One day he declares war on Iraq, the next he's painting puppies! Who could this be other than former President, George Bush!
Face of America everybody!
His paintings may get more attention than his political policies did...
Well don't worry, I'm not writing an entire blog post on Bush's new hobby, but at least he found a new one to replace the old one, declaring war. But this post actually is about paintings! A problem threatening all famous paintings is the risk of faded paint! This is why you see those signs "please no pictures" in museums!
So in simple terms, here is my explanation. Dyes are made up of chromophores which absorb light and produce the colors we see. Electromagnetic radiation is expressed in different wavelengths, and one of the most harmful of these wavelengths are UV rays. UV rays change the chemical bonds within these dyes changing the amount of light absorbed and thus the color. More information is included here: http://www.loc.gov/rr/scitech/mysteries/colors.html
If UV rays have this effect on paintings, it's scary to think what they'd do to people! Never getting in a tanning bed...
Now if you're thinking "Why don't they just put the paintings in a room without light?" well then I'm sorry to inform you that you have to reevaluate your life.
So you may be wondering what area of chemistry I'm talking about? Could it be the reactions that occur within the body in the science of biochemistry? Or the study of elements based on carbon in organic chemistry? No, it's the study of something that makes all people happy, food! Unless food means pickles. That would only cause misery.
I have to give credits to a classmate for stumbling on this through her attempts of making chocolate for Valentine's Day! Check out the original blog post at http://ch-e-mis-t-ry.tumblr.com/ Because if food itself doesn't help your forget about Valentine's Day, just try thinking of the science of the food.
So the process my friend describes as so painstakingly is tempering! A process in which chocolate is heated to a perfect temperature to make the delicious junk food. Food is definitely an art! Well if you don't do the process right, your chocolates will end up pretty far from Godiva quality. I know Godiva quality far too well from experience... In the post, she advises to keep the chocolate at a constant temperature. Ever wonder why? Well I think I know! From learning bonding in chemistry, I know when you change the amount of heat, the movement of molecules varies which can cause problems in keeping bonds! So keep a constant temperature so they resemble chocolate and not something else...
She also mentions not adding oil because this will cause the molecules to separate. That makes complete sense, for these new substances such as oil, introduce new molecules which will bond with the chocolate molecules. Therefore rather than having chocolate to chocolate bonds (excuse my very basic naming of molecules) the bonds are separated into oil and chocolate!
Even though it may require a lot of effort to make chocolate, I'm proud to say I can eat chocolate without any effort!
Entering the second week of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia, one significant issue has been snow! I mean, it's so bad that I can hear Russian President Putin crying all the way from Sochi! So why not write about artificial snow this week? Don't worry Russia, I got your back! Credit to the first blogger who drew my attention to this http://tflstar89.wordpress.com/2014/01/28/fake-snow/
So how do you make snow? Sodium polycrylate. A polymer which when mixed with water can make a slushy mess known as snow! Woo! Now don't worry, this substance is non-toxic, so it will not burn your skin if you toss it in the air and it falls on your skin. That would certainly be one miserable snow day. Toxic snow sounds horrifying. Don't eat it! This is not Play-Doh! Now back from my tangent! If you want to make this snow more frozen, stick it in the freezer. Who would have thought.
Well I guess Mother Russia is going to need one HUGE freezer! But I'm not sure if Russia has all the time for this, even though the Winter Olympics are halfway through. So how does this method compare to conventional snow makers?
Typical snow machines found at ski resorts are composed of a long system of pipes. Though these machines are quite interesting and nature defying, you do need the right temperature of 32 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Snow makers use a combination of compressed air as well as water to make snow fall from the sky! After pumping the water uphill, these machines use just the right combination of air and water to make snow! This is a lot less suspicious than the instant snow brand that you put in the freezer. It's like an oatmeal where you just add water. But you won't know how it tastes because you shouldn't eat it! don't do it! Read this article for more information: http://www.skiroundtop.com/how-snowmaking-works.
Maybe the melting of snow in Russia is intentional. For it appears the only events they can win are on an ice rink! Therefore they need all the help they can get on the slopes. Still, I'm confident Lady Liberty United States will prevail! Good luck team U.S.A.! You've already accomplished more than most people will in their entire lives!
That's a lie! That would be pretty depressing about my physical condition and mental state if that was true. This week I'm commenting on blog posts of my peers, and I'd like to say it's not because a lack of creativity but I don't want to lie. And it's also required for my chemistry class.
So one post that really drew my attention was how the body reacts to emotions as written on the amazing blog, http://avogadrosalad.wordpress.com/2014/01/02/feeelings/
In the article, a research is described that discovered feelings humans generate can cause your body to react in specific ways and degrees. Look at the picture below! Or not. It's your choice.
Though it's lightly touched upon by avogadrosalad (the blog writer's name; don't worry, some parent out there did not name their child avogadrosalad. That's when you call child services) is how the reactions of the body make sense when you think about it. For when your happy, your whole body seems to light up like shown in the picture! So make people happy and you will literally light up their day! Then if you look at depression, it affects their entire body which we can all relate to! And even love, which is very focused in the chest and head which may explain why we sometimes lose our reasoning while in love...
Though it does not appear to have the biggest reaction, the feeling of fear heavily affects the body through the production of adrenaline! Some of the coolest survival stories are because of adrenaline (or epinephrine) as told in this article! http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/29/three-lift-a-car-off-10-y_n_1923951.html
In this article, three bystanders in New Zealand lifted a car of a young boy trapped beneath the vehicle! Now we're not talking about a Mini-cooper; there are toy cars bigger than that. It's amazing how this one substance produced by one emotion can instantly make you stronger and your body enter an entirely different state! As mentioned at the end of the article, a man even lifted an SUV to save a man trapped beneath it. But beware! Adrenaline also raises blood pressure and heart rate! Guess the heart wasn't made for these superhuman powers.
So study biochemistry so you can learn how to turn into a superhuman! Woo chemistry! Biochemistry is probably the most helpful area of science, for we need to learn how our body works and reacts! So if an asteroid ever comes to destroy Earth again, all of mankind can lift it because of adrenaline like it's no problem!
Who needs walking on air or on thin ice? It's all about walking on chemistry. By walking on chemistry, I mean the reaction between salt and ice on the ground. Since a snow storm recently hit the east cost like a brick, why not blog about this! Also while shoveling, don't make too big of a pile in one spot or else it will all fall and you won't just be hit with snow but more disappointment realizing you have to shovel all of it again! This is from a first-hand experience.
So now to the chemistry at hand! With a simple understanding of the states of matter, water molecules become more packed and orderly when they change into ice. By adding salt, the melting point is lowered. A known property of ionic compounds, like sodium chloride, is that they are highly soluble. After dissolving in water, the sodium and chlorine ions interfere with the bonding of water molecules preventing the formation of ice. So to make a real world analogy, salt is like a third wheel! It gets between a couple (in this case water) so they can't bond like they normally would! More salt, or third wheels, will result in an even lower melting point. Then when the water dissolves, this is like the couple getting pissed and leaving. Read more in the article: http://www.pbs.org/newshour/rundown/why-does-salt-melt-road-ice/
This wasn't in the article, but one time my dad explained how salt actually causes potholes in roads. If you really don't care, then just skip to the conclusion of this post. But for all of you who do care, woo you! So it's known salt melts ice to water. This water can then move into smaller holes in the road and can then freeze again due to the cold weather. Due to a unique property of hydrogen bonding with water, the volume of water molecules increases from a liquid to a solid. This causes bigger holes! This is also why some communities use sand so it provides traction but doesn't make holes. So if this really gets you mad, you can go yell in the street at the water molecules for changing physical states. Don't be surprised if you get some strange looks from your neighbors!
Since I live in New Jersey, using salt on roads and sidewalks is routine! So many people use it so often but have no idea why it happens! The snow can't be hot, or else it'd just melt the bag it's in! That wouldn't make sense either because you don't burn your tongue when you put salt on your food. Most articles I found just told me salt lowers the melting point of water, but I want to know what happens on a molecular level that makes this happen! More people should have this curiosity to learn why certain things happen. Now for round two of this snow storm.
Wow. Those are words of joy to any ice cream lover. Imagine how many kids want to be astronauts now! Just imagine outer space filled with floating chocolate syrup. Reminds me of in TheSimpsons when Homer goes into outer space and eats chips in zero gravity! Maybe Nesquik just paid the scientists to say this for advertisement.
Anyway, scientists studying matter of outer space discovered it behaves like a fluid. Following this discovery, the scientists found the viscosity of this matter resembles, yes, chocolate syrup! This approach of looking at the matter like it's a fluid has allowed them to study how this matter has changed over time in response to gravity.
To think of matter in the universe, scientists imagine chocolate syrup in water. The chocolate syrup will mix with the water and even out, but there will still be concentrations of particles in particular areas. Since you can't notice every reaction occurring in this mixture, the reaction is averaged per a given amount. See if you told little kids they could study chocolate syrup if they became an astronomer NASA would be packed! Find more information here: https://www.simonsfoundation.org/quanta/20140212-big-bang-secrets-swirling-in-a-fluid-universe/
Besides providing pleasant food fantasies, this new model of the universe can greatly help scientists learn more about the universe. Chemistry is the study of matter, but so much of outer space is unknown. It's just there. By studying this matter like a chocolate syrup substance, scientists may be able to discover how it has changed over time and even its original form. Possibly even what caused the Big Bang! So excuse me while I study chocolate syrup in my lab. And by lab, I mean stomach.
Sure, learning about quantum mechanics in class is interesting, but when it really becomes a BOHR (haha) it's always fun to play with magnets. Like in the video below! How convenient.
I'll first try to explain magnetism before I try to explain why this magnet behaves this way in the copper tube. In the end, if you're disappointed with my explanation, well I bet it's not the first time you've been disappointed in your life. Alright so magnets! A magnet is anything that produces a magnetic field. Now it is known all matter is made up of atoms consisting of a nucleus and electrons. Electrons occupy suborbitals in energy levels, and there can only be two electrons in each suborbital.
One electron spins clockwise while the other counter clockwise. If there are two electrons in a suborbital, then there opposite spins cancel each other out, but if there is only one, then a magnetic field is created! So if people are usually alone, they might watch sad movies while eating food. Nope! That doesn't cut it for electrons; they create magnetic fields.
If there are enough atoms with these magnetic fields, then this object will be very responsive to magnets. These objects are known as ferromagnetic materials. Find a more elaborate explanation here: link: http://www.universetoday.com/82049/how-do-magnets-work/
Now for the magnet and the metal! Sounds like a story. Anyway, I learned in my chemistry class metallic bonds consist of a sea of electrons with positive nuclei floating in this "sea." The valence electrons occupy the space around these nuclei creating metallic bonds. Therefore there are two charges in the copper material while there is one charge in the magnet in this case. While one charge of the copper surrounding the magnet will be repelling the magnet, the other will be attracting it causing this spinning. So if you're ever under pressure from peers, make like a magnet and just start spinning? Maybe people will be freaked out and go away! Woo no more pressure!
As you go further into chemistry and learn about more comprehensive topics such as intermolecular forces, like Van der Waal's forces, it's important to have an understanding of dipolar attraction of neighboring molecules and magnetic fields. Now if the last sentence sounded like Chinese to you, then do not worry about it at all! Still, it'd be nice to know the reason for magnets working is not magic or "just because."
Wow, as I am writing this blog post, the final category on tonight's episode of Jeopardy was revealed as the periodic table. I think that's a sign for me to leave!
After recent innovations, this post title may actually be less sarcasm and more reality.
By heating plastic bags, scientists in India have created a method for creating liquid fuel from plastic bags and other items. Considering the extremely large amount of plastic based products we use on a daily basis, this new discovery may prove to be very useful. Maybe this is India's way of challenging the Middle East's current monopoly on oil sales. Asian countries have to make money too! Especially when you have the second biggest population in the world...
Plastic bags are commonly made with petrochemicals which are commonly found in petrochemical fuels. Yes, I know; who would have expected petrochemicals to be in petrochemical fuels? Anyway, by heating these plastic bags between 400 to 500 degrees Celsius, the scientists are able to extra carbon molecules from the polymers of the plastic bags. With the use of gas chromatography, scientists are able to identify these chains of carbon molecules as substances chemically similar to petrochemical fuels. I guess the 400 degree Celsius minimum rules out the possibility of melting plastic bags in a frying pan to make gasoline? Unless your kitchen stove is more like an incinerator.
For every kilogram of plastic, scientists are able to make 700g of liquid fuel! Scientists will try to advertise this technique, for it holds the potential of alleviating pressure from landfills. Read more in the article: http://www.chemistrytimes.com/research/Put_a_plastic_bag_in_your_tank.asp.
I already drew attention to how many plastic products are used on a daily basis, but now think of how many end up on the ground. Even if some are disposed right, people just decide to dig these holes called landfills and put them in there with all of our other trash. Since plastic isn't biodegradable and oil is a finite resource, why not make a better use for it than tossing it in a hole! So study science because it helps mankind undo all the screw-ups it makes. There's probably not enough science to learn in order to undo all of the United States' mistakes. . .
Happy Super Bowl Sunday everybody! Go Broncos! To make this introduction slightly about chemistry, the amount of matter in food I will be eating tonight is amazing! Imagine how many moles of food I will eat. Bleh moles, surprised I can still say that after my chemistry midterm. Alright, enough of this irrelevance.
Sound in the form of waves has always been transmitted in two ways, forwards and backwards. Recently, a new machine transfers sound only one way. So there'll be no talking behind your back! Buh dum tsss...
Scientists were able to achieve this form of sound in one direction by using magnetic materials to send all electrons of the waves spinning in one direction. The machine resembles a fan and is made so these sound waves only travel in one direction. Look at the picture below!
It looks like a toy for a toddler! "Which part of the acoustic circulator is red?" Next thing you know, they'll be on sesame street. Imagine what the parents of these scientists must think. "You spend your life making things like this?..." Read more from the article: http://www.livescience.com/42984-one-way-sound-machine-created.html
Still there can be good uses for it! With the huge crowds at Metlife Stadium today, maybe scientists can figure out ways to contain sound within areas. Like a highway! Or a concert in the middle of a city! Either way, it's cool how these scientists can manipulate the properties of sound waves to change how they're transmitted. So study science all your life, and then you can make a fan. Still, if the Dyson fan can find a purpose in this world, so can this invention.
"Let's buy it because it looks like a goal from quidditch!"
In the past, a study team from Iowa State University published findings stating spider silk possessed the ability to conduct heat like a metal. These findings were supposed to "...revolutionize the conventional thought on the low thermal conductivity of biological materials." For some reason I don't really think many people think about this, but recently a group of scientists from the University of Basque Country published findings which challenge the past findings. It's on!
Though the original findings reported spider silk to conduct heat as well as the best metals, the second findings did not come even close. The second team took a common garden spider of Europe and tested its conductivity and found it was 300 times less than the original findings. It's very unlikely the difference was caused by the use of different spiders. I mean, unless the first spider was the same spider who bit Peter Parker.
It's surprising the first group of scientists didn't second-guess their findings as biological materials are usually not sufficient for conducting heat. Read more in the article: http://www.chemistrytimes.com/research/Spider_silk_ties_scientists_up_in_knots.asp
Even though spider silk does not have these super qualities, these findings prove how discoveries are constantly changing in the science world. The one world where you are expected to get things wrong! And even though it can be a pain, this is why it's important to record lab procedures so other scientists can repeat the same experiment. Or you could just not record the procedure so you could never be proven wrong. That sounds like the better choice.
