It's All About Chemistry

[lovemarie]

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[jamesbond]

Carbon Dioxide Gas Experiment

Carbon dioxide gas (CO2) is naturally present is our atmosphere, although it makes up less than 0.04 percent of the gas in the atmosphere. The popular term for carbon dioxide gas is greenhouse gas. Some think that carbon dioixde gas in the atmosphere is potentially harmful for our environment, although there is much debate since CO2 is naturally occurring. This experiment uses a simple substance to produce carbon dioxide gas.

Materials Needed

Plastic water bottle
Balloon
Disposable cup
Water
Antacid tablets (must contain sodium bicarbonate)
Fork or table knife

Step 1: Remove the label and completely dry the inside of a clear water bottle for each experiment station.

Step 2: *An adult must handle the antacid tablets or an adult must provide close supervision while the kids perform this experiment.* Take an antacid tablet out the package and place it in the bottom of a dry cup. Using the table knife or fork, chop up the antacid tablet into smaller pieces.


Place the antacid tablet in the bottom of a dry cup and crush into smaller pieces

Step 3: Carefully pour the antacid pieces and powder into the bottom of the dry water bottle.


Antacid pieces in the bottom of a dry water bottle

Step 4: Fill the water bottle about one quarter full. Pour the water quickly. Do not pour slow.

Step 5: Quickly place the balloon over the top of the water bottle opening to capture the gas being produced.


Quickly place the balloon over the water bottle opening to capture the gas. Make sure it is securely over the bottle opening past the threading so it does not blow off when the pressure is increased inside the bottle.

Step 6: Observe the reaction taking place within the mixture of water and tablet pieces.


Adding water to the dry tablet pieces results in a visual reaction of the mixture

Step 7: Watch the balloon as gas builds up inside the water bottle.


CO2 gas fills the water bottle and the pressure escapes into the balloon causing it to partially blow up.

Step 8: Carefully remove the balloon, pour the liquid out of the water bottle and rinse it out. Then safely dispose of any water bottles used in the experiment.


SCIENCE LEARNED

The active ingredient in the antacid is sodium bicarbonate (NaHCO3), which is also known as baking soda. Sodium bicarbonate is a weak base. When the antacid is combined with water it reacts quickly, resulting in the release of sodium, water and carbon dioxide. The bubbles you saw during the reaction were the carbon dioxide gas being released. Since gas takes up more space than liquids and solids, as the carbon dioxide was released it started to try to take up the same space as the air that was trapped by the balloon in the bottle. As more carbon dioxide gas was released the gas built up pressure inside the bottle until the balloon started to expand.

All animals exhale carbon dioxide. The air animals exhale is not pure carbon dioxide, it only contains about 4 to 5 percent CO2 (carbon dioxide). Bacteria and decomposing organic material also naturally release carbon dioxide.

[Heathcliff]

What Is the Volume & Chemical Composition of Blood?




Question: What is the Volume & Chemical Composition of Blood?

Answer: Blood is slightly more dense and approximately 3-4 times more viscous than water. Blood consists of cells which are suspended in a liquid. As with other suspensions, the components of blood can be separated by filtration, however, the most common method of separating blood is to centrifuge (spin) it. Three layers are visible in centrifiged blood.

The straw-colored liquid portion, called plasma, forms at the top (~55%). A thin cream-colored layer, called the buffy coat, forms below the plasma. The buffy coat consists of white blood cells and platelets. The red blood cells form the heavy bottom portion of the separated mixture (~45%).

What is the volume of blood?

Blood volume is variable, but tends to be about 8% of body weight. Factors such as body size, amount of adipose tissue, and electrolyte concentrations all affect volume. The average adult has about 5 liters of blood.

What is the composition of blood?

Blood consist of cellular material (99% red blood cells, with white blood cells and platelets making up the remainder), water, amino acids, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, hormones, vitamins, electrolytes, dissolved gases, and cellular wastes. Each red blood cell is about 1/3 hemoglobin, by volume. Plasma is about 92% water, with plasma proteins as the most abundant solutes. The main plasma protein groups are albumins, globulins, and fibrinogens.

The primary blood gases are oxygen, carbon dioxide, and nitrogen.

Reference: Hole`s Human Anatomy And Physiology 1992 Edition

[naruto789544]

nice topics... why does it seems easier now rather than when i was still in school??? 

[lovemarie]

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[Heathcliff]

Atomic Number 5 Element Facts



Boron is the element that is atomic number 5 on the periodic table. It is a metalloid or semimetal that is a lustrous black solid at room temperature and pressure. Here are some interesting facts about boron.

Atomic Number 5 Element Facts

Boron compounds form the basis for the classic slime recipe, which polymerizes the compound borax.
The element name boron comes from the Arabic word buraq, which means white. The word was used to describe borax, one of the boron compounds known to ancient man.
A boron atom has 5 protons and 5 electrons. Its average atomic mass is 10.81. Natural boron consists of a mix of two stable isotopes: boron-10 and boron-11. Eleven isotopes, with masses 7 to 17 are known.
Boron exhibits properties of either metals or nonmetals, depending on the conditions.
Element number 5 is present in the cell walls of all plants, so plants, as well as any animal that eats plants, contain boron. Elemental boron is non-toxic to mammals.

Over a hundred minerals contain boron and it is found in several compounds, including boric acid, borax, borates, kernite, and ulexite. Yet, pure boron is extremely difficult to produce and the element abundance is only 0.001% of the Earth's crust. Element atomic number 5 is rare in the solar system.
In 1808, boron was partially purified by Sir Humphry Davy and also by Joseph L. Gay-Lussac and L. J. Thénard. They achieved purity of about 60%. In 1909 Ezekiel Weintraub isolated nearly pure element number 5.
Boron has the highest melting point and boiling point of the metalloids.
Crystalline boron is the second hardest element, following carbon. Boron is tough and heat resistant.
While many elements are produced via nuclear fusion inside stars, boron is not among them. Boron appears to have been formed by nuclear fusion from cosmic ray collisions, before the solar system was formed.

The amorphous phase of boron is reactive, while crystalline boron is not reactive.
There is a boron-based antibiotic. It is a derivative of streptomycin and is called boromycin.
Boron is used in super hard materials, magnets, nuclear reactor shielding, semiconductors, to make borosilicate glassware, in ceramics, insecticides, disinfectants, cleaners, cosmetics, and many other products. Boron is added to steel and other alloys. Because it is an excellent neutron absorber, it is used in nuclear reactor control rods.
Element atomic number 5 burns with a green flame. It can be used to produce green fire and is added as a common colorant in fireworks.
Boron can transmit part of infrared light.
Boron forms stable covalent bonds rather than ionic bonds.
At room temperature, boron is a poor electrical conductor. Its conductivity improves as it is heated.
Although boron nitride is not quite as hard as diamond, it is preferred for use in high temperature equipment because it has superior thermal and chemical resistance. Boron nitride also forms nanotubes, similar to those formed by carbon. However, unlike carbon nanotubes, boron nitride tubes are electrical insulators.
 
 
~credits to the source



 
 

[jamesbond]

nice topics... why does it seems easier now rather than when i was still in school??? 

 aba eh ako nga din sir eh, parang chemistry made easy na nga now unlike noon. . . . 

  beautyness kasi teacher ko noon sa chemistry kaya di ako maka-focus, naka mini pa palagi... haaays. . .

[lovemarie]

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[Heathcliff]

Chemical Modification Is Best Ever At Strengthening And Stabilizing Collagen
Biomaterials: Changing glycine to aza-glycine in the protein’s backbone enhances hydrogen bonding, improving the material’s properties





By switching out a single amino acid, researchers have dramatically improved the strength and stability of collagen, the protein scaffold found in the bodies of people and animals. The advance could lead to new biomaterials for a range of applications.
Collagen, the most abundant protein in mammals, is found in tendons, ligaments, cartilage, bones, blood vessels, skin, and other tissues. In the 1950s, legendary scientific figures such as chemist Linus Pauling, physicist G. N. Ramachandran, and biologists Alexander Rich and Francis Crick determined collagen’s repetitive, hydrogen-bonded, helical structure, which is reminiscent of DNA’s.
Ancient Egyptians used collagen as a glue. In 1881, it was adopted as a modern biomaterial when “catgut” from sheep was first used in biodegradable sutures. The protein has also been used in sponges, films, dressings, and skin grafts. But collagen is a complex, heterogeneous substance that can cause immune reactions when used in people, and it can break down partially while being isolated. Modified collagens could help solve these problems and lead to new applications.
In an effort to make improvements, researchers have extensively modified the protein over the years. Amino acid side chain modifications have improved collagen’s properties to some extent, but modifications to its peptide backbone have been nearly universally unsuccessful. In many cases, they have destabilized the protein, preventing it from forming its characteristic triple helix structure.
David M. Chenoweth and coworkers at the University of Pennsylvania have now made the first backbone modification that, far from destabilizing collagen, improves its properties (J. Am. Chem. Soc. 2015, DOI: 10.1021/jacs.5b04590). They found that changing one glycine in a 21-amino-acid collagen peptide to aza-glycine dramatically improves the peptide’s thermal stability and strength and increases the rate at which it folds into a helix. They are currently assessing the effects of substitutions at different positions.
Previously, Ronald T. Raines of the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and coworkers made the greatest improvement to collagen’s stability when they fluorinated a proline side chain. But the aza-glycine enhancement is greater than for any earlier single-residue modification. Chenoweth and coworkers “deserve a lot of credit,” Raines says. “I and others have stared at the collagen triple helix for at least 20 years, and no one had thought to make this substitution before.” A possible application of the new material would be as a support for wound healing agents, Raines says.
Glycine is the most common amino acid in collagen. It stabilizes the triple helix by sharing a hydrogen bond with a carbonyl group on an adjacent peptide chain. Aza-glycine’s N–H can share its hydrogen with either one additional adjacent carbonyl or simultaneously with two additional carbonyl groups, causing the increases to the protein’s strength and stability.
“The idea to replace glycine with aza-glycine is elegantly simple and surprisingly effective in stabilizing the collagen triple helix,” comments Felicia Etzkorn of Virginia Tech, whose group also designs collagen-peptide mimics. “The aza-glycine peptides conferred a remarkable increase in triple-helix stability over the native counterparts.”
Another collagen expert, Helma Wennemers of the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology, calls the new findings “a remarkable achievement that opens intriguing perspectives for the development of collagen-based materials.”

~credits to the source

[jamesbond]

Antioxidant Experiment



Antioxidants are chemical compounds that slow down or stop oxidation. Let's try an experiment to see how antioxidants do their job.

Materials Needed

1 - banana, 1 - apple
Lemon juice
Corn syrup
Sugar
Marker
2 small plates

Step 1: Label 4 tags on each plate: plain, sugar, corn syrup, and lemon.



Step 2: Cut 8 slices of banana and 8 apple slices.



Step 3: Place 8 apple slices and 8 banana slices on the plate with 2 pieces next to each label.

Step 4: Sprinkle sugar on the apples and bananas next to the label "sugar".

Step 5: Squirt lemon juice on the apples and bananas next to the label "sugar".



Step 6: Pour corn syrup on the apples and bananas next to the label "corn syrup".

Step 7: Leave the apple and banana slices alone next to the label "plain".

Step 8: Wait about 2-4 hours and observe the apples and banana slices on each plate.

SCIENCE LEARNED

What happened to the color of the apples on each plate?

When apples and bananas brown, they are actually oxidizing. In this experiment the lemon juice typically keeps both the apples and bananas freshest. Corn syrup also keeps the level of oxidation low. Adding sugar limits oxidation over no additive, but performs worse than corn syrup and natural lemon juice. In practical application, fruit companies have found the same conclusions. Canned fruit comes in two varieties including fruit in heavy or light syrup (corn syrup) and natural fruit. As the oxidation experiment proved, both canning options are adequate. The natural fruit juice option may perform a little better and is certainly a healthier alternative.

[lovemarie]

looks like mas magiging effective mga beauty enhancing collagen products nyan . . . .

i always do that  . . . use lemon juice + syrup for my fresh fruits when i prepare my salad.

[jamesbond]

oh yes. . . my mom used to do that too... leaving freshly cut fruits like apples in a bowl of pineapple juice in preparing fruit salads. . .  it works, kaya naman kasing puti mo pa din ang apple kapag na prepare. . .

[lovemarie]

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[Heathcliff]

8 Ways Zinc Affects the Human Body. . . .




Researchers identified zinc as one of the most important essential trace metals in human nutrition and lifestyle in a new review article in Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety, published by the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT).  Zinc is not only a vital element in various physiological processes; it is also a drug in the prevention of many diseases.

The adult body contains about two to three grams of zinc. It is found in organs, tissues, bones, fluids, and cells. Foods with high protein content, specifically animal protein, are major sources of zinc in the human diet. Zinc can also be used as fortification for other foods as well. Nearly half of the world’s population is at risk for inadequate zinc intake. The article reviewed numerous studies that showed a relationship between zinc and vital human physiological processes such as the following:

Brain: The blood zinc level is less in patients with Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease (Brewer, and others 2010).In a rodent study, it was observed that zinc behaves like an antidepressant (Nowak and others, 2005).

Cardiovascular System: Zinc performs a noteworthy role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure. Males and females were reported to metabolize zinc differently when suffering from hypertension (Tubek, 2007).

Liver: Zinc deficiency in the liver occurs not only in those with liver cirrhosis, but also in less advanced alcoholic and nonalcoholic liver disease (Bode and others, 1998).

Pregnancy: A mild deficiency of zinc during a pregnancy can cause increased maternal morbidity, abnormal taste sensation, prolonged gestation, inefficient labor, atonic bleeding, and an increased risk to fetuses (Jameson, 1993).

Diabetes: Zinc is very important in the synthesis, storage, and secretion of insulin (Chausmer 1998). A low level of zinc has been shown to play a role in diabetics with associated disease conditions such as coronary artery disease and several related risk factors including hypertension, and elevated levels of triglycerides (Singh and others, 1998).

Endocrine System: Studies show a correlation between zinc deficiency in geriatric patients and reduced activity of the thymus gland and thymic hormones, decreased response to vaccinations, and reduced immunity (Haase and Rink, 2009).

Healing: Zinc deficiency has been linked with delayed wound healing, and has been found to be crucial to the healing of gastric ulcers especially at the early stage (Kennan and Morris, 1993; Andrews and Gallagher-Allred, 1999; Watanabe, 1995).

Pneumonia: Zinc may shorten the duration of severe pneumonia and time in the hospital.


~credits to Chemical Science Blog

[lovemarie]

maganda talaga dulot ng zinc sa katawan kaya i see to it ang multivitamins ko ay may zinc