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.