Didn't Know About Water

The five facts that I didn't know about water are one that in 1999 it was discovered that a brand of spring water was getting it's water from a well next to a industrial park near a hazardous waste dump. I mean what the heck that makes me not want to drink water. I'd prefer not to know where it's coming from I'm just hoping that it's not coming from there. The second new fact that I learned about is that under the ocean there is more and scientists say that their could be more water under the ocean than in it. I think that this is super cool who knew that more water was just waiting under the water we already have. That's great because it could also mean that we may never run out of because what if there is more water under the water that's under the ocean. The third fact that I thought was interesting but I knew a little about it already was water intoxication. It basically means that you drink to much water and your body can't handle it causing you die. This has happened to a number of Amateur marathon runners die this way. The third thing that I found was interesting was this. Everyone knows how doctors tell them to drink up to eight glasses of water per a day. Well there is no scientific evidence that can support this fact. This means that we can now drink less water than we already were. The four new fact about water that I didn't already know was this. New evidence has come out stating that about 4.5 billion years ago some comets had liquid cores. If this statement is true then life may have begun on a comet now how cool is that. The fifth and final cool fact I learn was this. Did you know that the international space station collects 93% of the astronauts perspiration and urine and turns it back into water. As gross as that sounds it's pretty cool and smart and for people who don't know much about it like me it makes you ask a lot of questions like how do they even do that?
http://www.allaboutwater.org/water-facts.html #

1. The average person in the United States uses anywhere from 80-100 gallons of water per day. Flushing the toilet actually takes up the largest amount of this
water.

http://www.lenntech.com/water-trivia-facts.htm

2.Water is the only substance that is found naturally on earth in three forms: liquid, gas, solid.


http://www.aqwest.wa.gov.au/Schools/WaterFacts.aspx

3.One liter of spilled petrol can pollute 750,000 liters of water.


http://www.rivers.gov/waterfacts.html

4. If all the world's water were fit into a gallon jug, the fresh water available for us to use would equal only about one tablespoon.

http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/waterfacts.html

5. Sap of plants and blood of animals contain large quantities of water.

Going Going Gone article reflection

The article going going gone is about how helium, the second most common substance in the universe is one of the most difficult substances to find on earth. Though it can be found in America. Outside of Amarillo, Texas is the largest concentration of helium on earth. So when people here they normally think that everything is fine. We have plenty of helium when they should know that we don't. What I found out from this article that was quiet interesting was that America has two of the worlds largest concentrations of helium. One outside of Amarillo, Texas and one under the great plains. But one thing that worries me is that when helium is gone then we'll lose some important things like helium balloons, and even space programs. But why don't we just save our helium. Why sell it to others when we need it for ourselves. It sounds shellfish to think that way but why not. Well one reason is the FHR's lightly large debt. The FHR ( Federal Helium Reserve) which began in 1925 when the helium was discovered. Well since then the FHR has been massing a large debt through their experiments and their research. So because of this they are forced to sell some of their helium to other countries where helium is in demand like China, and India.

Questions

1. Why is the element helium so rare on earth, yet abundant throughout the universe. This question I found a little hard to answer. Some parts of the article say that these natural gas pockets developed from decaying radioactive elements. Maybe that is becoming harder and harder to produce or that it's just not common or like the article said earth once had plenty of helium but it was burned off by the sun eons ago.

2. What do we need helium for anyway? Well for starters kids won't have epic balloons at birthday parties. Nor will they get bouncy castle's. Also space programs will not be possible without the helium the rockets won't take off and land safely. And finally MRI machines won't be able to work either.

3.What could we do about this problem? Honestly I haven't a clue. Maybe we should find new elements for rockets and such and save up our helium for when we most need it.

Homework

When the Lithium first hits the water all that happens is that it begins to bubble up. Then about three seconds later it catches on fire and begins to float around in the water. Then finally after about ten seconds of floating it burns out.


This video was kind of short but this is what happened. The very second that the cesium hit the water it exploded. The explosion was cool it looked like fireworks.


In this video the second that the potassium hits the water it catches on fire and begins to move around. Now as it's moving around it appears that it is getting a purplish glare. Now it just might be the camera but I thought that it was odd.


When this video begins nothing at all is happening. Then the alcohol's color changes to yellow. Then a red liquid comes from under the bromine and spreads through the whole cup. Then it begins to bubble and it overflows. Then as all of the foam is out the bromine has been dissolved and is gone.


This video had two experiments both we have already seen but these ones had major explosions in both of them. In the first one the sodium enters the water, bubbles up and then catches fire moves around then out of nowhere makes a massive explosion out of nowhere. It was pretty awesome. Next one the potassium enters then bubbles up then as well makes a large explosion but after the first explosion your kind of expecting it.

I feel that this one was one of the dumbest experiments. Well it's not dumb it's just not that interesting to me. What happens is that a man takes some liquid nitrogen and throws it into the water. Then a thick smoke covers the pool it was put in making it look a little odd.


Now this gummy bear experiment is one of the coolest I've ever seen. First the guy as some sort of liquid in a test tube. Then he inserts the gummy bear into the test tube and then the whole test tube sets on fire. After the fire goes out the gummy bear is gone burned away by the liquid.


I thought that this experiment was also pretty cool. First the liquid is just sitting their doing nothing then this huge amount of foam comes out of nowhere and begins to overflow like crazy. One cool thing about this video is that the foam keeps changing color from white to gray and finally to a blackish color.