Chemistry Education

Solar Techonology

2012-02-10T10:05:00.001-04:00

The energy of the light is part of your existence. Without it life wouldn’t have been able to grow, and if it suddenly ended, life would disappear. The relationship between the man and the Sun has always been filled with mystery and confusion. Since the men started to consider the sun a God, the explanations about the light and energy we get from it were variants, but we have always known how

Solar Powered Cars

2012-01-12T22:46:00.000-04:00

Solar cells are capable of producing a reasonable amount of electric energy from solar light. This has stimulated the imagination of many creative people around the world. One of the most attractive uses for the photo electricity –electricity produced by light– are the vehicles powered by solar energy. So far, tests on airplanes, boats and cars have been performed with different results. A

Solar Energy

2012-01-02T11:34:00.001-04:00

The solar light is very important for the life on earth. It’s one of the most important world energy resources used by plants and seaweeds to transform the nutrients to grow. The oxygen we breathe is released in the process. The plants absorb water and minerals through the roots that end up in the leaves thanks to a network of small conducts. The leaves absorb Carbon dioxide from the air and,

Energy Transformation

2011-12-26T15:22:00.000-04:00

This is an important concept you must know, it is studied in the firsts courses or High school and University, but still a very hard topic to understand. the hardest course about energy i took was Thermodynamics. Matter and Energy The entire Universe is formed by matter and energy. The matter is relatively easy to distinguish: wood, plastic, water or steal are different examples of

Density Facts

2011-12-22T11:22:00.000-04:00

So in the end, in relation to the floatability of a body the most important thing is not the absolute density, but the relative density of the object and the fluid in which the object is immersed. For example, the wood is a dense object and heavy in the air, but it is not if its in the water, because the density of the water is bigger than the wood’s. This concept is used in many aspects of

Taking Advantage of Density

2011-12-19T15:30:00.003-04:00

As we already know, the floatability of an object depends of the hydrostatic push of the fluid in which it is immersed. Objects which density is lower or equal to the density of the fluid will float. Float in the water Sometimes you would wonder, why all those big ships made of steel can float in the water? Even though the iron and steel are like 8 times denser than water, a boat can

Globes and Zeppelins

2011-12-16T21:26:00.002-04:00

Everything I said about density and hydrostatic push is valid for all fluids, gas and liquid. Therefore it can also be applied to the air. The bodies immersed in air also experiment a push towards up that equals the weight of the displaced volume of air, but this push has a low value for objects with high density, as the human body for example, and its effects are not noticeable. This is not the

Everything Floats

2011-12-14T11:36:00.000-04:00

Today I'm gonna introduce a physical concept that is used a lot in Chemistry. Like some physical properties, this one is hard to explain; I never had a clear concept on college and only understood it correctly in university. Let’s use this example: What weights more, a pound of rocks or a pound of feathers? Both are the same, a pound is a

Material Safety Data Sheet: OSHA Requirements

2011-12-11T09:49:00.001-04:00

The recommended format and the most used is the ANSI MSDS, but the OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) categories are the minimum and the legally enforceable. Most of MSDS are using the ANSI format but if you find an OSHA MSDS these is what you will find in it. Let’s use the MSDS of the ACETONE Section I. Manufacturer's Name and Contact Information General

Material Safety Data Sheet: ANSI Requirements

2011-11-18T07:18:00.001-04:00

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) has a more detailed format for the MSDS, this one is the most common, I found a nice website where you can find pretty much the MSDS of any substance: MSDS DATA BASE Here i'll describe what kind of information you can find in these type of MSDS using the Benzene. Section 1 - Chemical Product and Company Identification This section

Laboratory Reagents: Safety first

2011-11-18T01:30:00.000-04:00

I know that once you are in a Lab, the first thing that comes to your mind is start mixing things and watch chemical reactions; I've been there but trust me, its important to know what type of chemicals you are dealing with in case something goes wrong. Every laboratory must keep the MSDS (Material Safety Data sheet) of every single one of the reagents they use. This sheet has all the

Types of Chemical Reactions

2011-11-17T01:42:00.001-04:00

I’ve been pretty busy these past weeks and I’m sorry for not being able to help everyone who has e-mailed me for help, Don't worry I'll respond to every single one of you. University has taken a lot of time from me, but I'm still alive if anyone was wondering :). Now let’s get back to business, I've had a few questions about the Chemical Reactions, there are many types of reactions but

Periodic Table Review: Los Alamos Laboratory

2011-10-30T23:46:00.001-04:00

This Table is very simple and basic, you can find it in color and Black/White presentations and the best of all, it is in high Resolution so you can print it. To download the printable version click here. Features This is like any basic table but with one more feature: Electronic Configurations Name of Element Symbol Atomic Mass Atomic Number ELECTRONIC CONFIGURATION One thing to

Laboratory Glassware: Erlenmeyer Flasks

2011-10-23T22:41:00.001-04:00

Another common and useful Glassware found on the lab is the Erlenmeyer Flask, why is it called this way?, this is thanks to its creator: Emil Erlenmeyer. Here is a picture of the original drawing made by Emil of his invention. CHARACTERISTICS The shape of this flask is very unique, and easy to distinguish from other glassware, it has a narrow neck and a flat bottom. The lips are rounded

Laboratory Glassware: Beakers

2011-10-16T23:20:00.000-04:00

Let’s start with one of the most common materials found on the Lab, a Beaker. CHARACTERISTICS A beaker is a cylindrical glass container, most have a small spout to help pouring. They can be found in many sizes. The most common have 250 mL. of capacity, and as i said they are made of glass, mostly borosilicate glass (also called Pyrex), this material is very resistant to heat and makes it

Chemistry Laboratory Glassware Material and Equipment

2011-10-15T14:07:00.001-04:00

One of the main reasons I decided to study chemistry was the opportunity to be at a laboratory, experimenting with chemicals. But soon i realized that i wasn't going to do any real science for some months, until i had learnt all the basics for Laboratory Experiments, that is safety rules and everything about the Lab Materials. At first i was disappointed, i hate 100% theory lessons or have to

Fun way to learn the elements of the Periodic Table

2011-10-09T13:38:00.000-04:00

Every kid needs to have a time out from studying, and i encourage you to do so. Check this video I found about Tom Lehrer and his song about the elements. I'm currently memorizing it. For the first time I am enjoying learning all the elements.

Periodic Table Review: Periodni.com

2011-09-25T10:02:00.000-04:00

I’ve been getting a lot of feedback about the Printable Periodic Tables, so I'm going to start talking about the features of each Table and this might help some to decide which is the best for your needs. Today I'm starting with the modified Table from www.periodni.com by Aditya Vardhan. Source: Modified table from http://www.periodni.com by Aditya Vardhan If you want the original visit

Atomic Bonding Types

2011-09-16T19:00:00.000-04:00

Depending on the elements that bind together, there are differences between each atomic bond. Let’s use my rule about atoms wanting to look like noble gases. Source: www.beechmontcrest.com What better way to learn this but with an example: Let’s take the Oxygen, as you see on your Periodic Table, oxygen has 6 electrons on the last Shell (if you don't know where to get this info check the link

Chemical Reactions

2011-09-15T07:30:00.000-04:00

A chemical Reaction can be described as a process where elements or compounds are transformed. Don’t confuse a chemical reaction with a physical reaction, where the only changes that happen are physical. To avoid confusion, some of the main physical properties are Temperature, Aggregation State, Crystalline structure. For example let’s see how Diamonds are formed, for those who don’t know a

Atomic Bonding Introduction

2011-09-13T09:30:00.000-04:00

There are many ways that Atomic Bonds can be described or defined, many scientists use their own comprehension to define on their own way the Atomic Bonds. There are many types of Atomic Bonds, depending on which atoms are bonded together and under what circumstances. The concept of Chemical Reaction states that an Reaction is considered chemical when 1 or more bonds are formed or broken,

Cooking? Think you should know this

2011-09-01T05:26:00.000-04:00

Every cook in the world is making science, mixing compounds, taking substances to a state where its properties modify. Pic Source: http://oodlelinks.com/Cooking.php Even in the simplest task at home we are doing a little bit of science, when we are making Coffee, for example before going out to work. We are using an extraction method where Hot water extracts compounds from a solid mixture.

Petroleum Industry

2011-08-28T19:10:00.003-04:00

Petroleum Industry started around 1950, with the first exploration and extraction of this natural resource. The whole Petroleum industry can be described in 3 streams or parts. The Upstream that refers to the exploration and discovery of Petroleum and Gas Sources. The Midstream that refers to the small portion of the industry that takes care of the handling, storing and transportation of

Acids Nomenclature

2011-08-23T22:49:00.001-04:00

Let’s deal with these compounds now, many must have heard about acids at some point, on a movie, or in jokes; but everything points to their destructive capability. The following acids are Oxacids, as they have oxygen in their structure; there is another kind of acids, the hydroacids that only have the Non-Metal and the Hydrogen. Acids are formed when Non-Metal Oxides (also known as Anhydrides)

Metal and Non Metal Valences Page

2011-08-19T09:34:00.000-04:00

A very important part of learning the basics of Inorganic Nomenclature is learn the valences properly, but this is a slow process so it doesn't matter if you don't know them by memory the first week. So for those needing that little extra help when doing their Nomenclature Exercises here i have a table with the most common elements and their valences, Enjoy. Metal and Non-Metal Valences