Rachel+B


 * WIKI - ASSIGNMENT #1 --> **
 * TED Talk **
 * [|****Stroke of Insight****] ** 


 * ​** ** I chose this talk because it connects science to the everyday life of every single human being. One can present to an audience about how he or she spent 20 years researching a cure for a disease that affects .000001% of the human race; and for that .000001%, this is an absolute milestone, to say the least. However, if someone talks about how her experience provides insight into life for 100% of the human race, then everyone on this planet can utilize it. I also chose this talk because I have a strong interest in medicine. In this particular talk, Jill Bolte Taylor provided information on the right and left brains, their anatomy, and their "personalities". Since the brain is vital to life, I thought this would be very informative and something I could learn a lot about. **


 * In this talk, Jill Bolte Taylor discusses the anatomy of the brain, her job and life experiences with it, and how a very unfortunate event turned out to be life altering in a positive way. Jill first became interested with the brain and its function through her brother who had schizophrenia. She researched through the Harvard Department of Psychiatry how the normal brain functions differently than the brain ailed by a mental illness. She talked about how the right brain functions through the present and the left brain, with the past and future. On December 10, 1996, however, everything changed. She had a hemorrhage in her left brain and described all of her ungraspable surroundings. She lost almost all bodily function. Somehow, she managed to call a coworker for help; but, while at the hospital, she felt herself surrender to life. Jill remember being surprised that she was still alive and thinking about how amazing it was that she was able to study the brain from the inside out. Jill Bolte Taylor discovered a life lesson. We are able to choose whether we live in the right or left brain, and when. She believes that this awareness allows us to project peace into the world. **


 * I found this talk educational, inspirational, and moving. I learned about the anatomy of the brain, the difference between the right and left hemispheres, about hemorrhaging in the brain and its affect on function, and about how I decide which consciousness I am a part of. It allowed me to go deeper than right or left but into present or past and future. **


 * WIKI-ASSIGNMENT #2 --> **
 * Ideal Gases in the Real World **
 * [|****Mr. Brombach's Demonstrations****] **


 * In this video, Mr. Brombach (a Chemistry teacher) demonstrates 3 different gas laws: Charles', Boyle's, and Gay-Lussac's Laws. **
 * 1. Charles' Law states that as the volume of a gas increases, the temperature of the gas increases and vice versa. Mr. Brombach used two equally sized balloons to show this. He placed one in ice water, the other in hot water, and covered them for an amount of time. He removed the cover to show that the balloon in the cold water had gotten smaller and the balloon in the hot water had gotten bigger. This was because as the temperature increased, the volume increased and when the temperature decreased, the volume decreased. To relate it to KMT, the particles are constantly moving in the container and creating pressure. When the average kinetic energy decreases, the particles move slower and so less pressure is exerted. When the average kinetic energy increases, the particles move faster and so more pressure is exerted. **
 * 2. Boyle’s Law states that as the volume of a gas increases, the pressure of the gas decreases and vice versa. Mr. Bromach talked about divers and how as they descend into the water, the pressure increases and the volume of the lungs decreases. In the same way, when they ascend, the pressure decreases and the volume of the lungs increases. This is why divers cannot ascend too quickly. To relate it to KMT, when particles collide with the walls of the container, pressure is created. When the volume of the container is increased, the pressure decreases because there are fewer collisions. When the volume of the container is decreased, the pressure increases because there are more collisions. **
 * 3. Gay-Lussac’s Law states that as the temperature of a gas increases, the pressure of the gas increases. Mr. Brombach put a small amount of water into an empty pop can. He boiled the water so that vapor exited the can. When that happened, he immediately placed the can into cold water. The can was immediately sucked in and crushed. This is because as the temperature decreased, the pressure decreased and was less than the pressure exerted from the outside and so it was crushed inward. To relate it to KMT, the kinetic energy is directly proportional to the temperature and so when the temperature decreases, the kinetic energy decreases, and the pressure decreases. When the pressure decreases, the volume decreases and the can condenses. **


 * WIKI - ASSIGNMENT #3 --> **
 * A Global Warming? **


 * The greenhouse effect is the warming of the temperature of the Earth due to certain gasses trapping energy. When the sun emits energy in the form of light, it passes through the atmosphere and most is absorbed by the surface. Some, however, is reflected off of the surface and passes through gasses. Gasses like oxygen and nitrogen only have two atoms and so they can only expand and contract which allows the light to pass back into the atmosphere. Gasses like methane, nitrous oxide, and carbon dioxide have three or more atoms and can vibrate in many different directions. When the frequency of that vibration matches the frequency of the radiant energy, the energy is trapped, re-emitted, and warms the surface and lowers the atmosphere. **


 * Statements: **
 * · “Arctic ice is rapidly disappearing, and the region may have its first completely ice-free summer by 2040 or earlier.” **
 * · “Humans are causing global warming, and the effects are devastating.” **
 * · “Sea levels will rise by 20 feet if either the Greenland or West Antarctic Ice Sheets completely melt - 40 feet if both melt.” **
 * · “… Melting ice will cause polar bears and other species to lose their icy habitat and eventually become extinct.” **

[|****http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/05/060524-global-warming_2.html****]

[|****http://www.askaboutireland.ie/narrative-notes/al-gores-inconvenient-tru/index.xml****]

[|****http://www.acoolerclimate.com/10-global-warming-fast-facts-that-will-blow-your-mind.html****]


 * WIKI - ASSIGNMENT #4 --> **
 * Wonderful Water **


 * 1. __specific heat__: amount of energy needed to raise the temperature of 1 gram of a substance by 1 °C **
 * ® 4.1813 J/g·K (liquid) **
 * ® unusually high **
 * 2. __pH__: a determined scale that measures the acidity or alkalinity of a substance (0-7 = acid) (7 = neutral) (7-14 = base) **
 * ® 7 – neither an acid nor a base **
 * ® unusually neutral **
 * 3. __conduction__: energy transfer from one atom to another atom **
 * ® In its liquid state, water has the ability to conduct heat more easily than any other liquid (except mercury). **
 * ® unusually high **
 * 4. __surface tension__: the tension of the surface of a liquid **
 * ® 72.8 mN/m (at room temperature) **
 * ® unusually high **
 * 5. __classical states of matter__: solid, liquid, gas, plasma; distinct forms that different phases of matter take on **
 * ® solid, liquid gas **
 * ® Water is the only substance on Earth that exists in all three classical states of matter. **

[|**http://www.physicalgeography.net/fundamentals/8a.html**]

[|****http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Properties_of_water****]

[|****][]

[|****http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/State_of_matter****]


 * WIKI - ASSIGNMENT #5 --> **
 * Investigating Solubility and Immiscibility **


 * __ OIL SPILLS: __**
 * To clean up an oil spill and stop the spread, workers can: **
 * 1) place a boom (oil collector) around the tanker spilling oil to stop the spread **
 * 2) use a skimmer (boats) to remove the oil off of the water **
 * 3) use sorbents (sponges that collect oil) **
 * 4) use chemicals dropped by airplanes **
 * 5) burn the oil with fireproof booms to contain oil **
 * All of these techniques clean or prevent the spread of oil that can destroy ocean life and ruin shorelines. **


 * __ SOLUBILITY VS RATE OF DISSOLUTION: __**


 * solubility: the property of a liquid, solid, or gas solute to dissolve in a solvent to form a solution **
 * rate of dissolution: the speed at which a substance dissolves; the rate of the process of attraction and association of molecules of a solvent with molecules of a solute. **

· INCREASED RATE OF DISSOLUTION · INCREASED SOLUBILITY FOR SOLIDS AND GASSES · DECREASED SOLUBILITY FOR LIQUIDS STIRRING --> · INCREASED RATE OF DISSOLUTION · NO EFFECT ON SOLUBILITY INCREASED SURFACE AREA --> · INCREASED RATE OF DISSOLUTION · NO EFFECT ON SOLUBILITY
 * INCREASED TEMPERATURE --> **

[|**http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solubility#Rate_of_dissolution**]

[|**http://www.elmhurst.edu/~chm/vchembook/174temppres.html**]

[|**http://www.woodrow.org/teachers/ci/1986/exp15.html**]

Reaction Rates
 * WIKI-ASSIGNMENT #6 --> **

__CONCENTRATION:__

[|http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-3498058716653417038#]

In this video, students used zinc squares and varying concentrations of hydrochloric acid. First, they showed it in a concentration of 0.1 M. Not much occurred and the results were barely visible. Then, they dropped a zinc square in a concentration of 1 M. Bubble slowly formed. The reaction was faster than the previous concentration though still slow. The next tested concentration was 3 M. Bubbles more visibly formed quickly and the reaction time was even faster. Lastly, they tested a concentration of 6 M. The reaction was rapid, violent, and very visible. The vapor was even noticeable.

The time needed for a reaction to occur decreases with an increase in concentration. This is because as the concentration increases, so do the number of particles in the reaction. With more particles, there are more collisions occurring and therefore a faster reaction which leads to a faster reaction rate.

__TEMPERATURE:__

__[]__

In this video, students used zinc and hydrochloric acid to test the effect of temperature on reaction rates. There were three temperatures of the acid. One test tube was place in an ice bath, one in room temperature air, and the third in hot water. The zinc was place in the acid and vapor was collected. It was obvious that the hot bath produced the fastest reaction. To test this, a burning splint was placed above the test tube. The coldest acid had the loudest pop. This is because the hydrogen gas was released more slowly since the reaction occurred slower. The hot water bath produced a quiet pop because the reaction happened so quickly that many of the hydrogen gas molecules were able to escape/

The time needed for a reaction to occur decreases with an increase in temperature. This is because as the temperature increases, the kinetic energy of the molecules increases. This gives the particles more energy to break the bonds needed for a reaction to occur which increases the speed of the reaction.

__CATALYST:__

[]

In this video, the chemist adds magnesium (IV) oxide to hydrogen peroxide. The reaction is almost instant and is very aggressive. The reason this happens so quickly is because the hydrogen peroxide acts as a catalysts in the presence of the magnesium oxide. The reaction is more rapid because the catalyst lowered the activation energy making it easier for the molecules to break the necessary bonds. The time needed for a reaction to occur decreases with the addition of a catalyst.

__SURFACE AREA:__

[]

In this video, the chemist disperses lycopodium into the air. The candle became much more violent and aggressive. This is because the surface area to volume ratio of the lycopodium increased. The particles were spread over a larger area and so more collisions were able to occur in that area which caused the increase in the flame. The time needed for a reaction to occur decreases with an increase in surface area.

Chemical Equilibrium
 * WIKI-ASSIGNMENT #7 --> **

Chemical equilibrium can be defined as the exact balance of two processes, one which is the opposite of the other. An example of an equilibrium system is the traffic on a bridge. The two processes are the cars entering the bridge and the cars exiting the bridge. It is balanced because there is the same number of cars entering and exiting the bridge. The number of cars on the bridge is always constant. It is much like in a chemical system in that the cars are constantly in motion, however the balance is constant.


 * WIKI-ASSIGNMENT #8 --> **
 * Chemical Equilibrium 2 **

HOMOGENEOUS  3. à 2NBr3(g) ⇌ N2(g) + 3Br2(g) … K = [Br2]3[N2] ÷ [NBr3]2 HETEROGENEOUS à CaCO3(s) ⇌ CaO(s) + CO2(g) … K = [CO2]
 * 1. ** Once a chemical system has reached equilibrium, the concentrations of all reactants and products remain constant with time. This is because the forward and reverse reaction rates are equal. You are not adding more product or reactant to change the concentration. The system is simply at chemical equilibrium, a dynamic state where the concentrations of all reactants and products remain constant. This constancy of concentration does not contradict our picture of equilibrium as being dynamic because the forward and reverse reactions are still occurring, just at the same rate. That causes the system to have no net change in concentration or visible change!
 * 2. ** The equilibrium expression for a reaction always starts with a balanced chemical equation. It is a ratio of the concentrations of the products to the concentrations of the reactants at equilibrium.
 * a. ** aA + bB ⇌ cC + dD
 * b. ** K = [C]c[D]d ÷ [A]a[B]b
 * c. ** The capital letters represent the substances and the lowercase letters represent the coefficients of the substances. The brackets represent the concentrations of the respective substances.
 * d. ** 2NO2(g) ⇌ N2O4(g) … K = [N2O4] ÷ [NO2]2
 * e. ** H2(g) + F2(g) ⇌ 2HF(g) … K = [HF]2 ÷ [H2][F2]
 * f. ** N2(g) + 3H2(g) ⇌ 2NH3(g) … K = [NH3]2 ÷ [N2][H2]3


 * WIKI-ASSIGNMENT #9 --> **
 * Concentrated vs. Dilute & Strong vs. Weak **

A ** concentrated solution ** is one that has many moles of solute dissolved per liter.

A ** dilute solution ** is one that has few moles of solute dissolved per liter.

A ** strong acid ** solution is one that completely reacts with water. All of the acid dissociates into ions. EX: HA + H2O à H3O+ + A-. The conjugate base is very weak and unwilling to accept the proton back and so the forward reaction will dominate.

A ** weak acid ** solution is one that barely reacts with water. Very little of the acid will dissociate and has a strong conjugate base. This means that the conjugate base is very willing to accept the proton back and so the reverse reaction will dominate.

SEE BELOW FOR REPRESENTATION!!!

**CARBOHYDRATES -->** Carbohydrates are organic compounds composed of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms. They are the most common source of energy in living organisms. Bread and pasta are good sources of carbohydrates. **PROTEINS -->** Proteins are organic compounds made mainly of carbon and hydrogen atoms, but also contain oxygen and nitrogen atoms. They are enzymatic catalysts, transport molecules, store molecules, are a major component of muscles, and are needed for mechanical support and immune protection. Dairy, like milk, cheese, and eggs, are all good sources of complete proteins. **LIPIDS -->** Lipids are organic compounds can be composed of either a type of alcohol with a hydroxyl group on each of its three carbons or three fatty acids joined by synthesis. They perform essential bodily functions like storing energy and forming the membrane of cells. Fats, waxes, and oils are all lipids. **NUCLEIC ACIDS -->** Nucleic acids consist of three components, “ a nitrogenous heterocyclic base, which is either a purine or a pyrimidine; a pentose sugar; and a phosphate group.” ([]) They carry genetic information and form structures within cells. DNA and RNA are both nucleic acids.
 * WIKI-ASSIGNMENT #10 --> **
 * Biomolecules **