Alchemy

Resource: http://www.alchemylab.com/history_of_alchemy.htm

What are alchemists? Well, picture whatever you think an alchemist might be. Unless you actually know what alchemist specifically are, then you probably pictured some unusual robed dude over some ritual circle of some sort and making some kind of enchantment or something around that. Alchemy is truly an art or a science and people will look pass that. Alchemy was founded much before time in Egypt and had spread to many places which in fact made men and women ready to make any goal possible with alchemy. What is the motive behind alchemy? What made these kinds of people have the patience to look pass the impossible? These are great questions to ask. The people behind alchemy believed in spiritual things, they wanted man to like a God-like person, to avoid all the dangers and make man better than ever. There are many countries that had made alchemy an art, for example China and Egypt. Alchemy practically originated from China and Egypt, and they also were very spiritual unlike somethings that may be heard about alchemy.

Alchemy is a crazy subject! It has held history in the palm of its hand. Basically, it is apart of history no matter how you look at it. Alchemy is an interesting subject and it can inspire people to become more open minded like the people who really believed in Alchemy.

Global Warming

Resource: http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/science/topics/globalwarming/index.html

Global Warming! We are all going to die!! Well, actually we aren't going to die of some intense heat if we start changing our ways now. Researchers had found that global warming truly is a real threat. Global warming in later decades will begin to effect our world terribly if we don't slow down find some alternative solution. A convention was held where it involved many countries to all together help slow down the process we are causing to our planet. The EPA in America has already put regulations to help die down the threat of global warming and take its part in helping our earth from dying. Barack Obama has also vowed to help climate change and environmentalists. The conference spoke about cleaner ways to help our planet, but there always comes the problem of paying for it. The conference was left unresolved though and now we continue are left of promises that can be easily blown off.

Saving the planet is extremely important. Without our planet, we wouldn't be here. I believe we should find a cleaner energy source while trying to keep it productive. This would solve many problems, but these news must get somewhere and I hope to find the world is willing to help our earth survive.

Buffer Solutions

Resource: http://www.chemguide.co.uk/physical/acidbaseeqia/buffers.html

What is a buffer? Well, anyone who has played a Final Fantasy game or any video game in general can probably come up with something around giving stat that do something to a character. I play video games and I understand what is meant with this, but it is extremely incorrect. An actually buffer is a solution that resists changes to a pH level by use of a small amount of acid or alkali. An acidic acid is a pH level of less than 7 and will usually contain a small quantity of an acid and some kind of salt. Alkaline buffer requires a weak base and a salt, and the pH level will be over 7 pH. The way buffers will work is that the buffer solution must contain things which will remove any hydrogen ions or hydroxide ions that might add to it. This resists the the pH level from getting higher or lower.

I decided I would look into this subject more since next week we will be performing experiments on it. The web page felt very much like gibberish, but I'm sure when we truly learn about it I'll understand so much better. This website though would be a good start for a review If I ever needed it.

Coca Cola: Worst soda for you

Coca Cola: One of the most wanted and loved drinks all around. It is the McDonalds of soda, in just about every way. It tastes amazing, but it is terrible for you. One of the grossest things about it, is that it rots your teeth. I have done an experiment, using chicken bones, and coke. I put a chicken bone in a glass of coca-cola, and left it for a few days. The next week, I took the chicken bone in my hand and immediately noticed that it was rubbery. After a month, I noticed it was gone. This may seem, not unimportant, small, but a lot of people tend to drink a lot of coke. Imagine what coke can do to your stomach if it dissolves bone! Don't drink coke. It's terrible for you.

Fish Flu

Ever heard of the fish flu? Well you might here soon. Researchers have found that the Infectioud Salmon Anemia Virus (ISAV) will get larger. Surprisingly, there is already a vaccine for the flu. The medical field is getting very advanced in this time... Scientist studied the RNA of the human being to get a good idea of what they were dealing with. Sadly, another flu is coming... It seems like every year there is a different flu that is trying to scare us, such as the pig flu and the bird flu. Now they are never heard of like they just die off.

Hydroponics

Resource: http://www.simplyhydro.com/whatis.htm

Who needs soil these days? Hydroponics is the way to go! Hydroponic is the beautiful art of growing plants without soil. Hydroponics is an art that people have wanted to make the best out of and the awesome thing is there are countless ways to work with hydroponics. You should try doing this because this can have much more potential than the use of soil. Its actually more simple than you might think. The proof being that if you give a plant exactly what it needs, when it needs it, in the amount that it needs, then the plant will be as healthy as genetically possible. Hydroponics makes these tasks much easier than soil would ever. Hydroponics allows the plant to easily suck up all the nutrition needed to grow and survive. The inert growing medium and a regulated pH level can make the plant easily take in nutrients, these are the things that make up hydroponics. First of all, a growing medium is the material where the roots of the plants are growing. A growing medium can be everything from a variety of substance like gravel, sand, and even rockwool. The inert substance doesn't supply the plant with anything other than the ability to to better regulate the plant's food given and growth overall. The pH is another important component of Hydroponics. Actually, it is extremely important because the plants will lose their ability to absorb nutrients when the pH varies. The ability to control pH levels much easier with Hydroponics is a huge advantage over the dirt gardening.

Hydrponics actually interests me a little bit. The fact that we can create plants that can grow more effectively and overall better can be done without soil. I found this an interesting article and it gave loads of information important to learning what Hydroponics is. I think this could spark interest in people who could possibly want a new way to work with plants. This could spark interest and open peoples minds to another way of planting.

Nuclear Power

Resource: http://www.howstuffworks.com/nuclear-power.htm

First of all, do you agree with nuclear power? It comes with a great risk, but it is open to many great opportunities for a possibly safer energy source that can easily power over great ranges. What really happens in those nuclear reactors? Is it really safe and secure? Well, you could say it's safe with all the right "parts". These part include radioactive material and water in the reactor core. To put it simply, the water helps control or keep control over the radioactive material in the core reactor. This specifically prevents it from over heating or having a nuclear meltdown and I'm not talking about when your mom figures out that you got arrested and she had a nuclear meltdown, but its pretty similar I guess. The world relies on this nuclear power and yet it can cause great harm. Some countries have over half their supply of power from a nuclear power plant. It is a pretty dangerous innovation.

I think this can improve a person's view on nuclear energy. Specifically speaking, it will help people become more informed as citizens should be. I believe this could spark interest in readers and possibly lead them on to a new job opportunity.

Energy Drink Ingredients

Resource:http://www.energyfiend.com/energy-drink-ingredients

Energy drinks aren't exactly the healthiest drink to have in the world, but it does taste good at times and it will give you energy. Here are a few ingredients put into energy drinks in general. Caffeine is the most common in energy drinks. Energy Drinks will have about 150-200mg of caffeine in regular sized can or bottle. The main purpose of an energy drink is to stimulate the nervous system to give the body a sense of alertness. It also raises heart rate and blood pressure while dehydrating the person. Caffeine is one of the most used drug in the planet. It can found in many things we drink. Try to look for it and I'm sure you'll find it. Another ingredient is Taurine which is naturally produced in the body. It helps regulate heartbeat, muscle contractions, and energy levels. The body usually makes enough to not have the need for supplements. It is thought to help us regulate ourselves since our brains are more stimulated, but it can help with excitable brain states. Another ingredient is ginseng. Ginseng is a herb that is known to increase energy, can possibly relieve stress, and increase memory. It is thought that the herb is used to stimulate the hypothalamic and pituitary glands which secrete a chemical called adrenal corticotropic hormone. Energy drinks usally only have a little of this herb in the mix.

This is a good article to figure out what you really are drinking in those energy drinks. This can really help someone become more informed in what they are drinking. Energy drinks are being known for being completely terrible for you and this helps more people become more informed citizens.

Top Five Commonly Used Metals

Resource: http://ezinearticles.com/?Five-Most-Commonly-Used-Metals&id=4569518

Metals are pretty useful even in today's world. We may be using plastic and polymers, but metals are used frequently to make structures and even our utensils we eat with for dinner. One of the most used metals is iron. Iron is naturally abundant and it can be found in humans, so it can be used for medicinal purposes. The main reason that iron is the most used is the need for steel. Steel is a strong alloy and it can be made stainless. Iron also contains a heating property known as even-heating. Aluminum is another commonly used element. It is also abundant in the earth's crust. The main reason aluminum is used for is the corrosive resistance and low density. It is used for normal household items like tin cans or to industrial use like aircraft. Copper is another metal used. Copper conducts electricity and heat very well, so it can be used for wiring and piping. Copper is mostly used as an alloy since the pure form is too soft to work with. Although, it is ductile and easy to work with. Zinc is also another metal in the top five. Zinc is hard and brittle by nature. It is an anti corrosive and as an example used for coating metals like steel or iron. The last metal commonly used it Titanium. Titanium is known as the space age metal. It has the highest strength to weight ratio compared to all the metals. Titanium is also seen as stronger, more durable, and corrosive resistant than steel. The problem is the difficult mining process that is needed for it. This is used for jets or space aircraft based on its properties.

Metals can one intriguing subject. This list of the top five used metals really was made will enough to explain the basis of the metal itself and its uses. Its a spark for more research on the subject especially on titanium. I believe this could spark interest into metals and how they work.

Steel

Resource: http://www.caffreyknives.net/content.htm

Steel is not found on the periodic table. To a more accurate stand point, it is a metal alloy or a combination of other elements. The primary make up of steel is iron. Iron is commonly found and it is found as iron ore which is then smelted and put into a cast iron. The cast iron is then refined with other minerals that is desired for the finished alloy. The most common element that affects the hardness is carbon. It will not only increase the hardness, but it will or possibly will make it more brittle. The effect of a low carbon content is that the blade might be extraordinarily strong, but it will be unable to hold a sharp edge. The opposite of would be more of a brittle blade and possibly hard. A fun little fact is the element content is signified as a point. A point is 0.01 percent of an alloy. For example, a 7 point carbon alloy will have about 0.07 percent of carbon. A couple common elements used in a metal alloy are Carbon and Manganese. Carbon has the most influence than other element used. Steel for example couldn't exist without carbon. Carbon will altar the strength and hardness dramatically by the slightest changes. Manganese is normally present in all steel and functions as an deoxidizer. Deoxidizer is really an interesting way of saying to remove oxygen. It also gives strength and responsiveness to any heat treatment.

I believe this article is very important to anyone wanting to be a blacksmith. The information is only important to specific audience like myself who is interested in metallurgy, but it may serve a guide in blacksmiths or people who want to become a blacksmith. The article also gave much information and I found it very interesting.

Neon Signs!!

Resource: http://peachtron.hubpages.com/hub/How-Do-Neon-Signs-Work

Neon signs are very eye catching. Before I explain how they work, its best to know why they are used. Its usually used for businesses which is good since they catch a lot of attention. Who doesn't want to see something wonderful like numerous colors like a neon sign? Well, I could imagine some people are boring, but the majority usually gets attracted to it. They are also good for setting a mood like in bars for sports games. The way these bright eye catchers work is semi-complicated, but I can put it simply. First of all, Neon is a inert gas. It is very structurally sound, but to put it in technical terms, they tend to keep their molecular structure. They show very little effect to chemical reactions, but electrodes can be a different story. To put it simply, the neon signs are one of the ways to actually make use of the inert gases. Electrodes sends a voltage into the tube the gas is held in. This increases the kinetic energy and once this kinetic energy reaches a peak it ionizes. This causes the electron to jump the next orbital and it gives it a positive or negative charge. The electrons that had become excited drop down to their normal energy level which results in a light or photon emitted. Also, even though it is called neon signs, not all the signs use neon. There are different elements that will create different colors. For example, Mercury could be used to make a light blue color and Argon mixed with phosphor will create a yellow glow.

Elements can be really fun when you know what to use it for. This article really shows that and I think it answered many frequently asked questions that may come from curious people. The page also may help people to be more informed about neon signs and there's nothing better than knowing more.

Better Batteries!

Batteries are really scientific, especially the new ones coming out. The new Lithium-ion could keep your cell phone alive for a week and fully charge in 15 minutes! These lithium batteries get there charge from a chemical reaction on each end of the battery, known as the anode and cathode. When being used, energy transfers from anode, to electrolyte, to cathode. But when being recharged, it goes the opposite direction, from cathode to electrolyte, to anode. Researchers predict that these batteries will hit the shelves in the next 3 to 5 years.

Accidental Blue

Just like a lot of other Chemists nowadays, they are trying to make a new element. At Oregon State University, they were trying to bash Manganese Oxide, a black element, with other chemicals at heated temperatures. The Professor was shocked of the turnout of one mixture." I was shocked, actually," states Dr. Subramanian. In the 2000 degree furnace, a crystal object was formed. The Manganese Oxides ions took in the red and green light and showed a different kind of blue.

Methane Mystery on Mars

Resource: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/11/23/science/space/aboard-mars-curiosity-rover-tools-to-plumb-a-methane-mystery.html?partner=rss&emc=rss

Planetary scientist are very confused of one thing. There seems to possibly have methane in the dead atmosphere of Mars. What could this mean? Many organisms including cows make methane and even some creatures that have been found on Earth not to breath oxygen produce methane. Also, this methane couldn't have been produced long ago since the rays of the sun would've already erased traces of it. This means there could possibly be life on Mars. Based on this accusation, it could possibly be true. Although, this is very controversial since there is no major evidence supporting it. They will be sending an SUV sized rover to try and collect signs of methane. Although, this rover won't give nay major hints to any kind of life on Mars. It is only a small test and nothing major will come of it. This only pushes it to be more controversial.

The article I had read had given all the key facts and evidence on both sides for why should we and why we shouldn't. I believe this may lead to more excitement to find life on Mars if methane signs are found. It would possibly lead humans to finding life and able to live on Mars as most people would for. This could possibly lead to something much bigger.

How Glass is Formed.

Most glass is a mixture of a large amount of silica that comes from fine white sand or pulverized sandstone, combined with smaller amounts of an alkali like soda (sodium bicarbonate) or potash to lower its melting point, and lime (from limestone) to help stabilize the mixture and ultimately make the glass stronger and water-resistant. These elements are naturally occurring throughout North America.

The silica, soda and lime are fused together at extremely high temperatures. By adding other substances during the process, the properties of the glass can be altered, including its color, how reflective it is, how brilliant or sparkling it looks, how well it acts as an insulator and more. Bits of old or broken glass from previous manufacturing, called ‘cullet’ is usually recycled into the mix. However, it is not just these additives alone that affect the final piece of glass, but also the way in which it is heated, cooled and formed.

-I've always understood that glass was made at extremely high temperatures, but I was unsure of the 'what' rather than the 'how'.

Neon signs

We've all seen neon signs before in cities late at night, mostly in Las Vegas. When you think of neon signs the first thing that pops into our head is that they are filled with neon gas; that is not the case however as neon can only produce a red color. The colors in order of discovery were blue (Mercury), white (Co2), gold (Helium), red (Neon). Then there were more colors made possible thanks to argon, mercury, and phosphor.

For more information follow this link: http://inventors.about.com/od/qstartinventions/a/neon.htm

-There will be a spot on neon tubes in the class project I am in, expect to see this information in the video coming up, possibly even more details, much more details.

Teeth's Pal, Toothpaste!

Toothpaste
There we once many ways of how humans would clean their teeth, they’d chew on frayed twigs, rub their teeth with cloth, swab their teeth with vinegar, and then at about 100 B.C. the Egyptians produced what may have been the first toothpaste and it’s contents were powdered pumice (a porous rock formed after volcanoes erupted) and vinegar. Since then science has surely, and obviously, expanded and now we have new ingredients in our toothpaste that some would have never dreamed, but we had created, and use to clean our teeth. Oral bacteria and the products of bacteria are what is commonly known as plaque or the build up that rests on our teeth with food particles. If it’s not removed the bacteria digest the new sugars and foods we in-take and turn it into acids( Acid? As in a chemical related thing, yes), that soon erodes our teeth enamel ( the hard outer coating). Mainly we brush to stop the plaque from turning into a Tartar. A Tartar, also known as calculus, is a hard mineral substance that is similar to the tooth enamel and forms along our gum line during the time that calcium salts in our saliva go chill with the dead bacteria in plaque. Ew, gross, yuck, yes all words that could easily describe my opinion on this! Tartar above the gum line just turns our teeth an icky color, on the gum line it could eventually lead to the loss of teeth. Flouride compounds and compounds that fight against tartar are common things found in our toothpaste today, along with the flavoring, coloring, sweeteners, abrasive, detergent, thickener, moisturizer, water, and occasionally baking soda. Baking soda and the other abrasives in a toothpaste prep and ready themselves for their fight on plaque. The chemicals vs. the bacteria to keep our teeth clean and healthy through their reactors. We do this for a hygienic reason and honestly we do it for a cosmetic reason too. I mean, who doesn’t want white teeth? So thank chemistry for welcoming us the chemical reactions that can help our teeth and smiles. (:


Resources:http://science.howstuffworks.com/chemistry-in-a-tube-of-toothpaste-info.htm

Glow Sticks

Glow Sticks
Bring some color into the dark with glow sticks! We have come to use glow sticks as party favors, in ‘raves’, as bracelets, around glasses, necklaces, headbands, and so much more. However, there is a chemistry behind it and I took a look further into it. The glow stick contains a chemical mixed in it’s glass vial, along with a fluorescent dye to give it it’s color. As well as another chemical in it’s plastic tube. The chemical that is within the glass vial is Diphenyl Oxalate- which is: C14H10O4 and is a solid ester with oxidation products that are responsible for the chemiluminescence of the glow stick. The plastic tube contains the chemical of Hydrogen Peroxide- which is 2(HO) and is the most simple peroxide and an oxidizer that is a clear liquid. A chemical reaction takes place when the peroxide is mixed with the phenyl oxalate ester, that yields two molecules of phenol and one molecule of peroxyacid ester. The peroxyacid with turn into carbon dioxide once it decomposes spontaneously to release the energy that excites the dye which will then soon relax by releasing a photon, in more easy to understand words, it’d be releasing the glow. The wavelength of the glow (the color emitted) depends on the structure of the dye that was used. By adjusting the concentrations of the two reacting chemicals, the manufactures can produce either a glow stick that glows brightly for a short amount of time or a glow stick that grows more dim but for a longer amount of time. Then as time passes, the color and emission does too, and slowly the glow stick will “die”. The life of the glow stick: The plastic tube with a glass vial inside, a chemical between the vial and tube, a chemical within the vial and the dye, then when we bend the glow stick-breaking the glass vial-the chemicals react, the photon is emitted, then the glow stick lives it’s life in a portion of our lives, and then sadly enough-like all living things- it dies and fades.

Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glow_stick#Chemistry

Potassium (:

Potassium
Our body needs potassium, yes, and we can get it from a banana. What about the more chemical related stuff to potassium? Sure Potassium and fire turn the flames purple but Potassium is also a metal and it is extremely active and does not do well with oxygen and water in air. It reacts in a rather violent matter! Oxygen and potassium create potassium peroxide. Water and potassium create potassium hydroxide. The reaction with potassium and water is dangerous and ends with hydrogen gas being released! Potassium and water, it is violent and sufficient exothermic in character. Hydrogen can then again react with the atmospheric oxygen that reacts and leaves water lingering that can then react with the remaining potassium. Due to this, potassium and it’s liquid alloy (NaK) are strong and effective that remove moisture which can be used as a dry solvent prior to distillation. Potassium and water in air are so sensitive that it’s reactions can only be possible in atmosphere that is inert, such as in argon gas using air-free techniques. Hydrocarbons tend to not even get a reaction from potassium, so things like mineral oil have no reaction with potassium. Ammonia can have potassium readily dissolve in it if the potassium is up to 48g and the ammonia is at 1000g at 0 degrees C. Slowly it reacts and produces KNH2, but can be accelerated by metal salts in minute amounts of transitions. The Rieke method see’s potassium as something that reduces the salt to just metal. Where it see’s potassium as a reductant when preparing to finely divide metals from their salts. Potassium can be combined with other things to become a compound. Potassium’s beginning history all started around the 1700s and mainly by Humphry Davy, when more was being learned about potassium. A interesting thing about our element potassium (K) is that it is an essential thing in plant fertilizer. It finds ways to react with numerous things in numerous ways. Some good, some bad. However, I personally enjoy potassium very much not in bananas but because of it’s firey show.


Resources: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Potassium#Chemical

History of ink

In the ancient times, ink was comprised of various colored juices and exotic extracts including alizarin, indigo, pokeberries, cochineal, and sepia. In the late eighteenth century, the first patent was issued in England for making colored inks. In the 19th century, chemical drying agents appeared, giving rise to a wide variety of pigments. Then things got complicated. At the beginning of the 20th century, ink-making became a complex chemical-industrial process. The manufacture of modern ink takes into account dozens of factors, including "color, opacity, transparency, brilliance, lightfastness, surface hardness, pliability, wettability, purity, and odourlessness." Inks for low-speed letterpress printing are made up of of carbon black, a heavy varnish, and a drier to reduce the drying time. Most pen inks incorporate those three main ingredients in different ratios. Intaglio inks are composed of petroleum naphthas, resins, and coal-tar solvents.

-I'm sure a lot of people are curious as to see what makes up ink.

Magnetism

magnetism, force of attraction or repulsion between various substances, especially those made of iron and certain other metals; ultimately it is due to the motion of electric charges.

Magnetism gets it's name from the term magnesia, a region in Asia Minor where loadstone, a naturally magnetic ore, was located in ancient times. Magnets are set up with two poles: a north pole and a south pole. It is commonly known that opposite poles attract and like poles repel, but an interesting fact is that if you break a magnet, the side with the north pole will have another south pole from the one it lost, vice versa for the side with the original south pole. Common metals like iron, nickel, and cobalt are easily magnetized.

For mor details follow the link, http://www.factmonster.com/ce6/sci/A0831162.html

Sugar vs. High Fructose Corn Syrup

Much debate has been sparked about the differences between sugar and high fructose corn syrup (HFCS). Most of the debate is around whether sugar is a much healthier choice than HFCS. The truth is while HFCS is not a really healthy choice, neither is sugar.

HFCS is a number of corn syrups mixed together to increase it's fructose content. The reason it is used in most sodas and cookies is because it is relatively cheaper than sugar and has a higher shelf life (similar to the relationship between paper and plastic). It is been shown that HFCS can make soda 10 times more richer in harmful carbonyl components; one study shows that carbonyl opponents can be a major cause to diabetic disorders such as, foot ulcers and eye/nerve damage. But this dose not mean that sugar is a healthier option, both have been proven to cause obesity, liver damage, and heart disease.

For more information follow this link, http://www.thegoodhuman.com/2007/09/10/high-fructose-corn-syrup-vs-pure-sugar-is-one-worse-than-the-other/

-It always wondered me if HFCS was any worse than sugar or not.

Chemistry in video games 3: the gas cloud

While playing an expansion pack for my game "Fallout: New Vegas," there a great chemical hazard during game play; a toxic gas cloud that engulfed and preserved an entire casino. The cloud is a blood red toxic smog that covers the game play zone known as the Sierra Madre casino.

The exact components of the cloud is never actually mention but there are clues that it contains heavy metals, primarily copper and sulphur.
The cloud is not a natural occurrence, but an artificially made biological weapon made before the nuclear apocalypse of 2077, its testing ground was at th Sierra Madre for some reason but the owner had no idea whatsoever.

The cloud struck me with question on it's contents and origin, it is amazing how much fun gameplay can be created with a knowledge of chemistry from the creators.

Periodic Table Expands!!!

Scientists have decided to add two more elements to the periodic table. These elements do not have a name, so they are recognized as elements 114 and 116. They were created by a group of chemists and physcists by basically smashing two atoms together. You will not be able to see these elements in any way because element 114 disinigrates in seconds and element 116 stays for a fraction of a second. Now there are 114 elements in the periodic table. Elements 113 and 115 are still being worked on and are not official.

Most Dangerous Venomous/Poisonous Organisms on Our Planet

Resource: http://sciencebasedlife.wordpress.com/2011/04/12/the-most-poisonousvenomous-animals-in-the-world/

Let's be honest. Humans aren't the only living and thinking organisms that have learned how to make a living being die within seconds or make it the most agonizing death of all time. One of these wild killers are the Box Jellyfish. The Box Jellyfish is so crazy venomous that if you are stung by it, you can pretty say, "Goodbye cruel world.". To put it sadly this would be true. There had been also been about five thousand deaths that they had caused. If there are survivors though, rather unlikely, you will be feeling for weeks or months to come. Another dangerous animal that has harnessed the power of chemical warfare is the King Cobra. The King Cobra's venom when ejected into a blood stream of an adult male will kill him by fifteen minutes. The venom injected is more than the Black Mamba's which is around more than six hundred mg of venom. The venom is even capable of killing a full grown elephant within thirty to forty-five minutes. This is a pretty big deal seeing as the elephant is ginormous and the snake is most likely around eight times smaller. Size doesn't matter? I'm not sure how to put to it.

These animals are pretty dangerous and I think its much a benefit to know what they are capable of. I hope this article gets to many readers since it was well written and it was very interesting to learn about these deadly killers. I hope people can be more informed on this subject so to know where not to go on vacation.

Cigarettes are Terrible!

Resource: http://www.quit-smoking-stop.com/harmful-chemicals-in-cigarettes.html

I hope you had already learned that cigarettes or smoking is bad in general. There over 4,000 chemicals in cigarettes and 50 are confirmed to cause cancer. There are a few important chemicals in cigarettes that we can all relate to. Cigarettes are also one of the few products capable of selling that has been led to cause cancer and kill people over time. One of the chemicals is Benzene. Benzene is a colorless cyclic hydrocarbon from coal and petroleum. Another chemical is formaldehyde. It is a colorless liquid that is used to preserve the dead. The chemical is highly poisonous and yet it is found in cigarettes. Ammonia is found as well, and it is mostly found in dry cleaning liquids. They use it as a flavoring. Another related chemical is Acetone. Acetone is found in nail polish remover. Another important chemical, possibly the most important is nicotine. It is used as insecticide and one of the most addictive chemicals known to man. It can be used medically or a deadly poison, and it is what causes the addiction.

I believe this is an informative web page. I think it gives the known or related chemicals someone could easily relate to what everyday product. I believe a more informed citizen is a better citizen, I think this is a good article for the internet.

The Chemistry Behind Red Bull

Red Bull
Red Bull, no not a male cow that happens to be unexplainably red. I’m talking about the energy drink, the one that gives you “wings”. Most people don’t put much thought about what they’re in-taking when they drink this drink, but there is a chemistry behind it and I’m going to tell you what it is! C12H22O11, sugar, is a content of this drink, 27 grams of it to be exact. It’s a pretty common thing for sugar to give you that boost, but there’s more to Red Bull and it’s wings than just that. Another chemical in it is one that your body can produce, it’s called Glucuronolactone and has a chemical formula of C6H8O6 (600mg per can). It is a precursor of the next thing in Red Bull, Taurine, which has a chemical formula of C2H7NO3S (1000mg per can). The Taurine can actually help hypertentension, that is being learned and studied, and also is lowering blood-pressure. There is also caffine in this drink, about 80mgs of it per every can. That itself gives us a little boost. Then we mix in the B6Vitamins. All of its chemical ingredients are either already found in our body helping us stay awake and reactive or have been tested on their own to help keep things alert and ready. However, mix them together in an apple flavored drink, you get Red Bull. One of the most popular energy drinks yet. When the chemicals are mixed together amongst the caffeine and B6 Vitamins, there’s a reaction, safe for us to drink, and bonded together to give us a good wake up call and keep us going. However, at some point most of us all do suffer a crash from this jittery boost of energy. A dysfunction in the chemical structure and reactants? Or is it just something our body can’t handle? There’s also more to what this Taurine in it does for us, it can reduce the urinary tract infections and helps build and maintain muscle mass. This group of chemicals that we can consume, is a well choice, more beneficial from the taurine than soda or coffee, so maybe soon doctors will encourage us to take it. Just not too much of it. Too much of anything, isn’t always a good thing.



Resource: http://scienceblogs.com/retrospectacle/2006/06/pop_science_the_chemisty_behin.php

Chemistry in video games 2: copper chloride

There is normally fire present in a video game, in the video game "Fallout: New Vegas", there are also fires. There is a certain item in particular that is more associated with this theme: a flame thrower, or as it is commonly revered to in the game: "the flamer". A normal flamer is like any other flame thrower, it spits fire; but there is a special type of flamer available in the game inventory: "the cleansing flame" a flame thrower that spits blue fire! In real life blue flames can be created by adding copper chloride solution, it can be implied that the fuel use in the cleansing flame contains copper chloride as it spits blue flames.

-I used the cleansing flame in the game and thought that the blue fire was really cool, but when I was attacked by assassins set out to terminate me I use the weapon but it wasn't very affective, I would've died if I hadn't switched to another one of my special weapons, but it was still cool to see blue fire.

Chemistry in video games 1

There can be many references in video games as the designers need inspiration, one inspiration that can be found in numerous games is chemistry. One such game is the story of a man working a job as a bike courier who was caught in a massive explosion and survived, the game inFAMOUS. He later found out that he could control electricity, or in chemical terms, nitrogen dioxide. The man's name is Cole Mcgrath, a conduit of nitrogen dioxide who uses nitrogen dioxide to lessen a criminal's oxygen supply or at tact innocent beings that are 75% H2O (depending on the choice of the player). A man who is dependent on nitrogen dioxide or else he will grow weak and possibly die, a man who is capable of summoning a huge bolt of nitrogen dioxide from the sky and tear apart the metals of the earth

-This is a very interesting game that brings about the possibility of super powers.

Most Dangerous Element??

Resource: http://www.newton.dep.anl.gov/askasci/chem99/chem99367.htm

There are a few dangerous elements that this source points out. One of them is plutonium. Plutonium used to make a nuclear bomb is put into a fine dust. It creates alpha radiation and a tiny bit of this dust is enough to give someone lung cancer when inhaled. It is handled with a gigantic amount of care. Another element that is dangerous is mercury. If you work in chemistry, people may run into it. Mercury at room temperature becomes an extremely deadly vapor that can cause long term brain damage. This is a reason thermometers are cleaned up quick. A deadly element that can be put in circulation is most likely lead. It can found in leaded gasoline and it can cause brain damage in children.

I believe this article only gave a few examples and should give more. It didn't satisfy me in a knowledgeable stand point. I think it was an average grade type of article. I also believe an informed person is better than a clueless one. This could be one way to help the public avoid anything extremely dangerous that people may have forgotten.

Coke/Soda Kills Urban Legend

Resource: http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/blcoke.htm

To start this blog. What do you think? Does a food industry want to poison all their customers to lose business? Yeah it wouldn't particularly make sense. Also, this won't kill us, but for sure it has no nutritional value. One of the things that will confuse a consumer to this little rumor is a certain chemical. This chemical is usually mixed up with Ethylene Glycol, which is toxic and is used as an anti-freeze. The real chemical used is propylene glycol which is used as an anti-freeze as well. The major difference is that propylene glycol is not toxic. Another rumor is the acidity in Coke. The estimate shown is ph 3.4, this is high enough to dissolve bones. The interesting thing is that we have a digestive system that helps the soda from actually touching most of our bones. Fruits will also have this kind of acidity as well. It's really not that big of a deal, and we really can't hold soda in our mouths for a whole week because then we would have some problems. Also, to an uninformed citizen, knowing that phosphoric acid in Coke would probably scare someone away. Well, be scared of most beverages because that chemical is present in many items we consume. It doesn't hurt us nor does it affect. I conclude that Coke will not kill anybody.

I believe this is a wonderful analysis of a viral email going around. This is very much helpful to anyone that was affected by this stupid trick. This can change what people think about Coke and conspiracy theorists can learn that there is nothing that major in Coca Cola.

Miniature Powerhouse?!

Resource: Science Illustrated September/October 2011

Ever seen a tiny generator before? I have and its one awesome powerhouse. A new type of battery has been made by Toshiyuki Ueno of Kanazama University in Japan. This battery is battery vibration -driven generator the size that measures less than an inch. This battery can deliver twenty times as much energy as itself. It consists of two pieces of magnetostrictive material galfenol, with weights added. It is influenced by weak vibration, the weights are displaced, affecting the galfeno pieces and generating power.

This article was very small. I believe more information should have been put. I would grade this a low C if put in grading letter terms. Also, I think this could replace energy sources for small electronical devices.

Radio Waves can lower Blood Pressure

Resource: Science Illustrated: November/December 2011

Blood Pressure can really be lowered by radio waves! There was about 50% of people who couldn't get their blood pressure lower and people were chosen to test this way of treatment. The treatment involved the disarming of some nerves. In people with high blood pressure, it also had more involved nerves or more activity in the nerves. The liver is connected to brain by some sympathetic nervous system. The radio waves would then be used to disarm or stop some of the nerves, so it can lower blood pressure. This proved to be successful in the people chosen and is very effective.

This article was short, but informative. I believe it was very interesting that radio waves may affect the blood pressure of a person. I think the article should have been more detailed, but it was an alright article. People being able to use this technique may be able to find a better solution than others. This technique can be used even more if presented well enough