Week 7

1. The semiconductor that I chose is Silicon. Silicon has an atomic number of 14. 25.7% of the earth's crust is made of silicon. It is the second most abundant element on earth, oxygen being the first most abundant. Silicon is also present in the sun and starts . Silicon can be found largely as silicon oxide and in things such as quartz, agate, jasper and opal. It also can be found in minerals such as asbestos, clay and mica. Silicon is important for plant and animal life. Silicon can be found in steel.

2. I think that alchemy can fall under science, magic and art. When looking up the definition of alchemy the word magical was used saying, "any magical process of transmuting a common substance". Alchemy should be considered a type of science too. Alchemy can before chemistry and medicine and was big help in those fields developing. It also takes a lot of science to be able to transform substances. I see how people can see alchemy as art also. Transforming substances into other things can be considered an art to people.

3. I thought this weeks topic was very interesting. I did not know what alchemy was before. It is nice to learn where some of the roots of medicine and chemistry come from. I would like to hear a little more about alchemy in our Western society. But it seems that most of the time people are more into hearing hard scientific fact.

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.

Chemistry week 3

1. The Transitional Metal I chose is Chromium. It's symbol is Cr and it's atomic number is 24. So it has 24 electron and 24 protons. It's atomic mass is 52. So it has 28 protons. It is a very shinny grey, brittle metal with a high melting point. The electric configuration for chromium is 4S1, 3D5. Chromium oxide was first used in the Qin Dynasty to coat weapons for war. Nearly all chromium is extracted from chromite. Chromium is known for it's strong magnetic properties. Chromium compounds are found in the environment and it is the 22nd most abundant element.

2. Neptune's Medicine Chest
I really liked the article on Bill Fenical and thought it sounded like it could have a lot of promise. The ocean takes up a much bigger portion of the world then land does. So I think it we should definitely be looking for organisms to research in the ocean. The ocean has a lot of mystery to it, so we should see what it has to offer. It also seems like Fenical has already has some success, which shows the ocean does have things to offer. I also like Fenical determination and how he is training so many people. When he is gone it looks like his work will be continued.

3. I read the article "Avoiding Waste: Atom Economy". It was a little hard to understand but the basic concept was that green chemistry wants to reduce the amount of pollution created in chemical processes. Then it explained about an equation called the atom economy which is a ratio that lets us know the percent of the reactant's atom that goes into the desired product. That is a little over my head but I always like to hear about people making effort to go more green. I think trying to go more green in Chemistry is a good idea since a lot of chemicals can be let off during reactions.

Chemistry Week 2

1. I chose the element Magnesium, Mg. It's atomic number is 12. So it has 12 protons and 12 electrons. Its atomic mass is 24, so it has 12 protons. Magnesium is naturally present in our body, in foods, added to foods and in some medicines. It is a cofactor in over 300 enzyme systems and involved in many chemical reactions in the body. Studies show that the average person does not ingest enough calcium daily. Magnesium can be found in many foods. There are also many supplements out there with magnesium in them. Studies showed that people that take Mg supplements suffer less from Mg deficiency then people who do not take them. The groups most at risk for suffering from Mg deficiency are people with gastrointestinal diseases, people with type II diabetes, people who abuse alcohol and older adults. I copies and pasted the link below where I got this info if anyone wants to look at it.

http://ods.od.nih.gov/factsheets/Magnesium-HealthProfessional/


2. I liked the lecture and learning further about elements and the periodic table. I was disturbed by some of the articles we read though involving the chemical leaks into water. I think this kind of thing is so sad and happens way too much today. Companies are more worried about making money then the people using their products. This company was more concerned about making money and covering up the leak then the people drinking the water. I do not understand how these people sleep at night. This could possibly have some serious consequences for some people. I do not think there is any excuse. I would rather lose my job and be broke then put anyone else's life at risk!

3. The link I looked at was the elements, compounds and mixture link. This gave me a clear description of the differences between elements compounds and links. It also gave me a clear picture on the difference between a atom and molecule.

My Bio

My name is Claire Soper. I was born and raised in Tucson, Arizona. I came to California to attend Saint Mary's College where I played on the tennis team and graduated with a bachelor in Kinesiology. After graduating I took a job at a near Country Club coaching tennis and running the junior program. I was unhappy with this job and felt like I had a bigger calling. Looking into other careers I found TCM. I had been receiving TCM treatment for years but had not known it was Chinese Medicine. I was receiving a type of acupressure treatment that had helped me a lot. He has cured me from so many different things! I want to do something that I have personal experience that I know works and I know this works. I am very excited about this new life experience I have just started!

Quiz Answers

1.
A. Burning wood is a chemical change

B. Crushing a rock is a physical change

C. I put dissolving sugar in water as a chemical change but the answer showed it to be a physical change

D. I put the rusting of iron as a physical change but the answer showed it as a chemical change

2.
A. I put milk as a pure substance because I thought when it comes from a cow it would be pure.  But the answer showed it as a mixture

B. Salt is a mixture

C. I put sugar as a mixture but the correct answer is that it is typically a pure substance

D. I put steel as a pure substance but the answer showed it is a mixture of iron and carbon

3. I put a cup of black coffee is considered to be a homogeneous and a pure substance but the answer showed black coffee considered to be homogeneous but not pure

4. I put the boiling of water is considered to be a physical change and the temperature at which water boils is considered a chemical property but the answer said the boiling of water is a physical change but the boiling point is not a chemical property.