25Sep 2013 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

On the Nature of Azeotropes

Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_4850" align="alignright" width="440"] Russian Vodka Still[/caption] Definition: azeotropes are a specific mixture of compounds that boil together as if they were a single substance, at constant temperature. Individual Boiling Points In most instances, liquids boil as pure substances at a specific temperature. It is this property that allows boiling (as a physical property) to be used as a means of separation. For instance, an ester may be produced by reacting an organic acid and an alcohol. The resultant ester may usually be separated by boiling from excess alcohol or excess acid. Yet, Occasionally In some instances, however, as for example in the case of ethyl alcohol and water, there may be a mixture that distills over, instead of a pure substance. Thus a “mixture” of approximately 95.6% alcohol and…
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13Sep 2013 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Novel Wastewater Treatment – Reducing Nitrogen and Phosphorus

Biology, Chemistry
[caption id="attachment_19184" align="alignright" width="480"] Wastewater Treatment Plant[/caption] The University of Kansas, in conjunction with the City of Lawrence, Kansas, has been investigating a fascinating approach to reducing nitrogen and phosphorus from wastewater. It’s a process, really, that occurs in nature, with a minimum of artificial intervention. Simply put: still water containing an abundance of “nutrients” tends to produce a proliferation of green algae. A Most Interesting Approach Why not take advantage of that fact? And so, they have. In their September 2013 Issue, Treatment Plant Operator (TPO) magazine included a well-written piece by author Doug Day that greatly intrigued me. Not long ago, I was employed as a Wastewater Operator, Level III at the local Nelson County, Virginia treatment plant. I am a retired chemist. I had rejected a career…
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09Sep 2013 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Exquisite Russian Composer Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov

The Arts
[caption id="attachment_4660" align="alignright" width="380"] Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov[/caption] Do you enjoy classical music that is not overly dry and formulaic? Then surely you love Vasily Sergeyevich Kalinnikov (Васи́лий Серге́евич Кали́нников). What—you’ve never heard of him? Guess what? Neither had I, though I had enjoyed his music very much. I first heard it in, of all strange places, the computer game Sherlock Holmes – Nemesis. From Fantasy to Reality Strip the man of his dress suit and put an earring in his ear and you might mistake him for a 21st century punk artist. Though most of us never heard of him, he was favored by his peers, which included Tchaikovsky and Rachmaninoff. Kalinnikov had unlikely origins, yet by the age of 14 he was firmly entrenched in his musical career. Tragically,…
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26Aug 2013 by Vincent Summers No Comments

More About Paradoxes – Ellen Hetland Fenwick w. Benjamin Curtin

Logic
Paradoxes: The Box Problem: Remember the puzzle I posted a short time ago? I state it again... The boxes below contain the BOX numbers of five boxes: BOX 0 contains all BOX numbers that do not contain their own BOX numbers. Here are two questions: Should 0 be in Box 0? Should 0 not be in Box 0? The answers to the questions are as follows: If 0 is in Box 0, it should not be. If 0 is not in Box 0, it should be. This is an example of paradoxes. Here are some others. Paradoxes: The Barber Problem The barber shaves all those who do not shave themselves. Who shaves the barber? Answer: if he shaves himself he should not; if he does not shave himself he should.…
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23Aug 2013 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Micrathena Spider In Your Face

Biology
[caption id="attachment_4583" align="alignright" width="440"] Micrathena sagittata[/caption] To me, the best thing about August is that September is near. One thing I particularly hate about August is when I walk smack-dab into a spider web. Now Micrathena isn’t your ordinary-looking spider. It’s this incredibly ugly, spiky, humpbacked thing that scares the living daylights out of you. I call it (and at one time believed all called it) the Pyramid spider. Gradually for the rest of the year, I begin to forget the existence of this most cursed of spiders. Then, just when I least expect it... Micrathena Ninja When you bump into it, or rather into its web, you may suddenly become the neighborhood karate expert, chopping the air and spinning and crying out—AYAHH! Personally, I dance when I am smacked…
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16Aug 2013 by Vincent Summers 7 Comments

The Brown Widow Spider

Biology, Health
[caption id="attachment_8515" align="alignleft" width="440"] Brown widow spider image by Matthew Field, GNU Free Documentation License 1.2[/caption] The brown widow spider? When we think of widows and spiders together, we think of the black widow spider, no? In reality, there are not one, but three slightly different versions of the black widow. There are the northern black widow, the southern black widow, and the western black widow spiders. Easily identified by its disproportionately fat, round, shiny black body emblazoned with a red hourglass, the black widow is dangerous to the old and to the young. The bite of the black widow elicits a variety of symptoms. These may include localized pain, cramping, nausea, a rise in blood pressure, and respiratory problems. For further details, see emedicinehealth. It's Not a One-Act Show…
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14Aug 2013 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Mineral Acids – Common Oxy Acid Terminology

Chemistry
As a youngster, I decided to become a chemist when I grew up. And that is how it turned out. To become acquainted with my chosen profession, I had to learn its naming systems or nomenclature. This included the naming of common mineral acids. So called mineral acids contain hydrogen, at least one additional element (often from the right hand side of the periodic table), and varying amounts of oxygen. Mineral Acids with No Oxygen If no oxygen is present, the acid name usually employs the prefix hydro– and the suffix –ic. Thus HCl is named hydrochloric acid.¹ HBr is hydrobromic acid. Some other examples include hydrogen sulfide (H₂S), hydrogen iodide (HI), and hydrogen telluride (H₂Te). A little confusion arises when the element has a valence greater than -2, as…
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09Aug 2013 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Watch Out! The Brown Recluse Spider

Biology, Medicine
The brown recluse spider (Loxosceles reclusa) is small and deadly. Sometimes called the brown spider, the brown recluse is usually found out of doors in dark places. It sometimes finds its way indoors. When that is so, it hides in closets, folded clothing, shoes, and indeed, any dark place it finds. It may even hid behind the back board of a bed! Although not aggressive by nature, if pressed against human skin, it will bite. This tiny spider produces a bite that at first may appear as a red target shape circle that changes color, eventually killing skin tissue. It may progress to produce massive organ failure, even death. Brown recluse venom includes sphingomyelinase-D. There is a treatment procedure that many animal lovers will find saddening. Brown Recluse Spider Bites…
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29Jul 2013 by Vincent Summers 9 Comments

Wilted Cherry Leaves Kill

animals
It is widely known that, to cows, wilted cherry leaves are deadly poisonous. Every cattle farmer is well acquainted with this fact. Yet, I, as a chemist, for years have wondered why. Surely it has to be a matter of chemistry, I realized. Indeed, that is the case. Cherry Fruits Wild cherries are bitter, but to the aficionado (and I am one), the tiny fruits called wild cherries, are quite delicious, especially when made into the intensely-flavored wild cherry jelly. Curiously, these fruits contain substances that could be quite dangerous, except for the lack of substances called enzymes that would convert them into poisons. One of those chemicals is amygdalin, seen in the image below. Note—in the upper right-hand corner of the molecule—are two atoms. One of the atoms is…
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