***Choose your “Transitional Metal of the Week” and post a brief description
Co - Cobalt
i chose this element because cobalt blue is my favorite color. purely scientific, i assure you! cobalt's atomic number is 27. it was discovered around 1735. cobalt has been found in meteorites.
because of its resistance to oxidation, cobalt is used often used in elctroplating.
as for that fabulous color in glass, tiles and the like, cobalts salts have been used for hundreds of years to produce that captivating deep blue.
***What do you make of "Neptune's Medicine Chest"?
i felt a great deal of compassion for a scientist that seems to love the sea and disgust for the potential raping of earth's resources. i wish i could feel more optimistic about discovering new resources but i fear for our planet.
i imagine a discovery of fungi on seaweed that cures one of our many deadly diseases. industry takes hold of the findings and decides to extract seaweed from the seas without thought to its effect on the ecosystem. surprisingly, years go by without consequence until suddenly a number of species are mysteriously dying in our waters.
sounds simplified? it is but there is a sad truth in my simple story. our track record is an embarrassment to me. i don't protest new discovery. i protest our irresponsible actions in the name of progress.
***Post a review of one of the links below
i chose anthony carpi's website for my review. it's great to read more about covalent and ionic bonds. the more i'm exposed to the new vocabulary, the easier it is for my mind to understand the ideas being explained.
i remember covalent as sharing b/c of the "co". cooperation, codependency, coorelation. that's works for me. ionic is the one i remember by default.
the simple visual of table salt being made was quite useful for me. for some reason, i forgot that sodium is a metal that burns when it touches water. that's fasinating!
Friday, May 25, 2007
Thursday, May 17, 2007
Wednesday, May 16, 2007
week two: periodic tables and atomic structures
** choose your "element of the week" and post a brief description
7 is my favorite number. so, my first element of the week is nitrogen whose atomic mass is the lovely number 7. on the periodic table, it's shown as N. although nitrogen is an oldie (it was discovered in 1772), it still has spunk. most explosives contain nitrogen. it's even used in rocket fuels.
although it has dangerous qualities, nitrogen is a part of the makeup of biological compounds of all living systems. nitrogen gas (N2) makes up 78.1% of the earth's air, by volume. as a gas and liquid, nitrogen is odorless and colorless. it's appearance is similar to water when it's a liquid.
** discuss ozone with family and friends
just sent a few emails to friends and family. awaiting responses. one of the most knowledgeable people i know wrote back telling me he feels quite ignorant on the subject. that's all he was willing to offer. will i have a hard time getting opinions?
read steinbeck's "travels w/ charley" on the break. he talked a great deal about the fear of giving one's opinion in american culture. in some ways, i don't think this has changed much.
(days later) i've received a number of responses concerning my ozone question. most people know it's an issue that needs to be addressed. one friend wrote to me honestly and stated that she's not sure it's just a bunch of hype. other responses seem a bit more worried about it. aside from not using aerosol hairspray, they didn't have any action items.
** post a review of one of the links in assignment 2
elements, compounds and mixtures - link
seeing the definitions of atoms, molecules and mixtures along w/ the animated example helped me connect the dots in my head. we're also studying chemistry in one chapter of our physiology class. i was having a difficult time "seeing" the difference between molecule and atom. the animated examples are very helpful.
7 is my favorite number. so, my first element of the week is nitrogen whose atomic mass is the lovely number 7. on the periodic table, it's shown as N. although nitrogen is an oldie (it was discovered in 1772), it still has spunk. most explosives contain nitrogen. it's even used in rocket fuels.
although it has dangerous qualities, nitrogen is a part of the makeup of biological compounds of all living systems. nitrogen gas (N2) makes up 78.1% of the earth's air, by volume. as a gas and liquid, nitrogen is odorless and colorless. it's appearance is similar to water when it's a liquid.
** discuss ozone with family and friends
just sent a few emails to friends and family. awaiting responses. one of the most knowledgeable people i know wrote back telling me he feels quite ignorant on the subject. that's all he was willing to offer. will i have a hard time getting opinions?
read steinbeck's "travels w/ charley" on the break. he talked a great deal about the fear of giving one's opinion in american culture. in some ways, i don't think this has changed much.
(days later) i've received a number of responses concerning my ozone question. most people know it's an issue that needs to be addressed. one friend wrote to me honestly and stated that she's not sure it's just a bunch of hype. other responses seem a bit more worried about it. aside from not using aerosol hairspray, they didn't have any action items.
** post a review of one of the links in assignment 2
elements, compounds and mixtures - link
seeing the definitions of atoms, molecules and mixtures along w/ the animated example helped me connect the dots in my head. we're also studying chemistry in one chapter of our physiology class. i was having a difficult time "seeing" the difference between molecule and atom. the animated examples are very helpful.
Friday, May 11, 2007
rejected has been rejected
fyi, i think the last of the links for the periodic table is no longer working.
it's titled "rejected".
http://periodictable.com/pages/AAE_RejectedPT.html
it's titled "rejected".
http://periodictable.com/pages/AAE_RejectedPT.html
Wednesday, May 9, 2007
week one: the cultural influence of chemistry
welcome to my chemistry blog.
bio:
i'm in my 2nd trimester here at acchs and loving it! coming to tcm as a second career choice. happy to have found a home for my searching spirit. what else? i love reading biographical books, practicing yoga and sitting in green. being of service to my fellows, fostering loving relationships and practicing self-care are essentials in my life.
my thoughts on the material covered in last night's class:
i loved reading about the scotland town that's aiming to be carbon-neutral. that's wonderfully inspiring news. after our class decussion on leaving a carbon footprint, i've found another way to be more energy efficient in my daily life. i'll be taking the bus once a week to a regular appointment rather than using my car. it's not the most perfect of solutions but it's a step in the right direction. i also feel more assured of my walking to the library, errands and meetings. i used to just consider it great exercise but i'm realizing it's more than that.
online quiz:
1. burning wood - chemical, crushing a rock - physical, dissolving sugar in water - physical, rusting of iron - chemical
2. milk - mixture, table salt - mixture, sugar - mixture, steel - pure
wow! refined sugar is a pure substance? i guess it's been stripped to its purest (and most lethal) form. my steel answer was a guess.
3. hmmm. i guessed homogeneous/pure. i figured coffee didn't have any additional stuff in it. not a coffee drinker. gotta start paying attention to the questions. this is embarrassing to blog.
4. whew! got this one correct.
extra credit:
gravitated to the word game from our choices. did it twice on the easy game and twice on slightly hard level. remembered a few things i didn't think were still in my brain and learned a bit when i played it a few times. great tool for learning the periodic table.
reviewed the john pratt memory table. another useful tool. the drawings have short sentences to remember for each element. easy to understand and retain.
bio:
i'm in my 2nd trimester here at acchs and loving it! coming to tcm as a second career choice. happy to have found a home for my searching spirit. what else? i love reading biographical books, practicing yoga and sitting in green. being of service to my fellows, fostering loving relationships and practicing self-care are essentials in my life.
my thoughts on the material covered in last night's class:
i loved reading about the scotland town that's aiming to be carbon-neutral. that's wonderfully inspiring news. after our class decussion on leaving a carbon footprint, i've found another way to be more energy efficient in my daily life. i'll be taking the bus once a week to a regular appointment rather than using my car. it's not the most perfect of solutions but it's a step in the right direction. i also feel more assured of my walking to the library, errands and meetings. i used to just consider it great exercise but i'm realizing it's more than that.
online quiz:
1. burning wood - chemical, crushing a rock - physical, dissolving sugar in water - physical, rusting of iron - chemical
2. milk - mixture, table salt - mixture, sugar - mixture, steel - pure
wow! refined sugar is a pure substance? i guess it's been stripped to its purest (and most lethal) form. my steel answer was a guess.
3. hmmm. i guessed homogeneous/pure. i figured coffee didn't have any additional stuff in it. not a coffee drinker. gotta start paying attention to the questions. this is embarrassing to blog.
4. whew! got this one correct.
extra credit:
gravitated to the word game from our choices. did it twice on the easy game and twice on slightly hard level. remembered a few things i didn't think were still in my brain and learned a bit when i played it a few times. great tool for learning the periodic table.
reviewed the john pratt memory table. another useful tool. the drawings have short sentences to remember for each element. easy to understand and retain.
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