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

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

Diet Coca-Cola and Mentos

Resources: http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn14114-science-of-mentosdiet-coke-explosions-explained.html
Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9vk4_2xboOE
Many of us know about the explosions that Mentos and diet Coke make. However, how many of us know just exactly why it happens? This explosion can shoot up to 7 meters when the Mentos is whole, but when it's crushed and dropped into it, it can only go about 30 centimeters. What a huge difference! A good portion of people probably assume it's how the gum candy reacts with the caffeine. You'd be wrong. The caffeine shows no difference in the explosion and the reaction. Crossing caffeine out of play. So what exactly is it?
The ideas of what causes the chemical reactions was tested by Mythbusters and then others got interested. After testing their theories of the reactants, we were able to narrow out things that didn't work. Though there is still some mystery to this explosion we have come to the conclusion that chemicals responsible for the reaction are gum arabic and gelatine in the sweets, potassium benzoate and aspartame in the Coke. Also, the tension of both the liquid coca-cola and the surface tension on the mentos cause bubbles. The tension on the mentos disrupts polar attractions in the water molecules. So, when dropped fast it sinks to the bottom and other bubbles push another up causing the rocket of soda.
Middle School teachers everywhere are taking their kids on the field and giving them the amusement of learning with some fun added. My friend and I had done this experiment once, and it truly was a load of fun and a supplier of laughter, all at the same time of learning. This explosion is still with some mystery of how exactly everything works. So, try it with other variables to test the theories that are left and see if they can be changed or altered. Have fun with it(:

The Nitrogen Cycle of an Underwater Aquarium

The cycle of which nitrogen is converted between a numerous amount of chemical forms, or as we commonly call it: the nitrogen cycle, is crucial for any life on Earth. Nitrogen is needed for growth and is common among air, ground, and water. Speaking of water, the aquarium of Earth is home to many aquatic animals and plants. Many people do seem to forget that there is chemistry even behind the aquarium. The nitrogen cycle of the aquarium is much like a natural filter to it.
Chemical processing, also known as natural fixation, are needed to convert gaseous nitrogen into usable forms for living organisms to live; which makes it quite important to the food production, whether it be in animals or plants. Nitrogen is around in an environment in a diverse set of chemical forms including organic nitrogen, ammonium, nitrite, nitrate, and nitrogen gas. Organic nitrogen may be found in the form of a living organism, or humus, and in the intermediate products of organic matter decomposition or humus built up. The nitrogen cycle of converting it from one chemical form to another has many of the processes done through microbes either to create and produce the energy or to obtain the nitrogen in the form needed for growth.
Nitrogen fixation must occur for the plants to use, it could occur from lightning strikes, but in most cases is done by free-living symbiotic bacteria. The symbiotic bacteria has the nitrogenase enzymes that combines gaseous nitrogen with hydrogen to produce ammonia; which is then further converted by the bacteria to make their own organic compounds, so the plant may live by those organic compounds which were produced for them to survive. Plants get nitrogen through their roots and from the soil they rest in, including aquatic plants. All nitrogen obtained by animals can be traced back on the food chain to eating plants, that of course have nitrogen, this is both land and aquatic animals. When an animal releases waste or dies, or if a plant dies, the initial form of nitrogen it leaves behind is organic. That allows itself to be formed to ammonium for other plants to obtain and then an animal to do so, then another, so on and so forth.
Nitrification and Denitrification both take place, as well. Nitrification is the process in which the conversion of ammonium to nitrate is primarily by soil-living bacteria. Due to their high solubility the nitrates can occur and enter at ground water. When underwater and creating algal , if too much, it can demand too much amounts of oxygen which can then lead to the death of other aquatic living organisms that require some of the water’s oxygen it withholds. Denitrification is the reduction of the nitrates , so an electron acceptor replaces the oxygen needed.
The aquarium of Earth is home to many living organisms amongst plants and animals. They can live in the water and survive off the energy, shelter, food sources, water, nitrogen, and water it can find underwater.  The nitrogen cycle helps the plants survive and grow, and intern supplies food for the aquatic animals. The stuff that is decomposed is helpful for the next that is to come. Every part of the nitrogen cycle is important for the aquatic life.
When learning all this information from wikipedia and aquarium and aquatic websites, I learned to appreciate the nitrogen cycle. I also enriched myself with knowledge I did not have before hand. Thus, giving even more appreciation for the chemistry we can find in our everyday lives almost anywhere. Whether we know it or not, chemistry is important, and it is there.

Chemistry Behind the Soap We Use(For Week2)

Imagine if no one showered or cleansed themselves each day with soap or didn’t wash their hands? Neither of those things would be possible without chemistry! There is chemistry with how soap cleanses us. Yeah, makes you really appreciate chemistry. If chemistry wasn’t around and we didn’t know how to use it we would not be able to create soap that was actually successful at cleaning. Chemistry stands behind many things in our everyday lives, one of which would include soap.
Soap is formed by molecules, the hydrophilic which looks almost like a “head” you could say and the hydrophobic chain that comes off of it. The hydrophilic head enjoys/likes water, where as the hydrophobic chain dislikes it. Due to this double team of hydrophilic head and hydrophobic chain, the soap molecules act like a diplomat, improving the relationship between that water and the dirt the water just could not get off alone! Therefore, when soap is added to water the hydrophilic head of the molecules stay in the water, while the long hydrophobic chain circles and entraps the dirt (to escape the water); which forms circular groups named micelles(electrically charged group of molecules) that absorbs the dirt. Then, an emulsion(suspense of something with liquid within another liquid) is formed, which means the dirt becomes suspended and dispersed into the water. The emulsions can then be removed by the rinsing and cloth materials. Thus, the general idea of how soap cleans.
When I read this article from a website with a Chemistry of Daily Life section I was quite amused to learn about how the chemistry used within soap to clean was. It certainly made me appreciate soap. Considering, I for one, do not want to be by someone who smells and is not clean. Therefore, chemistry I thank you for the kindness you do for my nose by cleaning the stench. The chemistry within soap is something I am happy to have in my everyday life.

Mt. Etna Releases Smoke Rings

Mt. Etna-the active stratovolcano, on the east coast of Sicily, has released smoke rings into the sky as of August 16, 2011. References I have are from the MSN News and they were recorded by male on video. It was released the day of the smoke rings and it does indeed impact our Earth by the gasses and chemicals it releases. I get my information from the video , a website , and wikipedia . All references were used as either proof/evidence, background information, or for chemical information.
Mt Etna is one of the most active volcanoes in the world. It is in an almost constant state of activity all the time! The fertile volcanic soils support extensive agriculture, with vineyards and orchards spread across the lower sides of the mountain and the Plain of Catania all the way to the south. Deemed by the United Nations, it is also one of the 16 Decade Volcanoes that should always be studied for further information; such as when an eruption may occur, how dangerous it might be, and -if need be- when to evacuate. This Volcano has eruptions often and recently. However it has an unusual characteristic of Smoke Rings. It is extremely rare and was first captured in the 1970s, then again in 2000 and 2011. As well as most recently, August 16, 2011.
Honestly, this had caught my attention. It did so for a couple reasons. The first reason, the one that caught me the most, was because it seemed highly interesting. What I mean is, the video thumbnail was still framed on an odd smoke ring in the sky. That then made me wonder what it was, so I checked out it’s title and short but to the point description to learn that it was from Sicily’s Mt Etna Volcano. I was then interested but began to wonder what chemicals are released from the gasses that Volcano had to release for the smoke and ring, as well as how could it impact our planet? So, I did some further research to learn it’s impact. I believe this video was quite a hook to peak my interest.
Beneath the Volcanoes surface the gasses are turned into molten rock but as it becomes active the gasses begin to rise and turn into smoke. This impacts our Earth and causes air pollution. When a volcano releases smoke it lets loose chemicals into the air we breath. It allows Sulfur dioxide (SO2), Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), Carbon dioxide (CO2), Hydrogen Chloride (HCl), Hydrogen Fluoride (HF). On August 16, 2011 all these chemicals were released into the sky above Sicily when Mt Etna released its Smoke Rings. I believe this impacts our Earth with its pollution, as well as how it impacts us to be careful and study this active volcano to be sure all can stay well for the people of Sicily.