Freeze!

Until recently, scientists were forced to look at an extremely cold, conventional gas known as Bose-Einstein condensate with laser imaging referred to as off-laser photons. Not only was this flawed in adding energy to the near absolute zero particles, but it would also destroy the condensate after several images. Even the smallest amount of light could destroy this form of matter. Scientists have recently created an alternative to this off-laser photon method which instead involves making a computer model not only to observe an image but also control it. Due to the matter's frigid temperature, the particles of Bose-Einstein Condensate are very close to one another in a slowly vibrating almost blob. As a result of slow movement created from low temperatures, scientists can easily study atomic processes on a quantum level. By creating this model, scientists have created a filter to remove the heating effect studying the condensate in an entirely new way. Many scientists hope for great benefits to come from studying Bose-Einstein Condensate in the future. Learn more in the article: http://www.livescience.com/41586-seeing-bose-einstein-condensate-new.html

At first, your initial reaction may be, "Why should I care about some scientists being able to look at this gas?" Well when you consider laboratories yielding monumental discoveries greatly involved gases, the importance is obvious. One of the more known examples is the discovery of the electron. JJ Thomson discovered electrons using low pressure gases and electric currents. This would then lead to the discovery of the proton and many other alteration to the atomic model. This article also shows how advancements in technology allow more advancements in science to be made. Above all else, you have to admit these studies also make very cool pictures. 

I feel like we're really beginning to bond.

Yeah, I just wrote that as the title of the post, but there's a topic of greater importance which must be discussed! Recently a chemist at the University of California, Mao-sheng Miao, calculated it is possible not only for valence electrons, but also electrons of inner energy levels to form bonds with electrons of neighboring atoms. Though this greatly disagrees with many conventional chemistry lessons, Miao predicts this could happen with cesium and fluorine under very high pressure. Not only are the appearances of these studied compounds surprising to chemists but also its formation. Miao describes how chemical reactions focus on achieving minimal potential energy which start chemical reactions. This goal of obtaining minimal potential energy occurs at very high pressure and is why these compounds can form and behave in this way. As scientists look to experiment with this in the laboratory, scientists continue to look for abnormalities in the behavior of atoms. Read more in the article: http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=chemical-bonds-inner-shell-electrons&page=2

As I read this article, I was really interested because the entire time I was wondering why this bonding between inner electrons was necessary. In high school chemistry classes, it is taught valence electrons can bond with valence electrons of other atoms in order to achieve equilibrium in their energy levels like the noble gases. Since the inner energy levels are already filled, I don't understand why these electrons would form bonds. This holds even more importance since electrons give atoms all of their properties thus may this behavior between inner electrons have any effect on the qualities of an atom? Still, the fact remains this theory of inner electron bonding is only supported with calculations. With no proof from  the laboratory, this theory might be as valid as Aristotle's theory of matter consisting solely of earth, wind, fire, and air.  

Chemistry to the Rescue!

With repugnant levels of carbon dioxide emissions now clearly taking a disastrous toll on the environment, governments are attempting to reduce the excess of carbon dioxide produced mainly by the cars and the manufacturing industry. The Obama administration has enacted a proposal to reduce this amount, but the same end could be achieved through different, simpler means through chemistry! New innovations in chemistry have led to a process which converts carbon dioxide into methanol. Not only is this alcohol using in manufacturing, it is also successful as a fuel for vehicles. It's production can also generate a large amount of money, and honestly with a sixteen-trillion dollar debt, the U.S. needs all the money it can get right now! Carbon dioxide as well as shale gas can be converted into methanol which can serves a more economic and better performing fuel than gasoline and ethanol. With new innovations in the car industry creating engines better suited to run on methanol, this new process can both make a large dent in carbon dioxide emissions and transform the global economy. Minor congressional acts would have to be passed to permit the use of this fuel in the transportation world. Nevertheless, thanks chemistry! Read more in the article: http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424127887324577304579057623877297840
     While the U.S. is eager to use it's policy of throwing money at any problem for carbon dioxide emissions, chemistry provides a much more economic alternative. This process of changing a once thought to be useless bi-product into a high-performing fuel can revolutionize the world we live in. This is why we must study chemistry, to improve lives and make inferences in order to create solutions to everyday problems. With sporadic weather patterns, raising sea levels, and other bad side effects, green house gases have become the villain of our environment. Imagine a world where never-ending smoke stacks no longer come out of factory chimneys and are instead converted into methanol! If only this process was around during the Industrial Revolution!

IT IS NUMBER 1! (Named for all Spongebob fans)

Recognized as the first and lightest element on the periodic table, scientists are now hypothesizing hydrogen may be the basis of our universe! Scientists currently believe most matter could have began as hydrogen gas which reacted in the Big Bang Theory. These substances would then lead to the formation of different of galaxies and ultimately all forms of life. Today, scientists are searching for large compilations of hydrogen gas in the universe in order to find new galaxies instead of relying on just sight. Scientists hope to learn more about hydrogen and the formation of the universe so they can better understand how the universe works. Professor Jessica Rosenberg is currently conducting two surveys to identify more galaxies using both a radio and optical telescope. While a radio telescope detects concentrations of hydrogen, optical telescopes search for accumulations of stars. When combined, both of these sets of data has led to the discovery of thousands of galaxies. Scientists are also studying how these concentrations of gases are interacting in the universe. For example, some hypotheses say galaxies with larger amounts of hydrogen will produce more stars when they collide. Another theory says some galaxies may be lacking hydrogen gas as a result of black  holes. Either way, it is clear hydrogen has had a history as long and as important as the universe's. Read more in the article: http://www.usnews.com/science/articles/2012/09/28/hydrogen-gas-in-the-universe

      Upon reading this article, I was amazed at how the simplest element, hydrogen, could lead to a formation of an extremely complex universe. This is the beauty of chemistry. You may begin with simple substances or masses (hydrogen in this case) which can react by joining or separating to create something very complicated. In essence, chemistry is the study of matter and how it reacts with other matter. Therefore it's incredible to consider the thought the simplest element with only a single electron began this sequence of chemical reactions which created the universe we live in today. Considering the explosion of the Hindenburg blimp filled with hydrogen, one can only imagine how epic the Big Bang was. Now, I'm only left wondering where could this hydrogen have come from?  

In chemistry we trust!

Today in my economics class, my teacher showed us this video on domestic production in the United States. One of the professions was scrap metal production. For a long period of time, the U.S. was the leading producer of steel in the world during the 19th and 20th century. This could be much entitled to a man known as Andrew Carnegie who revolutionized America's manufacturing industry. Though our nation was at the top of the world in steel production, for a long period of time this industry basically disappeared in the U.S. Now the scrap metal industry is making a comeback in the U.S. because of chemistry! This is fully credited to the use of an electric arc furnace. This furnace uses electrodes to produce heat around 3000 degrees Fahrenheit. While other furnaces rely on burning gas, the use of electrodes with this furnace is much more consistent and efficient in production explaining the rise in success for the U.S. steel production industry. Then I wondered about the chemistry behind electrodes. Electricity is produced by creating electrical currents between positively charged anode cells and negatively charged cathode cells. Though the movement of these currents is erratic at first, this flame stabilizes eventually producing the immense heat needed for this production. Electrons leave the cathode and travels to the anode. This produces the flame depicted in the image below. 

Read more in these articles: 

http://www.steel.org/en/Making%20Steel/How%20Its%20Made/Processes/Processes%20Info/Electric%20Arc%20Furnace%20Steelmaking.aspx

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-an-electrode.htm

I found this article so interesting because it is the story of chemistry helping rescue the United States economy! The amount of energy of 3000 degrees Fahrenheit which can be produced from this electrode furnace is astonishing. For me, this production of energy draws parallels to scientist JJ Thomson's experiment in which he discovered electrons. It is incredible how this movement of electrons between two charged terminals can great such an immense amount of heat. Thus when people ask why to study chemistry, it's because of reasons like this. For in this case, chemistry gave jobs to thousands of unemployed citizens in the U.S. and is revolutionizing the manufacturing industry. 

My favorite exothermic reaction!

      After a long, cold season of marching band, I've grown a great appreciation for hand and feet warmers! With a great amount of time spent at football games every week, I began to wonder about the chemistry behind these wonderful heat packets. Heat packets contain a mixture of iron powder, salt, water, and activated carbon. When released from their air sealed packaging, the plastic permeable membrane allows oxygen into the packet starting the chemical reaction. This mixture of substances in addition to oxygen produces iron oxide with heat as a bi-product explaining the heat we receive from the packet. Manufacturers of heat packets may manipulate the production of heat by manipulating the amount of the substance in the packet and the actual material of the packet. For instance, increasing the mixture within a packet increases the duration of the heat since more reactants result in more bi-products, one being heat. The permeability of the packet also determines how fast or slow heat is produced since more or less oxygen is let in limiting or increasing the reactants consequently increasing or decreasing the speed of the reaction. Manufacturers are now looking for more applications of products such as these.
Learn more from this article: https://pubs.acs.org/cen/science/88/8804sci3.html
      I love heat packets even more now knowing how they are a prime example of how chemistry can be used as an application in life. More importantly, it's interesting how this chemical reaction can directly be changed so easily. For example, simple changing the material of the packet determines the speed the reaction takes place in proportion to the amount of oxygen let in. Also manipulating the actual contents of the mixture in a packet can change the amount of heat produced. Though heat is technically the bi-product of this reaction that produces iron oxide, it is the product that every buyer wants in reality. Even though this is not a life-changing application, it is interesting to see how the basics of chemistry can be used in everyday life without being recognized.

Everything is a lie!

      Beginning in 1875, the international standard for the weight of a kilogram was created in the form of a metal cylinder stored in a vault close to Paris, France. Since then, this metal cylinder's weight has been increasing. The textbook definition of mass is the amount of matter in an object. This metal cylinder of platinum and iridium has been used to compared the mass of objects and has been used throughout the world for measurements. This is because the kilogram the standard unit of measurement used to represent mass. Though a very small change is occurring in the mass, scientists point out this change can be make a huge difference in fields such as medicine in which precision is a must. There are forty replicas of this cylinder, and all of the replicas have been gaining mass at different rates over the years. The scientists recognized the causes of this addition of mass are mercury and hydrocarbons in the air surrounding the cylinder. Scientists are trying to correct this addition of mass by treating the cylinder to ultraviolet light and ozone gas (O3). Read more in the article: http://scienceworld.scholastic.com/Chemistry-News/2013/04/is-the-kilogram-gaining-weight
      Though this may not seem like catastrophic news, this news is unsettling. This is almost like physicists discovering the speed of light is not the fastest in the universe. Most areas of chemistry and even in science in general depend on the measure of mass represented in kilograms. Though the changes are small, these annual additions of mass accumulate over the years. Thus if this cylinder and all other replicas are all incorrect in their own way, it could be difficult to find the true weight of a kilogram once again. This could have a wide influence to many areas such as medicine. Personally, I think of space travel and aeronautics in a minuscule, minute miscalculation can cause a disastrous outcome. Thus if we can hope to be correct in advanced and developed areas of science, we need to make sure the basics are entirely correct, like the weight of a kilogram.  

Benefits of studying atoms

     By developing a nano-sized particle with a strand of DNA, scientists at the University of Iowa have created a bio patch to help bone production. This nano-sized particle's DNA contains the genes used for the producing bones which when transcribed produce messenger RNA which facilitate the production of bone. This technology has repaired wounds in the skulls of animals who were test subjects as well as stimulating human bone marrow stromal cell growth. This messenger RNA mentioned prior aids in bone production by specifically producing the protein needed for this process. This is why this method trumps other past methods, for while other expensive methods require multiple injections of protein, this method requires just one bio patch which makes the proteins itself. This method also provides less margin for human error. Scientists have already found use for this technology in dentistry. This is further described in the article: http://phys.org/news/2013-11-bio-patch-regrow-bone.html
     Though the actual process of bone regeneration with this patch falls into the science of biology, this technology itself is chemistry. As mentioned in prior blog posts, studying atoms and atomic theory has great promise in nanotechnology. Specifically nanotechnology would greatly aid medicine. This is shown in the article as a nano-sized particle was used to aid bone regeneration. This shows future promise lies in nanotechnology which significantly depends on chemistry and research on the atomic and quantum levels. Therefore understanding and research of all other areas of science all come back to chemistry and rely on it for future advancement.