Subject |
Comments |
Views |
Author |
Date Written |
Pearls dissolve in vinegar
|
view preview
Since pearls are made mostly of calcium carbonate, the acid found in vinegar, known as acetic acid, will definitely dissolve one over a period of time. The same dissolution would occur if an egg were placed in a glass of vinegar and left to sit - the egg shell would disintegrate. Of course, the speed as which the pearl dissolves will depend on the concentration of the acid and the pearl's overall size. The reaction produces calcium acetate, water and carbon dioxide, summarized below: \(\mathrm{CaCO_3+2CH_3COOH\ →\ Ca(CH_3COO)_2+H_2O+CO_2}\) More Pearly Facts: Mollusks actually create pearls as a form of protection from foreign particles, sand and parasites. Natural pearls, though, are very rare in modern times due to a decline in mollusks ...
|
|
|
0 |
5781 |
bio_man |
6 years ago |
New kids on the block
|
view preview
Back in January, I reported that the periodic table would be getting an update because four new elements were discovered - finally, the new names have been penciled in. Nihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganesson will grace the blocks assigned to atomic numbers 113, 115, 117, and 118, said the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (IUPAC) today. Nihonium, discovered by a Japanese team, means “the land of the rising sun,” while moscovium and tennessine are named after places near the labs where they were discovered (Moscow and Tennessee, of course). And oganesson recognizes the work of Russian chemist Yuri Oganessian. By tradition, the right to suggest a name for an element is granted to its discoverer, although IUPAC has ...
|
|
|
0 |
3858 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
Non-Newtonian fluids are no longer a mystery
|
view preview
A non-Newtonian fluid is a fluid with properties that differ in any way from those of Newtonian fluids - it changes its viscosity almost instantly under stress, so you can punch it as a liquid and it’ll turn into a solid (watch the video below), and you can literally walk across a pool of it. On the contrary, a Newtonian fluid is defined as the perfect fluid, where its viscosity is influenced mostly by its temperature and pressure. So if you have water at a moderate temperature and pressure, it will continue to act like a liquid no matter how much you punch it. Depending on how you manipulate it, the fluid-like substance can change states from a liquid to a solid, but how this happens has remained a conundrum amongst physicists. Scientists ...
|
|
|
1 |
2998 |
duddy |
7 years ago |
First ever image taken of a single protein
|
view preview
Proteins are subatomic biomolecules. They're produced by cells, so it's logical to assume that they are much tinier than cells, and of course, much tinier than the organelles that produce them. In a remarkable achievement, scientists have now obtained the first-ever photographs of single proteins. Using a "holography electron microscope," researchers tested on a range of protein samples, all just a few nanometers in size. Hemoglobin, the protein that transports oxygen in red blood cells, and cytochrome c, the protein that transfers electrons within the body, were just two examples. Source: arXiv ...
|
|
|
0 |
8435 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Nature's scuba divers
|
view preview
Some bugs, such as water scorpions, long-toed water beetle and predaceous diving beetles (shown below) use the molecular properties of water to create miniature scuba diving tanks and spacesuits. The cohesive forces between water molecules essentially makes water molecules "stick" together, allowing bubbles to form against a wall of tension. These little insects are small enough to take advantage of this, by trapping a bubble in their outer wings or tiny bristles on their shell. ...
|
|
|
0 |
8033 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
|
0 |
18116 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
|
0 |
9192 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Definitive proof of water found on Mars
|
view preview
Since its discovery in 2010, researchers have been trying to solve the mystery of dark streaks that appear and disappear seasonally on the planet's surface (shown above). Scientists are now claiming that this phenomenon, known as the recurring slope lineae, is caused by a bath of saltwater. What is still unknown, however, is where the water is coming from, or if the chemistry is even right for supporting life.
|
|
|
0 |
19316 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Why do drugs like MDMA make you feel happy?
|
view preview
This video explains it quite well. The key hormone in question is serotonin. Serotonin is known to play a role in depression. Low serotonin levels are believed to be the reason for depression and associated symptoms of anxiety, apathy, fear, feelings of worthlessness, insomnia and fatigue. The opposite is true when a high-level of serotonin is present, you feel jovial and enthusiastic. MDMA promotes the formation of this hormone. ...
|
|
|
0 |
11021 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
|
0 |
5908 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Ice spikes
|
view preview
Have you forgotten your water properties? Check out the video for a review and an explanation as to why ice spikes form.
|
|
|
2 |
1758 |
ehd123 |
8 years ago |
|
2 |
2153 |
ehd123 |
8 years ago |
|
0 |
2658 |
ehd123 |
8 years ago |
|
0 |
5732 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
|
1 |
12110 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
|
0 |
24634 |
ehd123 |
8 years ago |
|
0 |
20738 |
duddy |
8 years ago |
Can plastic be converted back to oil?
|
view preview
Start by watching the video below In the video, a Japanese man converts plastic waste into usable oil and fuel using a machine that thermochemically decomposes the plastic in a process known as pyrolysis. Pyrolysis works by thermochemically breaking down material at temperatures above 350 degrees Celsius in the absence of water. This not only physically melts down an object, but also changes its chemical composition so that, in the case of plastic waste, it reverts back into boiling liquid and eventually gas. Source: http://www.sciencealert.com/holy-crap-watch-this-guy-turn-plastic-back-into-oil ...
|
|
|
0 |
28003 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
0 |
16342 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
1 |
17546 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
0 |
8546 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
How to check for dead batteries
|
view preview
Dead or depleted batteries, especially cylindrical ones like AA or AAA batteries, can exhibit a unique behavior known as "bouncing" when dropped from a short height. This phenomenon is primarily due to changes in the battery's internal chemistry and physical properties as it becomes discharged. Inside a battery, there are chemical reactions that generate electrical energy. As a battery discharges and its chemical energy is depleted, its internal chemistry changes. One of the changes that occur is a reduction in the pressure of gases within the battery. This decrease in gas pressure can make the battery feel lighter, contributing to its bounce. As a battery discharges, its internal components, such as the cathode, anode, and electrolyte, unde ...
|
|
|
1 |
90345 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
We are the stars, we are the universe
|
view preview
I'd like to share this mind-opening video. Astrophysicist Dr. Neil DeGrasse Tyson was asked by a reader of TIME magazine, "What is the most astounding fact you can share with us about the Universe?" This is his answer. By far, one of the best...
|
|
|
0 |
4501 |
ehd123 |
9 years ago |
|
0 |
10979 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Golden rain
|
view preview
Watch lead iodide turn into bright golden glitter in this awesome chemistry experiment known as the 'Golden Reaction'
|
|
|
2 |
12525 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
When chemistry and physics come together
|
view preview
When chemistry and physics come together, it looks awesome. This is the emission spectra of the Elements - in other words, these are the colors they emit in the gaseous state.
|
|
|
0 |
4089 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
0 |
1278 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
0 |
5751 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
1 |
5195 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Coin shiver in dry ice!
|
view preview
An American coin shivers in ice made from carbon dioxide (temperature below -78.5 degrees Celsius).
|
|
|
1 |
8207 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Shape-shifting metal
|
view preview
Ever seen 'memory metal' in action? Watch this paperclip - made from an incredible shape-shifting metal called Nitinol - be bent completely out of shape and then restored instantly as it touches a simple bowl of warm water.
...
|
|
|
1 |
5972 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
NASA Rover finds conditions once suited for ancient life on Mars
|
view preview
Scientists identified sulfur, nitrogen, hydrogen, oxygen, phosphorus and carbon -- some of the key chemical ingredients for life -- in the powder Curiosity drilled out of a sedimentary rock near an ancient stream bed in Gale Crater on the Red Planet last month.
|
|
|
0 |
2016 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
|
0 |
2820 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Drinking seawater to survive
|
view preview
A seagull on a glass roof looking really cute. Seagulls are able to drink seawater to survive thanks to salt glands just above their eyes. These glands eliminate excess salt from the seawater and flush it out of the birds' nostrils in liquid form, an action that's often mistaken for a sneeze.
|
|
|
2 |
1924 |
duddy |
9 years ago |
Beer companies are trying to get scientists drunk
|
view preview
| After winning the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1922, Carlsberg gave Niels Bohr a perpetual supply of beer. The brewing company had a pipeline running from the brewery to Bohr’s house, so that he could have fresh beer on tap all the time. |
|
|
|
1 |
2241 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Beautiful Reed Flute Cave
|
view preview
This is Reed Flute Cave, in the Guangxi region of China. This natural limestone formation is over 180 million years old and contains inscriptions written in ink, which have been dated to as far back as 792 AD in the Tang Dynasty. The cave was named after the type of reed growing outside, which can be made into musical flutes.
|
|
|
0 |
1930 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
0 |
2915 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
0 |
3211 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
0 |
8608 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
The cotton castle
|
view preview
Pamukkale, meaning "cotton castle" in Turkish, is a natural water terrace site located in the Denizli Province of southwestern Turkey. The site contains several hot springs contained by stark, white limestone deposits known as travertines, that are fed by the overflowing, mineral-rich spring waters. People have been bathing here for thousands of years. ...
|
|
|
2 |
6168 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Proof that money does grow on trees
|
view preview
Well, okay GOLD. Apparently, gold grows on eucalyptus trees. Researchers discovered that the trees are acting as a hydraulic pump, extracting gold from the soil and moving it to their leaves and branches. The ‘nuggets’ are about one-fifth the diameter of human hair, but the leaves may be used in combination with other tools to develop better exploration techniques.
|
|
|
0 |
7618 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
1 |
2615 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
So, chemistry is all theory, right?
|
view preview
Using high-resolution atomic force microscopy, a hydrogen bond has been imaged for the first time. This technique is quite similar to the one used to photograph bonds breaking and reforming that was announced earlier this year.
|
|
|
1 |
4724 |
savio |
10 years ago |
Cool shiny metal
|
view preview
This is bismuth, a brittle metal with a white or silver-pink hue and an iridescent oxide tarnish that produces a rainbow of colours from yellow to blue. It is the most naturally diamagnetic metal in the world, which means it can create a magnetic field in opposition to an externally applied magnetic field. ...
|
|
|
0 |
3615 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
0 |
3355 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
0 |
4814 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Molecules in high resolution
|
view preview
This image shows 26 carbon atoms and 14 hydrogen atoms rearranging bonds. There has never been an image of a single bond resolve at this level of detail so close to the reaction time before.
|
|
|
1 |
4472 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
Molecules that bloom like flowers
|
view preview
By manipulating chemical gradients in a beaker of fluid, the behavior of crystal growth can be controlled, creating precisely tailored structures – “flowers” at the scale of microns – that bloom in a beaker. Though these minuscule sculptures don't resemble the cubic or jagged forms normally associated with crystals, they “bloom” from the surface of a submerged glass slide, assembling themselves one molecule at a time. The precipitation of the crystals depends on a reaction of compounds that are diffusing through a liquid solution. The crystals grow toward or away from certain chemical gradients as the pH of the reaction shifts back and forth. The conditions of the reaction dictate whether the structure resembles broad, radiating leaves, a thi ...
|
|
|
1 |
3201 |
duddy |
10 years ago |
|
1 |
4150 |
bio_man |
10 years ago |
Cheat like a pro
|
view preview
Here's a fun way to cheat on your next biochemistry exam
|
|
|
1 |
2855 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
|
1 |
6018 |
duddy |
11 years ago |
Metal melts in your hand almost instantly
|
view preview
Gallium is a silvery metal with atomic number 31. It is used in semiconductors and LEDs, but the cool thing about it is its melting point, which is only about 85 degrees Fahrenheit. If you hold a solid gallium crystal in your hand, your body heat will cause it to slowly melt into a silvery metallic puddle. Pour it into a dish, and it freezes back into a solid. While you probably should not lick your fingers after playing with it, gallium is not toxic and it will not make you crazy like mercury does. And if you get tired of it, you can melt it onto glass and make yourself a mirror. ...
|
|
|
2 |
6911 |
duddy |
11 years ago |