msfigchemistryposts-blog

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Have you ever thought of why gold is so expensive compared to other elements such as copper? The reason as to why gold is so valuable compared to other metals is because it is the least corrosive.In fact it has the highest corrosion resistance of all metals.One reason to explain why gold does not rust easily like iron or steel is because of its orbital shell.The electron configuration for gold is Xe] 4f14 5d10 6s1 gold is an exception to the rule because the 5D orbital takes one electron from the 6s shell,which is still content with just having one electron therefore unlikely to react with other metals because it does not want to gain or lose electrons.Another reason as to why gold is not very reactive is due to its atomic radius which is on the smaller side of the periodic table .Therefore the distance from the outermost nucleus and the outermost electron is small therefore the is a greater force of attraction.Meaning that gold has a hard time giving or losing the electron.Because gold has a hard time reacting then it does not rust as easily as cheap metals making it something that almost last forever.Also explaining why the gold on tombstones still looks good as new.

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

My sister and I shown in the picture above are not the biggest fans of sunscreen. Neither of us have ever gotten a sunburn before and we don't use sunscreen plus, many sunscreens leave darker skin tones looking "ashy" and white. So how important is sunscreen really and what does it actually do?

Sunscreens use different types of "organic compounds" that protect skin from damage from UV rays. Some of the compounds absorb the UV rays and turn them into heat, some compounds absorb and harmlessly dissipate the rays, and some compounds just reflect the rays all together.

There are three different types of UV rays, UV-A rays which penetrate deep into the skin and can cause skin cancer and premature aging of the skin, UV-B rays which can cause skin tanning or burning, and UV-C rays which get absorbed in the Earth's atmosphere.

Two inorganic compounds used often in sunscreen are titanium dioxide and zinc oxide which absorbs the UV radiation and dissipates them harmlessly. Sunscreens containing only these inorganic compounds leave the visible white layer over the skin. Sunscreens containing both inorganic and organic compounds have a chemical structure in which certain chemical bonds are able to absorb photons from UV light and dissipate the energy in the form of heat.

Some of the organic compounds are "photostable" and won't break down from UV exposure while some other compounds will slowly breakdown as they absorb UV rays which is why sunscreens need to be reapplied since some compounds are not photostable.

A common argument against wearing sunscreen is the skins natural SPF which is higher with darker skin tones but the natural SPF can only absorb and dissipate UV rays for so long before breaking down. So yes, sunscreen is an important and necessary step before stepping onto the beach.

-Brianna Lee

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Have you ever wondered why we age? Well, one study shows that people age due to oxidation because these oxidizing substances such as oxygen become reactive and start reacting with each other which can then change the properties of the cell membrane. And when change occurs your immune system then views it as foreign and try to destroy your cells. Face masks contain many antioxidants that are proven to reduce the effects of aging. Antioxidants are nutrients that repair and stops the reactions of free radicals which are unpaired atoms, molecules or ions looking to stabilize their electrons in their outer shell making them highly reactive. 

How do face masks work? And are they actually beneficial? 

Peel-off facials are usually an alcohol-based solution that is applied to the face, allowed to dry for 10-15 minutes, and then peeled off of the face. I’ve always wondered how face masks work and moisturize your face but you peel it off so wouldn’t it dry out your face? In the beginning of the year we learned about reactions and how one thing combined with another can create something else. Collagen is usually in many face masks. It is a protein in animal skin that gives them elasticity, but it cannot be absorb in the body and does nothing but cover your face as face mask. Collagen films are what they use as sausage casing instead of intestine, so using collagen face mask is like covering your face in sausage casings. 

Peel off face masks have antioxidant ingredients that makes a huge difference to skin in the long-term. they also tend to be more vitamin and plant-based with grapeseed, avocado, some of the other antioxidants. Those antioxidants come in and help to repair and help shield from future damage. The two most common ingredients found in peel-off masks are glycolic acid and salicylic acid. Ingredients like PVP and polyvinyl alcohol react with the air quickly and can dry somewhere between 10-15 minutes forming a hard, dry layer that can be peeled off of the face.

-Annie Leung

#PaytonWoW #beauty #peelofffacemasks #antioxidants #athomefacials

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Do you ever look on the road on a hot steamy day and think to yourself, Hey why is the road wet on a summer day? But in reality it isn't wet those mirage lines are merely air standing at different densities and stacking on top of one another This is Because warm air is not as dense as cool air, once summer hits and induces higher temperatures, the heat from the road rises and mixes other layers of warm and cool air. As a result, those layers appear as bright wavy lines. -Miguel Lozano

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What causes different colors in the sky during sunrises and sunsets?

Light rays from the sunlight mixing with the molecules and particles in the air can cause the sun rays to scatter in the air. In the middle of the day, you can only see blue (and technically purple, but the human eye does not recognize the purple color), and blue and violet wavelengths are shorter,and easier to scatter than longer wavelengths (typically red, yellow, orange and / or pink colored wave lengths). But, during sunrises and sunsets, the light rays pass through more air, and it is easier to scatter the blue and violet wavelengths in the air. However, it is still hard for the red, orange, yellow and pink wavelengths to be scattered in the air. Therefore, you can usually only see those colors while the sun is setting and rising. 

How does pollution affect sunrises and sunsets? 

When large particles of pollution in the air mix with with the wavelengths, they cloud the colors, making the sunrise / sunset cloudier. In clouding the wavelengths, the particles absorb the light, or scatter the wavelengths much more, causing there to be limited colored light wavelengths visible in the air. Hazy and polluted areas do not have the same colors as less polluted and less cloudy areas. 

Does weather have anything to do with the colors?

In different places around the world, are colors and lengths different?

How are sunsets and sunrises similar and different?

 -- Eleanor Chmielowicz

#PaytonWoW

#sunrisesintheeast

#sunsetsinthewest

#colors

#lightrays

#wavelengths

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Have you ever wondered why the sky turns pink during a sunset? The answer is scattering.

Scattering is when molecules and particles in the atmosphere change the direction of light rays, causing the wavelengths to give off a different color. When scattering occurs, the wavelengths that give off the blue and violet colors usually seen during a sunset go a different direction which gives way for the red wavelengths to pass through and give the sky a pink color. During sunset the sun is lower on the horizon which means that there is more space in the atmosphere for the molecules to move through and scatter the blue and violet rays, giving space for the red rays to be seen. The sun is also closer to earth when its on the horizon so that gives space for longer wavelengths to be created and these longer wavelengths give off a red color.

https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071108135522.htm

-Daniela Hernandez

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Okay a while back I was messing around with fire. I remember seeing how different things have different flame color so I wanted to see what whiskey would look like. But it didn't light. So I got the rubbing alcohol (Isopropyl alcohol), and someone showed me a cool trick. They rubbed the Isopropyl alcohol on their hand and then BAM! Fire on their hand. They put it out, nothing happened. But it got me thinking, why did the Isopropyl alcohol burn but not the Whiskey (which is also alcohol)?

With some researching, I learned this: Alcohol is made up of a bunch of things. But, in all alcohols there are groups of compounds called Hydrocarbons (compounds with Carbon and Hydrogen atoms joining together). So when you put a flame near ethanol or heat it up, the hydrocarbons oxidize to create a combustion reaction.  

But why didn't the whiskey light then if Hydrocarbons are so flammable? 

Well, in a combustion reaction, there is a break down of covalent bonds. Becuase molecules can be larger that means it takes more energy to break bigger bonds. Whiskey if not only made up of Hydrocarbons, and the one I was trying to burn, was only 40% alcohol, meaning only 40% of the whole drink was made up of Hydrocarbons. This means, the other molecules in Whiskey could have needed more energy to break, explaining why it didn't light. But, the rubbing alcohol is 91% alcohol, meaning it is made up of 91% hydrocarbons, making it easier to burn!

-Emely M. 

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Have you ever wondered what the rainbow streaks in the the sky are? They appear in small patches unlike the usual rainbow arcs. My most recent experience with this phenomenon was a couple weeks ago as I was leaving the grocery store with my parents. I remember pointing it out to my mom and putting it on snapchat (I don't have the picture anymore). It turns out this phenomenon is called a circumhorizon arc, or misleadingly called a "fire rainbow." This occurs when sunlight, which is white light, hits the ice crystals, acting as prisms, in cirrus clouds causing the light to refract into a rainbow. But this phenomenon is unique as it requires specific circumstances to be met. The sun needs to be at least 57.8° above the horizon. There needs to be cirrus clouds as they are high up so that the water vapor turns into hexagonal ice particles. These ice crystals then need to be horizontal to the sunlight so that it refracts into a rainbow. This is slightly similar to when electrons face excitation and produce photon emissions, or visible light, except the visible light in this case is due to refraction from white light.

http://news.softpedia.com/news/The-Science-Behind-Fire-Rainbows-96669.shtml 

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Often when I put ice in a glass of water or any drink, I hear a crinkling sound and look down to see that it’s been cracked. Why? It’s clear that it’s not due to any impact force yet it is a common occurrence. 

It turns out, the cracking of ice results from differential expansion. As ice is dropped into its liquid counterpart water, the outside of the ice heats and expands faster than the inside of the cube, causing the cub to break apart. It is pulled apart as the outside tries to expand and the inside does not. Because heat is a form of energy, adding it to an atom increases it kinetic energy, causing it to move more, this increased movement leads to an expansion of space. This is more obviously seen in heating substances from solid, to liquid, to gas. As the substances get hotter, they flow more freely like liquids, and soon bounce about like a gas.

Is there any relation with this to the cracking of pavement? It seems that potentially when a liquid is absorbed into pavement and freezes over, this could cause the pavement to crack under stress.

 -Lillian/Lila J

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Electrical Outlets

 WONDER...

One day after school I was plugging in my computer charger, and I accidentally left my thumb on half of the prongs of the plug. I plugged it in, and got shocked, fell ball and had my arm fully around. During our electrochem unit, when we were talking about the flow of electrons and how conductors allow the electricity to move around, I got to thinking what it was exactly that allowed the electricity to get through my hand and affect me in such a way.

  Human Body and its Conductivity

  The human body is an extremely good conductor for electricity. First, 70% of the human body is made out of water, which is a conductor for electricity if not in its pure form. Water has to power to conduct or transmit electricity. The higher the conductivity, the higher the concentration of ions within the system. These flows of both ions and charges are what make good conductors for electricity, and not only is the human body full of water, but its hold various ions within it. Some of the ions are sodium ions , potassium ions , and chloride ions, which all have a tendency to conduct electricity, making the human body a good electrical conductor.

  What Actually Happens

  Many people believe that electrocution creates a current of electricity that courses through our bodies, which is actually not true. The electricity isn’t what moves, it's the electrons within our bodies that do. The electricity pushes electrons through the body, and this flow of electrons is what creates the “current”. This is similar to the salt bridge we used in our lab in class, the same way that it allowed the ions to flow from anode to cathode, our body allows for the electricity to push our internal electrons into a similar flow. When the current is passing through your body, your skin gets in the way the same way a resistor does in a circuit. Our skin resists the current which allows friction and heat to produce, which is why electrocution can sometimes leave burns on the body. When I was plugging in my computer and was shocked my arm flailed around. This is a common occurrence in many electrocutions. People’s muscles often react uncontrollably. This is because the human body uses electrical signals to produce and order muscle movement, so when the current is pushing itself throughout our body, the electricity creates a kind of false alarm in terms of these signals, prompting muscle movement. Fatality occurs when the current passes itself through your heart, and this is most common when the current is moving from arm to arm, because it would have to pass through the chest area. All of this with conductors and the transferring of electrons directly correlates with what we were learning about earlier in the year with conductors, and now with electrochem and the movement of electrons that coincides with electricity.

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Wisdom Teeth

Have you ever wondered why people act so funny when they get their wisdom teeth out? The answer is inhalation sedation! It is commonly known as laughing gas. It is made up of nitrous oxide and oxygen which when inhaled relieves pain and causes feelings of euphoria. It has been observed to suppress most senses, specifically hearing and touch, as well as affecting the emotional centers of the brain. Nitrous oxide is a polar molecule. It is also soluble in fats so it moves into cells when it enters the bloodstream, it is also not digested and only leaves the system when exhaled. Specifically, nitrous oxide blocks the NMDA receptors in the brain but stimulates the GABA receptors, which produces the main effects, such as blocking senses. Additionally, it encourages the production of endogenous opioid neurotransmitters, which inhibits the transmission of pain. 

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Why do jets leave a white trail in the sky???

For some reason I was told that jets leave white trails, or contrails, and it can be compared to the same reason we sometimes see our breath. I was really confused at first, but then became very interested in why jets  leave trails.??? 

So basically the humid exhaust from the engines mix with the atmosphere, which at higher altitudes there is much lower vapor pressure and temperature than the exhaust gas. The water vapor contained in the jet exhaust condenses and may freeze. This mixing process forms a cloud that is similar to our hot breath on a cold day. 

Jet engine exhaust contains carbon dioxide, oxides of sulfur and nitrogen, unburned fuel, soot,  metal particles, and water vapor.The soot provides "condensation sites for water vapor". Any particles present in the air provide addition sites. 

http://wonderopolis.org/wonder/why-do-airplanes-leave-tracks-in-the-sky

- Abby Gracia

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Hurricanes

Have you ever drained your bathtub or sink and wondered what made the water create a tornado-like funnel near the drain? 

It turns out that this is believed to be caused by the Coriolis effect, the leading theory behind the reason that hurricanes  spin differently in each hemisphere. However, the Coriolis effect is not strong enough to effect such small bodies of water such as those in your sink or bathtub. Instead, the funnels in these fixtures depend on how the fixture was created and shaped. Although small bodies of water are not affected, hurricanes are.

In the Northern hemisphere, hurricanes will always turn counter-clockwise and will move away from the equator. In the Southern hemisphere, hurricanes will always turn clockwise and will also move away from the equator. Although the theory behind this movement is called the Coriolis effect, there really is no force being applied to these hurricanes. Instead, this movement is all a result of the Earth's natural rotation. 

This spin can be modeled by two people running in a counterclockwise circle and attempting to throw a ball to each other. While the people throwing the ball to each other may think the ball veers to the right when they throw it, the people on the sideline clearly see that the ball travelled in a straight path. 

Once again, objects are deflected to the right in the Northern hemisphere and to the left in the Southern hemisphere.

Since this is such a difficult concept for many people, including scientists to grasp, there are many common misconceptions. One of the most common misconceptions is that the Coriolis effect exerts the same force on bathtubs. The original explanation for this was that H2O is affected more strongly by the pole's magnetic force depending on what side of the equator they were on and therefore were pulled in different directions. However, in reality, this does not cause water to spin in different directions. Again, this is a common Chemistry misconception that most people fall prey to.

-Ted Schutz

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

What makes slime, slime?

Like we learned at the beginning of the year is chemistry class, viscosity is a fluid's resistance to flow. Newtonian fluids (like oil, water, and alcohol) have varying degrees of viscosity that change in response to temperature. The viscosity of Non-Newtonian fluids, however, is affected by something called shear stress. Slime is a Non-Newtonian liquid because it shear thickens, meaning its viscosity increases with stress. It is very stretchy and gooey upon handling, but it breaks apart and feels like a solid if you pull it quickly.

How can I make the perfect slime?

The most common variety of slime is composed of white glue and borax solution. Dissolve 1 teaspoon of borax in a cup of hot water. Fill a separate bowl with any amount of white glue and add food coloring. Then, gradually add the borax solution, one tablespoon at a time. Using too much borax solution makes the glue rubbery, and using too little makes the glue sticky. Keep mixing the borax into the slime until it is of your desired consistency.  

What chemical reaction occurs allows glue, water, and borax to bond?

The chemical formula for borax (Sodium tetraborate) Na2B4O7•10H2O. Long strands of polyvinyl acetate molecules make up white glue, a polymer. When mixed together, the protein molecules of the glue and the borate ions in the borax bond together in such a way that makes the molecules unable to slide past each other. The already large molecules "stick" together and form even larger ones that tangle up and make the highly vicious substance.

#PaytonWow #slime #viscosity #DIY 

- Hollister Rhone 

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During this school year, a class mate of mine, Quaid, told me that ice is less dense than water. At first I thought, “that can’t be right because solids are denser than liquids.” But the question kept lingering so I decided I should investigate and see whether Quaid was really right.

To my astonishment, I found that ice really is less dense than water. This is because the H2O particles form a crystalline structure due to hydrogen bonding when water freezes. But this sounded really sciency so I wanted to have a simpler explanation.

The easiest way to explain it is through a diagram (shown above)

Now it’s easy to see that when water freezes, more hydrogen wants to bond so it has to form a more spread out and uniform pattern, unlike room temperature water which only has some hydrogen bonding, allowing some of the molecules to be closer together.

But then I wondered: Why do colder temperatures mean more hydrogen bonding in water? The reason for that is because the more thermal motion that occurs in water, the more the hydrogen bonding is disrupted.

So to sum it all up, liquid water is denser than ice due to cooling temperatures allowing ice to create spread out crystalline structures which is cause by hydrogen bonding. YAY!!

[msfigchemistryposts-blog]

Yawning, something I find myself doing very often when I’m bored and/or tired. I yawn pretty much everyday, especially in class (and then proceeding to fall asleep 5 minutes later), but I’ve always pondered upon the reason on why humans yawn? What causes us to yawn and what effect does yawning have? Why is yawning “contagious”? Why does our hearing get temporarily impaired while yawning?

Well, apparently, the cause of the temporary hearing impairment while yawning is caused by the function of the Eustachian tube. The Eustachian tube is a tube that is connected to the middle ear which is filled with air. The tube is usually closed but will occasionally open and let small amounts of air pass through, equalizing the pressure, to prevent damage in the ear. Pressure differences are what causes the temporary hearing impairment and an example of this would be if you were on a plane that was ascending or descending. When humans yawn, air pressure in the ear goes up, causing this clouded hearing.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eustachian_tube

http://www.smithsonianmag.com/science-nature/why-do-we-yawn-and-why-is-it-contagious-3749674/

http://biology.stackexchange.com/questions/6869/why-does-yawning-impair-hearing

-Perry Sun

#PaytonWoW #yawning #eustachiantube #earpressure :)