Wednesday, September 3, 2008
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This blog contains student opinions and postings about the concepts discussed during their study of chemistry.
Blog Archive
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2008
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September
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- The Genie in the Bottle
- Lauren Genie in the bottle
- Vitamins May Hurt Your health; Problems with Dose ...
- Failed Anxiety Drug could Treat Cancer
- Oil Magnets
- William's Safety Poster Animation
- Ryan's Genie in The Bottle
- Sarah's Genie In the Bottle
- Kyrie's Genie in The Bottle
- Sara's Genie in the Bottle
- Noble's Genie a Bottle Post
- Nicole's Genie In the Bottle
- Summer Reading Assignments
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September
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3 comments:
In the Genie in the Bottle, Dr. Joe Schwarcz uses real life connections to reveal his secrets about chemistry. The purpose of this book is to demystify chemistry while developing a feel for how the scientific method functions. Dr. Schwarcz uses critical thinking to show us that some things are not what they seem. There were five sections in the book each talking about different topics of everyday life.
One commentary that stood out too me was Mercury: Mysterious and Deadly. It talked about how mercury was used when it was first discovered and how it became known as a dangerous substance. The Ancient Greeks found this “liquid metal” and where fascinated by how it would spread into droplets almost instantly so they named it mercury after the speedy messenger god. Later on during the middle ages people attempted to make gold mixing mercury but alchemists became very sick from doing so. Recently, Professor Wetterhahn was working with mercury wearing gloves when she spilled a couple drops of dimethyl mercury on her hand and became very ill and died. Now a days mercury is noted as being very dangerous and sometimes fatal when coming into contact with.
The second section in the book was called “Food Matters” and it was all about how some foods could affect your body, some in good ways and some in bad ways. In the commentary called Chocolate Lovers Rejoice, I learned that in chocolate there are chemicals called polyphenols that act as antioxidants and they help counteract some radicals in our system. Polyphenols can also be found in fruits and vegetables. The bad thing is that chocolate also has a high fat content so eating too much is not good for you.
I was fascinated by the commentary about secret inks, The Magic of Secret Inks They are not very secret anymore but during the World War II, spies would write on something using phenolphthalein, which is colorless, and then when delivered, the message could be revealed by exposing it to ammonia. Other ways of making secret ink is to use lemon juice or urine and then when it is exposed to heat, the message will show.
Another commentary that I found funny and interesting was The Poop On Methane. Dr. Schwarcz analyzes methane coming for feces. In 1993 in a Michigan state park, there was a huge explosion from an abandoned ranger station. The police had no idea what the cause was because the gas was shut off and there were no traces of it being on purpose. At first they believed that the methane from bat droppings and the spark from an old sump pump in the basement caused the blast but since methane is lighter than air it would have escaped from cracks in the ceiling not even coming close to the basement. They investigated more and they found out it was caused by methane but not from the bats but from old human excrement left in the septic tanks. Normally there is water in toilets that block any gas to come up but after a while the water evaporated and methane spread up into the basement causing the explosion. It is unbelievable to think that such a simple substance can do such damage.
One last commentary that intrigued me was Bending Spoons or Bending Minds? It was fun to read about the famous magician Uri Geller and how his “psychic powers” were stumped on live television when his props were changed before he came on air. Geller was not able to perform his magic. Uri Geller would do another trick where he would heat up a piece of aluminum foil only using his mind. Dr. Schwarcz reaveals that a basic chemical reaction can be turned into a magic trick like that one. A little mercuric chloride put onto the aluminum secretly before putting into the volunteer’s hand causes it to heat rapidly.
The Genie in the Botte by Dr. Joe Schwarcz includes 67 commentaries on chemistry that relates to everyday life. The subjects include ones relating to fire, food, health, and the fun things in chemistry. This book rightfully proves the suspicions that chemistry only applies to elements and chemicals. It is clearly shown that in any situation in life, something involving chemistry can happen.
Schwarcz's commentary "The Magic of Secret Inks" describes his discovery of a way to turn water black and then the reverse. In the 1970s, Schwarcz discovered he could mix gallic acid with iron chloride to form this black water. Later on, he was informed that this was already discovered by a Greek military scientist. He then noted that if u write with phenolphthalein and expose it to ammonia it will go from clear to pink. These different methods have been used by military officials in order to send secret messages without it being intercepted. It is very possible that more discoveries could be made and be used in different fields of life.
"Mulis on Borax" describes a glass that is shatter resistant. Normal glass is made by heating sand, limestone, and sodium oxide together while shatter resistant glass has boron compounds added. When boric oxide is added to the mixture it makes the glass able to withstand high temperatures. This stage did not start however until borax deposits were found in the Nevada desert. The only problem there was, was how to move to borax out of the desert. William T. Coleman came up with the idea to bring in giant wagons drawn by 23 mules. A more realistic use for borax these days is to use it for controlling cockroaches. This goes to show us that material from all over the world can be used to improve products.
However, not all aspects of chemistry are good. In the creation of the bunsen burner it was discovered that the vapors from the gas were not good. Bunsen used a mask that covered his face to protect himself from the vapors. Bunsen had a love for fire and was amazed at the possibilities. When certain substances were added to the gas, different colors appeared such as orange and yellow. Schwarcz's commentary, "Playing With Fire" proves the possibilities when using fire.
In "The Catty Dr. Katterfelto and His Noxious Insects", Dr. Katterfelto combines insects and disease with magic to explain to people what is a reality. He exemplifies what the size of a virus really is using a microscope. His show's are filled with scientific demonstrations, discussions on health, and fun tricks. The hydraulics, electricity, and chemistry help everyone grasp the concept of the truth. He successfully linked microbes to disease in a shocking way. Katterfelto effected everyone's view on the viruses and diseases that are in our world today.
It is safe to say everybody is gullible in some way. In the world of spirits, it is easy to be fooled. In "A Writer and a Magician Among the Spirits", many different situations are given where people are being manipulated. Two girls fool a group of people as well as a ordinary men in general. If this commentary proves anything, it is that the powers of the mind are greater than those of science. If you are able to fool a group of people, you hold great power.
Dr. Joe Schwarcz's book makes many valid points. It confirms that science can not only apply in the lab but also in the real world. Within all these examples, something has been proven. Different methods have been used to get different results. Schwarcz was able to combine all different types of chemistry and made it apply to something everyone is familiar with.
Book Report Daniel Levitz
Chemistry II 9/1/08
The Genie In the Bottle
The book The Genie in the Bottle is a book that explains and shows the amazing stuff about chemistry. It’s an easy way to learn all about different kinds of chemistry. The book explains the wonders of chemistry by breaking it down to the basics The way it explains different reactions is amazing it helps you understand. It also explains the background and discovery of some reactions.
The commentaries helped explain some unusual parts of chemistry. The book was a helpful way to learn chemistry but was confusing and since there were no pictures it was hard to understand parts of the book. The commentary about the sun explains a lot about heat transfer however I find it hard to understand a lot of the chemistry in it.
The commentary about the kissing toads was an interesting part but still was confusing. The whole book seemed to get confusing and didn’t make a lot of sense. But how toads were used as a drug and affected the health of a human being seemed to be interesting.
The part about the genie in the bottle was interesting explaining catalysts and the reactions. They book did explain catalysts well and does help understanding it. It also is interesting how common medicines can be used as catalysts.
The commentary about the magic of secret inks was a confusing but interesting commentary. It explained how water “could change colors” and these different fluids changing colors magic by a wand but in the end the total secret was just urine. Also how in WWII they used lead nitrate and sodium sulfide to read the message was ingenious.
The commentary about helium and the Hindenburg was amazingly appealing. How using hydrogen to make a blimp float and then be blamed it for the explosion. Also how the U.S. refused to sell no flammable helium gas in fear of airships and invasions.
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