Vincent Summers, Author at Quirky Science

22Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Better Living through Chemistry? Organophosphates

[caption id="attachment_24277" align="alignright" width="590"] Organic chemistry: esterification of carboxylic acids.[/caption] As the world became more sophisticated, a philosophy sprouted declaring the problems plaguing mankind would one day be resolved via education. A popular slogan developed by one manufacturing giant suggested their products could assist one to better living through chemistry. But what of organophosphates – potentially dangerous pesticides? Better Living through Chemistry In some ways, the world is a better place due to the aid of chemists. Perhaps, though, the opposite could be said with equal fervor. Chemistry has also degraded quality of life in some respects. You don’t have to think long to find an illustration of this – consider the use of phosgene and mustard gas during times of war. In peaceful times as well, chemists unwittingly caused…

22Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Bricks and Rocket Stoves Made From Clay, Dung and Straw

Education, People

[caption id="attachment_24263" align="alignright" width="480"] This is a six-brick "rocket" stove before being plastered with clay. Image USAID[/caption] In relatively prosperous lands, buildings are constructed of such materials as concrete, steel, and wood. In many lands, however, such materials are out of reach. Less expensive materials must be used, especially for housing. Brick masonry is a logical choice. In the arts, dung may be added to clay without the straw in the manufacture of pottery. What’s the chemical background of this technique? Bricks: Early Origins Baked bricks were used even in early Bible accounts. Genesis 11:3 quotes individuals crossing the valley plain of Shinar: “And they began to say, each one to the other: “Come on! Let us make bricks and bake them with a burning process.” So brick served as…

22Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers No Comments

The Main Component of Super Hot Peppers is Related to Vanilla

Chemistry, Food

[caption id="attachment_24231" align="alignright" width="480"] Not hot enough for some people...[/caption] Spicy hot peppers can provide culinary delight, or gastronomical torture for those with sensitive stomachs. So what is it – from a chemistry perspective – that makes those hot peppers so hot? Hot Peppers Contain Capsaicin For simplicity’s sake, we’ll limit the scope of this article to a single hot pepper constituent: capsaicin (IUPAC chemical name, (E)-N-[(4-Hydroxy-3-methoxyphenyl)methyl]-8-methylnon-6-enamide). Scientists assign capsaicin in pure form a Scoville heat value of 16,000,000. The Scoville value is subjective. Raters determine heat by means of tasting increasing dilution of pepper solutions. The jalapeño pepper, for example, possesses a Scoville rating of up to 4,000, while a habanero pepper rates at about a 250,000 on the scale. [caption id="attachment_24242" align="alignleft" width="280"] The relatively mild jalapeño pepper.[/caption]…

21Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers 4 Comments

FBI “Sheiks” Visit a Virginia Superfund Cleanup Site

Chemistry, History

[caption id="attachment_24210" align="alignright" width="480"] Former Office Building at the Superfund Site[/caption] The best known superfund1 cleanup site has to be the Love Canal, named for William T. Love. It is located in northwestern New York State. Originally envisioned as a community, this 70-acre tract later became a dumpsite for the Hooker Chemical Company. At the end of its use in the early 1950s, the waste site was sold for the sum of $1 to the Niagara Falls School Board, for the purpose of constructing a new school. Built into the sale was a far-reaching disclaimer to avoid legal action against Hooker. The end result was the conceiving of a community riddled with miscarriages, chromosomal damage, birth defects, and leukemia. Media-driven notoriety peaked during the late 1970s. American Cyanamid Superfund Site…

21Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Mono- Di- and Polysaccharides: Starches Sugars Cellulose

Biology, Chemistry

[caption id="attachment_24172" align="alignright" width="480"] This Giant Sequoia stands tall thanks to Cellulose. – Image by Tripastute[/caption] Carbon appears to be unique in its immense chemical diversity. So much so, that an entire branch is devoted to its chemical behavior – organic chemistry. Yet, the name given to this branch of chemistry indicates something of more importance than its being just another branch among many. Organic chemistry began as the chemistry of living things, the chemistry of all things organic. There are literally millions of carbon compounds incorporated into organic chemistry. The group we will consider here is the saccharides. Some among these consist of multiple saccharide units joined together. Hence, they are termed polysaccharides. What is a Saccharide? The word “saccharide” is derived from the Latin sacchararum, “meaning full of…

21Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Can Stagnant Leaf Infusions Decrease Mosquitoes Near Your Home?

Chemistry, Nature

[caption id="attachment_24149" align="alignright" width="480"] Can you reduce the number of mosquitos breeding near your home?[/caption] During mosquito season, most people are aware of the need to eliminate standing water near their habitation, in order to minimize, if not eliminate their number one pest, the seemingly omnipresent, buzzing mosquito. Eliminating standing water is necessary, but moving water is not much of a problem. Movement disrupts the still air-to-water interface needed in order for mosquito larvae to breathe. Mosquitoes thus favor still, even stagnant water, to deposit their eggs. You can standing water in bird baths, gutters, barrels, still pools, depressions, flower pots, and a host of other places. Eliminating standing water greatly diminishes local mosquito populations. Simple drainage works, or you could add a thin film of oil. But then, mosquito…

20Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers No Comments

The Conversion of Cane Juice to Sugar: a Chemical or Physical Change?

Chemistry, Food

[caption id="attachment_24130" align="alignright" width="480"] Harvested sugarcane.[/caption] One of our readers asks, “So, is the crystallization process of cane juice to raw sugar considered a chemical change or a physical change? Why one or the other?” Let’s discuss, starting with an explanation of what constitutes a chemical change. What is a Chemical Change? A chemical compound consists of atoms bonded together in specific fashion to form molecules. When you modify the combination of atoms, you’ve achieved a chemical change. For instance, combine sodium hydroxide with hydrochloric acid, and the result is sodium chloride (table salt) and water, according to the reaction: NaOH + HCl → NaCl + H₂O This example clearly represents a chemical change. Salt (NaCl) is edible, sodium hydroxide or lye (NaOH) is not. Water (H₂O) is safe for…

20Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Clouds from Space: Noctilucent AKA Polar Mesospheric Clouds

Astronomy, Meteorology

[caption id="attachment_24116" align="alignright" width="480"] An International Space Station image of noctilucent clouds. Image by ISS/NASA[/caption] A cloud is a visible collection of condensed water vapor or ice crystals located within the atmosphere. Clouds form only when there is sufficient humidity to form droplets or crystals upon a suitable quantity of microscopic particles (called an aerosol). Particle types include sand, pollen, spores, smoke, exhaust pollutants, and sea salt. But the formation of so-called “night shining” or ‘noctilucent’ clouds (NLCs) requires something special. Noctilucent clouds are sometimes (especially in scientific circles) called polar mesospheric clouds (PMCs) – their appearance is striking. Their altitude is remarkable. They reside an amazing 50 miles above Earth’s surface. By comparison, cumulonimbus (storm) clouds reach elevations of only approximately 15 miles, and cumulus (fair weather) clouds are…

20Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Electroforming Copper Feedhorns Using Aluminum Mandrels

Chemistry, Technology

[caption id="attachment_24084" align="alignright" width="480"] Copper electroforming bath, with growing electroforms and bagged anodes. Pump and continuous bath filtration are essential, though they are not shown for clarity.[/caption] The electroplating laboratory technician may be asked to grow a metal object from scratch, rather than merely plate an existing part. The result, before final external machining, is called an electroform. Electroforming involves much more than merely plating a long time. Critical issues need to be addressed to ensure success. While electroforming involves science, it is truly an art. Definitions and Basics [caption id="attachment_24085" align="alignleft" width="300"] A microwave feedhorn is similar to an old-fashioned ear trumpet. Image National Archives.[/caption] Microwaves are electromagnetic waves with a wavelength in the range of 0.001–0.3 meters. When creating a microwave feedhorn via electroforming, the scientist will grow…

20Apr 2019 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Diamondoids: Adamantane, Diamantane and Triamantane Practical Uses?

Chemistry, Technology

Carbon readily bonds to itself. This unusual characteristic allows the existence of a whole host of hydrocarbons, some of which assume amazing geometric shapes. Cyclopropane (C3H6) looks like an equilateral triangle. Cubane (C8H4) is a cube. In recent years, Bucky balls, graphene sheets and nanotubes have become household topics. Diamondoids Diamondoids are compounds of hydrogen and carbon consisting of cage-like structures that resemble the diamond lattice. Carbon-carbon bond lengths are 1.54 Ångstrom units (1 Å = 10-8 centimeters) in length both for diamond and for diamantane. But the structures themselves are difficult to compare. Please take some time to ponder the unit cell image for diamond and the chemical structures of the first three diamondoids of the series, adamantane (C10H16), diamantane (C14H20), and triamantane (C18H24). Diamondoid to Diamond? Diamond is…