week#7

MY ALKALI EARTH METAL OF THE WEEK:

CALCIUM

Atomic number 20, atomic weight 40.078

I chose calcium as it has always been important in growing food. Adding calcium to the soil, in the form of dolomite, gave the plants more fibers in their vegetative states, and also helped balanced the ph of the soil.

When I was vegan, people always used to hound me with the question of how was I getting my protein, but the real question should have been how was I getting my calcium, as it often comes from dairy (and we all tend to eat too much protein). There were many foods that I was able to find that were high in calcium, which included: seaweed/ kelps, kale, broccoli, collards, almonds, dendelion greens and okra. When I grew these foods (other than the seaweed and almonds), I noticed upon soil testing that they absorbed more of the calcium from the soil than the other plants. Pretty neat.

THE FOODS IN OUR KITCHEN

This is a fun one, as we try to grow most of our own foods. Over the winter, we had a very green kitchen full of kale, collards, lettuce greens, broccoil. Our color variety came with the carrots and beets. But now we are moving into the season where the fruits of the veggies can grow and we are starting to have a more colorful kitchen. I love the summer colors in the garden. Our summer squash is blooming, adding some yellow. Soon we will have many different color tomatoes, and this year I planted three different color string beans. (While I ran the CSA I learned that giving out a colorful box of veggies was a treasure). I am addicted to eatting green food, but also enjoy a colorful plate. It is neat to think that there are certain cravings based on a chemisty basis..... I'll get back to you.

THE LINKS

Geez, I learned something new in just the first paragraph in the link about minerals. I love rocks and crystals, I am a novice on the subject, but find them healing to touch and view and always take time to examine them. I thought they were catagorized by their color and the article explained that the worst way to ID these minerals is by color, I guess when I think about it, it makes sense, but I am going to have to ask someone with more experience to ID the crystals on my alter.

week #5

WHAT IS A MOLE?

A mole is essentially a handy tool to tell us the numbers of atoms or molecules in a substance. It is handy, because the number of molecules in a substance is so so so large, that the number actually holds too many digits to even begin to record it. It is used in direct connection to avogadro's number, so when there is an avagadro's number of objects, it is called a mole. I like the comparison to a dozen bagels also equals 12 bagels (well, in NYC it is 13 bagels). It is a very helpful unit of measurement. We can save a massive amount of ink by not having to write all the zeros.

The link reported a way they use avagadro's number and moles in making glazes for ceramics. I was happy to read it as it is the first time I have seen the numbers being applied to something that I have an interest in and can apply it too. Though I am still happy to just follow a formula to make the glaze and glad someone else is doing the math. (Even though I like math, I don't love huge numbers).

week #5

HYPOTHESES

I like having to write about what a hypothesis is, as so many people translate them as fact........ A hypthesis is an "idea" that someone has about how something "works" and then a series of test are done to prove or disprove this idea. For example, the theory of evolution by Darwin is a hypothesis, not a fact. Yes, the ideas of natural selection and adaptations prove true in many areas of nature, but that does not mean that there are no other reasons for why a marigold is orange or a redwood tree likes fog. When I get caught in talk with someone that is skeptical of chinese medicine and insists on having the scienticfic method applied to prove its worth, I try to remind them that most things in science are based on hyptheses. I think the truth can change all the time.

I just checked the link included for this question and was happy that it supported my rant. It answering the question, it stated it best, that if a hypothesis is proven true it DOES NOT become a law of science. Amen.

week#5

MY INERT GAS OF THE WEEK

This week, I choose the element: NEON. With an atomic number of 10. And an atomic weight of 20.1797.

I choose to investigate neon, because as I child my whole family was allergic to animals but we are allowed to have fish. My favoite were the small neons, that we called "glow in the dark fish" because of their amazing metallic bright colors. I though it would be neat to see if there is a connection.

Here is what I found about neon:
(I like this one).... A very common element in the universe, it is rare on Earth.

We are all familiar with neon lights often advertising some sort of beer or cola, well there is a relation. Neon is a colorless, inert noble gas under standard conditions but gives a distinct reddish glow when used in vacuum discharge tubes and neon lamps.

Wiki tells me that it is also used in
vacuum tubes
high-voltage indicators
lightning arrestors
wave meter tubes
television tubes
Neon and helium are used in helium-neon lasers
Liquefied neon is commercially used as a cryogenic refrigerant in applications not requiring the lower temperature range attainable with more expensive liquid helium refrigeration.

As for the neon fish, I could not find a direct connection to the element on the periodic table, but it was fun reading about them.

Week #4

EXTRA CREDIT

MY GREEN HOME

My housemates and I take pride in trying to keep our home as green as possible. Each month we strive to pick a new area in the house to be more green. It is fun and easy, especially since we all want to leave small footprints. Here are some things we make an effort to use:

Only green, biodegratible cleaning products, i.e. dishsoap, shampoos, laundry deterg, etc.
We use lead free paints and deck sealers.
We use recycled toilet paper, and have cloth napkins...so no paper towels.
We use tupperware, so no need for plastic wrap of foil.
All our lights are the new energy saver bulbs.
We have air pressures on all the shower heads to save water.
We keep bricks in toilets to save water.
We buy bulk organic foods.

This month we are trying to figure out a way to reuse the bath water to water our garden (a grey water system). And as we are all students, we are trying to figure out ways to use less paper.

I think we are doing well.

Class #4

CATALYST OF THE WEEK

A catalyst is a substance that increase in rate of a chemical reaction that is itself not consumed by the overall reaction. I think of it in terms of "a catalyst for change." For example, Martin Luther King Jr's efforts were a catalyst for change in the civil rights movement. He physically did not change through all his work, but his words triggered major "reactions" in this country for change.

My catalyst of the week is: Platinum, atomic number 78, atomic mass 195.

Many musical bands hoped to get a "platinum" record, which would act as a catalyst to reach more fame.

From a chemisty point of view, platinum is used in many chemical reaactions as a catalyst. It is used in jewelry, has been used as a catalyst to make crucibles (I love this one), also used to make "special containers" (not sure what they mean), a catalyst for laboratory equitment, dental crowns, as an anti-tumor agent and to make standard weights and measures.

And as I felt this is relevent to green chemistry, Platinum acts:
As a catalyst in the catalytic converter, an optional (though often mandatory by law) component of the gasoline-fueled automobile exhaust system.
As a catalyst in fuel cells. Reducing the amount of platinum required (and thus cost) is a major focus of fuel cell research.

So, I am not sure I am thrilled with what platinum is the catalyst for, but I am very excited about the catalyst for change.