Paracelsus2's Blog

Chemical Education

paracelsus2 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:20:25 +0000

When I was in school we seldom discussed chemistry or physics up until my junior and senior years of high school. The topics were briefly mentioned and never in any overall description or depth for either subject. This led to many problems for me in being prepared for high school chemistry and I did not do well. Maybe I missed something along the way that I should have recognized would be essential to my future success, but when you’re just a kid you don’t really think about the future. The only future I was worried about was getting my driver’s license, my own house, hitting legal drinking age, a steady girlfriend, and all the money I was going to make. Never mind that I had no plans on how I was going to get those things I just knew they were going to happen. I think that learning isn’t just about the subjects that we are studying in school and teaching shouldn’t be either. I believe that to get kids more interested in chemistry that we need to discuss its importance and the jobs and future technologies and improvements that depend upon it. Kids don’t always get the big picture on their own and it would help if adults made the effort to get them there. A lot about succeeding in life is understanding how the world works, how to get to where you want to go, and why. We don’t really ever take the time to explain things to kids, they are often left with the impression that the why is unimportant because things are the way they are and that’s just the way it is. I believe that to get kids more interested in chemistry we have to explain why it’s important, why we need science, why our future depends on our understanding of science and mathematics…not just the how we do it. Science is very tough and when you don’t understand the importance of it you don’t appreciate the work that you have to put into accomplishing scientific goals and the work becomes cumbersome and devalued. You can’t make everyone care and want to put in the work to progress but you can at least help them to appreciate the people that do.

Phosphorus

paracelsus2 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:47:20 +0000

Phosphorus is one of those really neat elements in the way it was discovered and how it was used early on after its discovery. When not much was known about phosphorus it was a magical element and was believed at one point to be key in alchemical aspirations. It is credited with the development of the term phosphorescence because of its ability to glow when being oxidized from its pure white form. Today, we know that phosphorus is an important element in the metabolic processes of living organisms and for the creation of DNA, RNA, and ATP. Phosphorus is also discussed frequently and is being highly debated and criticized for its use in detergents and household items because of its effect upon the environment.

When first discovered the alchemical thought was that in trying to create an elixir of life one needed to obtain some life essence. To do this an alchemist by the name of Brandt tried to distill excretions of the body to capture the life being separated from the body. He distilled urine, very large quantities of it, and when he evaporated it he discovered a glowing white material that he mistook for a precursor to the sorcerer’s stone. Brandt made a considerable amount of money off of demonstrating phosphorus and its properties and selling the material to other alchemists. Other alchemists quickly discovered the source of Brandt’s phosphorus and his fame and fortune dwindled with the emergence of other methods for its production.

Silicon

paracelsus2 — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 14:24:44 +0000

This amazing element forms the basis for many materials that are vital to the modernization of society. Silicon is widely used in electronics to form semiconductor devices that are used in circuitry for the creation of computers, cell phones, televisions, and many other modern day devices. Not only is silicon important to the creation of electronics but is the basis for glass, cements, and ceramics as silicon dioxide or some other variant of silicon, oxygen and other elements. Glass is a vital material in the creation of the modern world as it serves many purposes. It is the second most abundant element in the earth’s crust and that becomes increasingly important as our demand for silicon increases as we discover new materials based largely on silicon. Silicon lies directly beneath carbon on the periodic table and has the same valence electron structure. This leads many to believe that as carbon is the basis for organic materials and life that there could be silicon based life forms as well. Carbon is thought to be the basis of life because of its ability to form four bonds with other elements. Oddly, silicon can form a variety of compounds with other elements due to the same four bonding electron configuration and may serve as the most important element in the creation of artificial life by electronic means.

Current Chem

paracelsus2 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 17:35:37 +0000

Well, I’m not really sure what to write about that I have learned recently in one of my chemistry classes. There has been a lot of knew information that I have learned or should have learned but I don’t think that I can really relate the knowledge well. One thing that I did hear about and even found when researching on my own was the new resoltution technique for Atomic Force Microscopy that allows researchers to functionalize the tip of an AFM cantilever and obtain an image of single molecules. The technique was developed by researchers by functionalizing the tip with molecules such as CO with well defined terminations that would provide a strong repulsive force with the electron density of the molecules being imaged. It works really well with molecules with a high electron density such as aromatic molecules. The force providing the imaging was determined to be Pauli repulsion and the tip was never in contact with the surface being studied. Previously, funtionalized tips have not achieved such high resolution because the interaction with the tip and the electron density of the molecule have been obscured by other forces and interactions. In this study the pairing of the tip with the molecule being studied was just suited well enough to provide a clear image.

Joe Caruso

paracelsus2 — Mon, 05 Oct 2009 16:59:52 +0000

Dr. Caruso is an analytical chemist at the University of Cincinnati who is currently performing research into medical or clinical applications of mass spectrometry, phytoremediation of heavy metals in soil, the biological effects of some of these metals in proteins, and the effect of metals in viruses. Phytoremediation is the use of plants to remove toxic or harmful elements or compounds from soil and ground water. The use of plants to uptake the elements may prove to be the greenest method for reduction of harmful materials from soil. The plants could realistically uptake toxic materials and then when the plants are harvested the toxic elements and compounds inside the plant could be captured and processed for safe storage or disposal. The other research areas Dr. Caruso is interested in include the use of mass spectrometry in detection of post stroke levels of metabolites associated with a stroke. There may be ways to detect levels of certain metabolites that will lead to detection of pre stroke markers using mass spec. that would allow doctors to treat and take action before a stroke occurs. Dr. Caruso is also looking at detecting biological warfare agents by some of the same methods. The things that Dr. Caruso is researching lie very much in line with what other analytical chemists are currently studying. Biological warfare, the roles of certain metals and molecules in metabolic processes and removal of contaminants from the environment are becoming some of the key issues of this generation. As scientists begin to develop solutions to problems there will always be side effects to the solution and other work must be done to counteract that.

http://www.rsc.org/Publishing/ChemTech/Volume/2008/02/Caruso_interview.asp

Art Preservation

paracelsus2 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 03:08:47 +0000

There is a lot that goes into preserving a piece of art or restoring one that has been damaged or deteriorated by water, air, time, etc. A lot of major artworks are displayed under special lighting to avoid UV light from damaging the artwork. Also, some art pieces are put under vacuum to keep air and water vapor from damaging them. There are classes at some universities that teach people the chemistry of art restoration and protection. I found an article outlining some of the major problems encountered in this area and the things that people can do to counteract these issues. Some of our artwork though is not conatined within a museam and there are limitations to what we can do to counteract the problems that installation artworks or sculptures, murals, and frescos are exposed to. For instance, pollution from automobiles, industrial processes, and household heating, can damage artwork from exposure to gases released or acid rain and other environmental pollutants. Not only are things that humans do damaging to artwork outside but mother nature has its own sources of things that can lead to degradation of artwork, such as sunlight, water damage, rust and a variety of other things. Chemistry can become involved in protecting artwork by coatings and cleaning chemicals that prevent or remove contaminants. Chemistry also can be involved in restoration of paintings in museums by chemical analysis to determine the pigments and specific types of paints that were used to create an artwork. Additionally, chemistry is involved in museums to determine how best to prevent damage to a painting by determining how to store it or present the artwork without damaging it. Art is very important to us as human beings and gives us an opportunity to reflect upon creativity and the beauty in nature so it is very important that we protect the work that has been inspired by emotion.

http://www.engr.wisc.edu/wiscengr/issues/sep00/chemart.html

Science meets Art

paracelsus2 — Mon, 28 Sep 2009 02:39:30 +0000

Art_NobelPrize_Dharma

This is an overall interesting article. It is amazing what you can do when you truly understand the science behind various applications. I never realized that you could use Raman or UV imaging techniques for this type of application. I don’t really think that Ernst passion is really something that I can understand or would be that interested in, what I did find important about his interests was that he was trying to bring science to people and relate it to their world or things that interest them. I think that is very important to getting people involved in science and helping them to understand it. I wish that we could get high school kids as interested in the science that involves their lives as the buddhist monks and the Dalai Lama are interested in the science that surrounds their spirituality. Ernst seemed a little quirky or wierd to me but I think his ideals and interests are just very different from mine. If I were applying science to something that I were interested in for the purpose of teaching people or discovering new things it would probably be related to technology and the future of electronics. I think that kids would be interested in knowing how science is going to change their lives in the future. Maybe I could do a tv show and present research applications for alternative fuels, computing devices, communication devices, space travel, and other things that kids would be interested in. There is a show like that for people interested in food, I think the guys name is Alton Brown, and he talks about food chemistry. I don’t really see the need or have the desire to go outside this country to teach people about science when there are so many people especially kids who don’t really know anything about chemistry or physics within the US. Maybe we should focus on teaching people here about these things instead of monks in India. That might seem a little politically incorrect, and Ernst isn’t from this country so it’s not his problem, but I think that we have a responsibility to the kids growing up in America before we do other people. Just my opinion.

R

paracelsus2 — Wed, 23 Sep 2009 13:59:32 +0000

Okay, so for national talk like a pirate week I haven’t really given much thought about what chemically is related to pirates. But, I did find some interesting chemistry involving things that pirates love. For instance, rum, the ocean, and loot. So…what is it about these things that relates to chemistry? Rum has a long history and is often depicted as the favored drink of pirates, it also has an important chemical principle involved in its’ production…distillation. Rum is produced from the fermented and distilled products of sugarcane such as molasses and sugarcane juice. It is often associated with pirates because of the main areas of production for rum being the Carribean and north South American countries. Rum also had a substantial value for trade at the time when pirating was at its peak. Rum was used for the purchase of slaves and goods for pirates traveling between the Carribean, Africa, Australia, and North America. Although pirates loved their rum, it might be said that they loved their money more. Although much of pirating is no more than folklore there is a lot of interest in finding pirate shipwrecks. Today, shipwrecks are being discovered in the hopes of coming across a sunken pirate ship still laden with jewels, gold, and silver. Only a few such discoveries of pirate ships with these treaseures have been made. One discovery was that of what is believed to be ”Queen Anne’s Revenge” the hijacked ship of Edward Teach or “Blackbeard”, probably the most famous pirate ever. While searching online I came across a research article where salvaged pieces of pottery and glassware were being characterized by Raman to determine the origin of the pieces and relate the information to where the ship had been or what cargo the infamous pirate could have stolen from others. By determining the identity of such artifacts and where they came from it is possible to develop a history of the ship from its’ cargo, therefore giving evidence to the identity of the shipwreck. When money is involved it is possible to determine the quality of the gold and by comparing the mint or stamping on coins the identity of a ship can be made. One problem for shipwrecks is the effect of the ocean on the remains. Saltwater and the biological establishment of the oceans is a harsh environment for materials to persist for long periods of time. Pirates loved the ocean and even though they are long gone I would say they would be quite upset about the impacts of society upon this environment. Although pirates are depicted as crude, many pirates were just men who were fighting the oppression of taxation under the monarchy. I would say that there may have been a few environmentalists among them, especially if the concern was the ocean. Today the ocean pH levels are becoming more acidic from what is believed to be the impact of carbon dioxide levels increasing globally. The increase in carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere has lead to increased levels of carbon dioxide being dissolved in ocean, lake, and river water creating higher levels of carbonic acid and therefore more acidic ocean environments. This change is being seen to devastate coral reef systems and create other problems worldwide. Not only is emmission of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere indicative of global warming by the greenhouse effect but it is also causing other changes to the ocean by these warming and acidifying changes.

Stress Responsive Materials

paracelsus2 — Sun, 13 Sep 2009 23:14:48 +0000

A new type of stress indicator was described in a recent article published in Nature, researchers at the University of Illinois created a polymer that when put under strain could change from colorless to purple in color. This change was due to a ring opening molecular change in the molecule spiropyran, also termed as a mechanophore. The mechanophore is tied into the polymer structure so that when the polymer is stretched or put under a strain the color change occurs. It is believed that with further development the material could be used in engineering to allow inspectors to visually see when a structure is under stress. The idea is meant to prevent structural failures like those in the Minnesota bridge collapse or the Kansas City hotel collapse that killed hundreds of people. Researchers have been working on methods provide many materials that can potentially be used in building or other industrial applications to indicate temperature change, mechanical strain, and other physical changes. If these materials are used in real life applications, not only could they save lives, but they may provide a surefire method for identifying when maintenance of a structure is required and when materials need to be replaced. Many of the materials being developed could potentially be very cheap and an efficient method for identifying problems. Another material that I have heard about recently that aims at the same goals of indicating stress load is a sensor that would change it’s conductivity when placed under physical strain and serve as a load bearing sensor when too much weight is on a structure.

http://www.2facts.com.proxy1.nku.edu/tsof_story.aspx?PIN=s1700085

Kindle

paracelsus2 — Sun, 06 Sep 2009 23:51:25 +0000

I think that any device or idea that helps to eliminate waste and improve the environment is good but also comes with a price itself. Eliminating the printing of newspapers, books and magazines and turning them into electronic media is a really good idea and I believe worth the money. I’ve actually been thinking about purchasing one of these devices for a while but other items have taken priority (like my flat screen tv). I guess like most Americans I appreciate others who are environmentally friendly but I’m not always so quick to jump on the bandwagon. I do have one negative to the elimination of printing paper media, my mother-in-law, brother-in-law, and several friends work for a publishing company that may be reducing its workforce if the demand for electronic media quickly increases. Also, American Loggers might go off air if the demand for lumber for paper diminishes, and that would be a crying shame (j.k.). I’m not going to go so far as tying a rag to my waist to dry my hands on after washing them…that’s just a little gross, but I really do think that these electronic books are a worthwhile way of contributing to the decrease of deforestation. We can always plant more trees but there are a lot more negative side effects from harvesting and manufacturing the paper products than there are from developing the elctronic media. We just need to be sure that when our Kindle expires that we dispose of it in the proper way. It would be really good too if these devices were made of biodegradable and recyclable materials.

http://greeninc.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/07/30/universities-turn-to-kindle-sometimes-to-save-paper/?scp=3&sq=ebooks&st=cse
http://cleantech.com/news/4867/cleantech-group-finds-positive-envi