Week 6

1. The Alkali Metal I chose is Sodium, Na. The atomic number of sodium is 11. Sodium is in most foods naturally, added to many foods and is important for human body functions. Table salt which is sodium chloride is the most common form of sodium. Sodium accounts for 40% of table salt. Milk, beets, celery and drinking water all naturally contain sodium, but the amounts vary depending on the source. Some examples of foods and food products that sodium is added to are meats, canned vegetables, soy sauce, baking soda and garlic salt. Fast foods are very high in sodium. Sodium helps the body to control blood pressure and blood volume. It is also important to help peoples muscles and nerves work properly. We do want sodium in our diets but we need to be careful not to have too much. Too high of a sodium diet can lead to high blood pressure.

2. For Avogadro's Hypothesis the website was not working for me answer the questions. But I would like to comment on his interpretation of what a hypothesis is. He says that a hypothesis is "tentative explanation for observed events". He also said hypothesis' can be modified. From when I was in school this is not how we used hypothesis'. In what I was taught an hypothesis is a prediction of an experiment, before the experiment is done. After the experiments is done and you have the results you show if the hypothesis was supported or incorrect. But hypothesis is never changed.

3. I think molecular medicine is a very relevent topic right now. I can see the pros and cons on both sides. What is evident to me is that the people working on this medicine do have good intentions and are trying help people. Who knows some type of molecular medicine could be the key to curing cancer. It is hard to say that it should not be done. But we never know the consequences that could take place. We do not know what the long term effects of putting tiny motors in human cells or inhaling drugs into our lungs.

Chemistry Week 5

1. Neon is one of the chemical elements on the periodic table in the group of the noble gases. It's symbol is Ne and has an atomic number of 10. Neon is known for its bright red emission spectrum. It has two thirds the density of air and is odorless. Although neon  is very common in the universe and solar system it is very rare on earth. It is scare on Earth because it does not form any compounds that fix it to solids.

2. Looking at the foods in my kitchen, I could do better with my color. But I have improved a lot in the past couple years. I was able to find every color except for indigo in my kitchen. From the reading it showed greens are very important and essential for our bodies. Although, I already knew this. I think I could improve with adding more greens to my diet. I tend to have more fruits then veggies. So I think I need to improve on my veggies as well. Most of my items were organic as well. 

3. This was my favorite class in Chemistry so far. I love when any class has the topic of nutrition and I can learn new ways to improve my diet. The article on the full spectrum diet was my favorite and I learned a lot from it. I also took a look at some of food options it gave with certain colors when I went grocery shopping the next day. I enjoyed the discussions we had about organic food and how we in California have a lot better access to things like farmers markets. Conversations like this help me to become more aware. 

Chemistry Week 4

1. The catalyst element of the week that I chose was Pallidium. It's chemical symbol is Pd and it has an atomic number of 46. It is a very rare lustrous silvery-white metal that can resemble platinum. It is hard to get. Pallidium falls in the groups of the platinum group metals. Pallidium has the lowest melting point in this group and is the least dense. Over half of the supply of pallidium goes into catalytic converters, which are converted to up to 90% of harmful gases from auto exhaust into less harmful substances. Pallidium is also used in electronics, dentistry, medicine, hydrogen purification, chemical applications, groundwater treatment and jewelry. Pallidium combined with hydrogen and oxygen produce electricity, heat and water.


What is my opinion on Green Chemistry as a Social Movement?

I like the idea of going green as a social movement in general. It is good that more and more of a big deal is being made out of it. People are becoming more aware of the environment. I think that it is only a normal transition that going green will be pouring over into different industries, one being chemistry. I do like the idea behind it and I think that the people trying to do it have very good intentions and I respect that! But as we talked in class there could be some consequences with these kind of changes. There will be a lot of trial and air. There is no way to make such big changes like this without having some errors along the way. For me I like the idea of green chemistry and I hope that it has good results in the future.