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joi, 16 noiembrie 2017

What Is the Coolest Element?





Each of the chemical elements has its own distinctive set of properties, making it cool in its own way. If you had to choose the coolest element, which would it be? Here are some top contenders for the title and reasons why they are awesome.




Pretty much all of the radioactive elements are cool. Plutonium is particularly awesome because it truly does glow in the dark. If you were to hold a chunk of plutonium in your hand (not recommended), it would feel warm thanks to the huge number of radioactive decays.
Too much plutonium in one place leads to a runaway chain reaction aka nuclear explosion. One interesting fact is that plutonium is more likely to go critical in a solution than as a solid.
The element symbol for plutonium is Pu. Pee-Uuu. Get it? Plutonium rocks.

Carbon

Carbon is cool for several reasons. First, all life as we know it is based on carbon. Every cell in your body contains carbon. It's in the air you breathe and the food you eat. You couldn't live without it.
It's also cool because of the interesting forms assumed by the pure element. You encounter pure carbon as diamonds, graphite in a pencil, soot from combustion, and as those wild cage-shaped molecules known as fullerenes.

Sulfur

You usually think of sulfur as a yellow rock or powder, but one of the cool things about this element is that it changes color under different conditions. Solid sulfur is yellow, but it melts into a blood-red liquid. If you burn sulfur, the flame is blue.
Another neat thing about sulfur is that its compounds have a distinctive smell. Some might even call it a stench. Sulfur is responsible for the odor of rotten eggs, onions, garlic, and skunk spray. If it's stinky, there's probably sulfur in there somewhere.

Lithium


All of the alkali metals react spectacularly in water, so why did lithium make the list while cesium did not? Well, for one, you can get lithium from batteries, while cesium requires a special permit to obtain. For another lithium burns with a hot pink flame. What's not to love?
Lithium is also the lightest solid element. Before bursting into flame, this metal floats on water. Its high reactivity means it would also corrode your skin, so this is a no-touchy element.

Gallium

Gallium is a ​silvery metal that you can use to perform the bending spoon magic trick. You make a spoon of the metal, hold it between your fingers, and use the power of your mind to bend the spoon. Really, you're using the heat of your hand and not a superpower, but we'll keep that our little secret. Gallium transitions from a solid to a liquid slightly above room temperature.
The low melting point and resemblance to stainless steel makes gallium perfect for the disappearing spoon trick. Gallium is also used for the gallium beating heartdemonstration, which is a much safer version of the classic chem demo that uses mercury.

How Laughing Gas or Nitrous Oxide Works?











  Laughing gas or nitrous oxide is used in the dentist's office to reduce patient anxiety and relieve pain. It's also a common recreational drug. Have you ever wondered how laughing gas works? Here's a look at how laughing gas reacts in the body and whether it's safe or not.

HOW LAUGHING GAS WORKS

Although the gas has been used for a long time, the exact mechanism of its action in the body is incompletely understood, in part because the various effects depend upon different reactions. In general, nitrous oxide moderates several ligand-gated ion channels. Specifically, the mechanisms for the effects are:
  • Anxiolytic or Anti-Anxiety Effect
    Studies indicate the anti-anxiety effect from inhalation of laughing gas derives from increased activity of GABAA receptors. The GABAA receptor acts as the central nervous system's principal inhibitory neurotransmitter
  • Painkiller or Analgesic EffectLaughing gas reduces the perception of pain by facilitating an interaction between the descending noradrenergic system and the endogenous opioid system. Nitrous oxide causes the release of endogenous opioids, but how this happens is unknown. 
  • Euphoria Effect
    Nitrous produces euphoria by causing dopamine to be released, which stimulates the mesolimbic reward pathway in the brain. This contributes to the analgesic effect, too. 

    IS NITROUS OXIDE SAFE?

      When you get laughing gas at the dentist's or doctor's office, it's very safe. A mask is used to first administer pure oxygen and then a mixture of oxygen and laughing gas. The effects on vision, hearing, manual dexterity, and mental performance are temporary. Nitrous oxide has both neurotoxic and neuroprotective effects, but limited exposure to the chemical tends not to cause a permanent effect, one way or the other.
      The primary risks from laughing gas is from inhaling a compressed gas directly from its canister, which could cause severe lung damage or death. Without supplemental oxygen, inhaling nitrous oxide can cause hypoxia or oxygen deprivation effects, including lightheadedness, fainting, low blood pressure, and potentially a heart attack. These risks are comparable to those of inhaling helium gas.
      Prolonged or repeated exposure to laughing gas can lead to a vitamin B deficiency, reproductive problems in pregnant women, and numbness. Because very little nitrous oxide is absorbed by the body, a person inhaling laughing gas breathes out most of it. This can lead to risks to medical personnel who routinely use the gas in their practice.

    How To Make Aspirin from Willow

    How To Make Aspirin from Willow
















      Willow bark contains a chemical active ingredient called salicin, which the body converts into salicylic acid (C7H6O3) — a pain reliever and anti-inflammatory agent that is the precursor to aspirin. In the 1920s, chemists learned how to extract salicylic acid from willow bark to reduce pain and fever. Later, the chemical was modified into the present form of aspirin, which is acetylsalicylic acid.
    While you can prepare acetylsalicylic acid, it's also nice to know how to get the plant-derived chemical directly from willow bark. The process is extremely simple:

    HOW TO GET SALICIN FROM WILLOW BARK

    1. Cut through both the inner and outer bark of the tree. Most people advise cutting a square into the trunk. Don't cut a ring around the trunk of the tree, as this can damage or kill the plant. Don't take bark from the same tree more than once a year.
    1. Pry the bark from the tree.
    2. Shred the pink section of the bark and wrap it in a coffee filter. The filter will help keep dirt and debris from getting into your preparation.
    3. Boil 1-2 teaspoons of fresh or dried bark per 8 ounces of water for 10-15 minutes.
    4. Remove the mixture from heat and allow it to steep for 30 minutes. A typical maximum dose is 3-4 cups per day.
    Willow bark may also be made into a tincture (1:5 ratio in 30% alcohol) and is available in powdered form containing a standardized quantity of salicin,

    COMPARISON TO ASPIRIN

    Salicin in willow bark is related to acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), but it is not chemically identical. Also, there are additional biologically active molecules in willow bark which may have therapeutic effects. Willow contains polyphenols or flavonoids that have anti-inflammatory effects. Willow also contains tannins. Willow acts more slowly as a pain-reliever than aspirin, but its effects last longer.
    Since it is a salicylate, salicin in willow bark should be avoided by persons with a sensitivity to other salicylates and may carry a similar risk of causes Reye syndrome as aspirin. Willow may not be safe for persons with clotting disorders, kidney disease, or ulcers.
    It interacts with several medications and should only be used as approved by a healthcare provider.

    USES OF WILLOW BARK

    Willow is used to relieve:
    • headache pain
    • muscle cramps
    • menstrual pain
    • osteoarthritis symptoms
    • fever
    • back pain

    What is fermentation?

    What is fermentation? 









       Fermentation is a process used to produce wine, beer, yogurt and other products. Here's a look at the chemical process that occurs during fermentation.
      Fermentation is a metabolic process in which an organism converts a carbohydrate, such as starch or a sugar, into an alcohol or an acid. For example, yeast performs fermentation to obtain energy by converting sugar into alcohol. Bacteria perform fermentation, converting carbohydrates into lactic acid.

    EXAMPLES OF PRODUCTS FORMED BY FERMENTATION

    1. beer
    2. wine
    3. yogurt
    4. cheese
    5. certain sour foods containing lactic acid, including sauerkraut, kimchi, and pepperoni
    6. bread leavening by yeast
    7. sewage treatment
    8. some industrial alcohol production, such as for biofuels
    9. hydrogen gas

    ETHANOL FERMENTATION

      Yeast and certain bacteria perform ethanol fermentation where pyruvate (from glucose metabolism) is broken into ethanol and carbon dioxide.
    The net chemical equation for the production of ethanol from glucose is:
    C6H12O6 (glucose) → 2 C2H5OH (ethanol) + 2 CO2 (carbon dioxide)
    Ethanol fermentation has used the production of beer, wine, and bread. It's worth noting that fermentation in the presence of high levels of pectin results in the production of small amounts of methanol, which is toxic when consumed.

    LACTIC ACID FERMENTATION

       The pyruvate molecules from glucose metabolism (glycolysis) may be fermented into lactic acid. Lactic acid fermentation is used to convert lactose into lactic acid in yogurt production. It also occurs in animal muscles when the tissue requires energy at a faster rate than oxygen can be supplied. The next equation for lactic acid production from glucose is:
    C6H12O6 (glucose) → 2 CH3CHOHCOOH (lactic acid)
    The production of lactic acid from lactose and water may be summarized as:
    C12H22O11 (lactose) + H2O (water) → 4 CH3CHOHCOOH (lactic acid)

    Top 10 Cool Chemical Reactions

    10.Briggs-Rauscher Oscillating Clock


    This chemical reaction is amazing because it involves a cyclic color change. A colorless solution cycles through clear, amber, and deep blue for several minutes. Like most color change reactions, this demonstration is a good example of a redox reaction or oxidation-reduction.

    9.Dancing Gummi Bear Reaction
        The Dancing Gummi Bear is a reaction between sugar and potassium chlorate, producing violet fire and a lot of heat. It's an excellent introduction to the art of pyrotechnics because sugar and potassium chlorate are representative of a fuel and oxidizer, such as you might find in fireworks. There's nothing magical about the Gummi Bear. You can use any candy to supply the sugar. Depending on how you perform the reaction, you may get more of an immolation than a bear tango. It's all good.



    8.Elephant Toothpaste Reaction
        The elephant toothpaste reaction is the decomposition of hydrogen peroxide, catalyzed by the iodide ion. The reaction produces a ton of hot, steamy foam, plus it can be colored or even striped to resemble certain toothpastes. Why is it called the 'elephant toothpaste reaction'? Only an elephant tusk needs a strip of toothpaste as wide as the one produced by this amazing reaction!





    7. Fire Starter
    Add glycerol on top of potassium permanganate Stand back, After 30 sec the reaction mixture will burst into a flame If larger crystals of potassium permanganate are used the reaction is much slower.





    6. Potassium in Water

    A reaction of potassium metal with water. Hydrogen is liberated that burns with a pink/lilac flame, the flame color owing to burning potassium vapour. Strongly alkaline potassium hydroxide is formed in solution


    5. Copper to Silver to GOLD
         A ‘copper’ coin is dipped into a solution of sodium zincate in contact with zinc. The coin is plated with zinc and appears silver in colour. The plated coin is held in a Bunsen flame for a few seconds and the zinc and copper form an alloy of brass. The coin now appears gold.




    4. Money on Fire
        A combustion reaction occurs between alcohol and oxygen, producing heat and light (energy) and carbon dioxide and water.
    C2H5OH + 3 O2 → 2 CO2 + 3 H2O + energy
        When the bill is soaked an alcohol-water solution, the alcohol has a high vapor pressure and is mainly on the outside of the material (a bill is more like fabric than paper, which is nice, if you've ever accidentally washed one). When the bill is lit, the alcohol is what actually burns. The temperature at which the alcohol burns is not high enough to evaporate the water, which has a high specific heat, so the bill remains wet and isn't able to catch fire on its own. After the alcohol has burned, the flame goes out, leaving a slightly damp dollar bill.

    3. Glasses 

    From water to liquor to milkshake to soft drink. 
    1st glass: Sodium carbonate 
    2nd glass: 2-3 drops phenolphthalein
    3rd glass: BaCl2
    4th glass : few ml K2Cr2O7/ HCl

    2. Water Gun
         Making a flashlight with a water gun. Mix 0.7 AgNO3 with 1 g fine ground Mg. Water is added to make atoms and ions to collide fast enough. So:

    Mg + 2AgNO3 = Mg(NO3) 2 + 2Ag


    1.The hidden message 
    Window cleaner  on phenolphthalein message


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    What Is the Coolest Element?

    Each of the chemical elements has its own distinctive set of properties, making it cool in its own way. If you had to choose the ...

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    • What Is the Coolest Element?
      Each of the chemical elements has its own distinctive set of properties, making it cool in its own way. If you had to choose the ...
    • How Laughing Gas or Nitrous Oxide Works?
        Laughing gas or  nitrous oxide  is used in the dentist's office to reduce patient anxiety and relieve pain. It...
    • Top 10 Cool Chemical Reactions
      10.Briggs-Rauscher Oscillating Clock This chemical reaction  is amazing because it involves a cyclic  color change . A colorless s...
    • How To Make Aspirin from Willow
      How To Make Aspirin from Willow   Willow bark contains a chemical active ingredient called salicin, which the body con...
    • What is fermentation?
      What is fermentation?     Fermentation is a process used to produce wine, beer, yogurt and other products. Here's a look ...