Chem Blogger 101

This blog will inform you about any recent stories or discoveries in chemistry. You will also find interesting facts about different subjects regarding how things happen in the world. Thank you and please enjoy!

[malvinachemistry-blog]

Some shoes contain cotton, leather, or natural rubber, but what you lace up before a run is probably an assortment of industrial chemicals derived from hydrocarbons. Polyester and polyurethane which are petroleum-based synthetics, make up 36 percent of the weight of the average running shoe....

[justine-chem-5]

Thank god for these chemical structures; polyurethane and polyester, to make up these comfortable running shoes. I wear a pair of Nikes everyday and I don't know where I would be without them. Being an athlete, I need running shoes, so this was an interesting blog to read.

[justine-chem-5]

http://www.safework.sa.gov.au/contentPages/EducationAndTraining/TrainingKits/WHSTrainingResourceKit/whsKit/top10_7.htm

Everyone hears about and has seen fires, whether its on a stove, in a candle, or a wildfire raging across terrain, we have all experienced some sort of fire. A fire can start two ways. Fuel, oxygen, and heat all come together resulting in, of course, fire. A spark, a solvent, and air can all also combine to start a fire. 

[captainchemistry]

Almost every day i look into the sky and see a trail of white puff as a jet plane passes, and i wonder to myself, what causes this to happen? with further research, i learned the answer was chemistry, of course :)

The trail is caused from planes that fly at very high alititudes where the air...

[justine-chem-5]

I always see these jet planes and the white smoke in the sky, too. I did not know that chemistry related to this. After reading Dhara's blog post, I now know that Carbon dioxide is produced for this smoke to appear. 

[malvinachemistry-blog]

While doing my laundry today I wondered how a cup of detergent cleans soiled jeans, towels, socks, and other articles in your wash? After research I found the answer is that chemical properties of various types of dirt and stains disappear with cleaning agents that chemically interact with them.

Dirt and stains typically consist of particles, such as minerals from soil, protein and other organic matter from living things, or bits of black carbon. The particles are trapped on cloth fibers by grease and oil, which cannot be dissolved in water. Detergents and soap help break up the grease and oil, removing the stains.

[justine-chem-5]

I did a blog about the same subject. I learned that you don't even need a washing machine or dryer. All you need is water, with surface tension. You can then just add surfactants or soap and your clothes can be cleaned. Then you just leave the clothes out in warm weather to dry.

[justine-chem-5]

The Olympic games are something everyone looks forward to every two- four years. It is broadcasted and watched all around the world. The athletes participating and representing their country take pride and see it as an honor to have been chosen to represent their country. Everyone wonders though, the medals the athletes win, how are they made? Well, both the gold and silver medals are "92.5% pure silver", but the gold medals are covered with 6 grams of gold on top. Their custom sized to 3 millimeters thick, and each have a diameter of 60 mm. The ore, the part of the metal used to make the medals, is removed from the metal itself. Every 2 years, the design imprinted into the medals, is changed according to the new location of that years host of the games. For the dye for the design to be embarked into the medals, the sketch is drawn out. A plaster is produced and then sent to a computer to use a controlled engraver. For the gold to cover the gold medals, of course, the medals are soaked in sulfuric acid with pure gold. An electric current is then used to make the gold become an anode and the medal become a cathode, combining the two to make a gold medal. 

[w0rldofchemistry-blog]

BY SCOTT HEIMENDINGER Associated Press Imagine your favorite cheese: perhaps an aged, sharp cheddar, or maybe a blue Gorgonzola or a gentle Monterey Jack. Wouldn’t it be wonderful to use those really good cheeses you love on nachos or as a sau…

No one likes oily mac and cheese! To fix this, cheese-maker Kraft found that when you add sodium phosphate to the cheese while it’s melting causes the mac and cheese to clump less and have less oil. He patented his invention and sold many products of the sort. Later, people later began using sodium citrate instead of sodium phosphate because it was more commonly found. Sodium citrate is a salt that can bind oil and water in cheese. The sodium citrate can be found in the the dairy fat that is suspended and held by a net of interlocked proteins in solid cheese and can attach to the fat or water molecules of the cheese. This allows everything to stick together and remain smooth. 4 grams of sodium citrate is added for every 100 grams of grated cheese and 93 grams of water or milk. Also water is reduced to make cheese slices. This relates to chemistry because sodium citrate is a compound that changes certain properties of cheese which in turn effects the yum factor of mac and cheese, an Emily favorite. I thought this was a cool article because it shows how much chemistry is used in simple things like mac and cheese.

[justine-chem-5]

I have an obsession with mac n cheese. I have realized though, that mac and cheese can get quite greasy. After reading this blog, I now know how to help that. I cannot wait to start using this tip when making mac and cheese. 

[captainchemistry]

SMILE!!!!!!!! Everybody wants to have nice shiny white teeth. However, many of us have disgusting yellow teeth. This is caused from foods that you eat which stains the enamel layer of our teeth and the pigments penetrate into the cracks of our teeth. This makes our teeth look yellow.

Now don’t...

[justine-chem-5]

It's true everyone wants nice teeth, but it's so hard with all of these tasty foods that ruin your teeth. After reading Dhara's blog, I know that teeth whiteners has its pros and cons. I have tried teeth whitener tooth paste. I have seen a little bit of change but it's hard to tell when I continue to eat these foods with pigments. 

[justine-chem-5]

Flowers are beautiful pieces of nature. They are grown to make gardens and areas more presentable or they are given as a gift to show love for another, appreciation, or just to make someone's day better. The question is, though, how do they have a scent? Low molecule compounds given off by flowers into the atmosphere and structure of the flower, itself, determines the color and how the flower smells. No flower can have the same scent though, and that's because of the variety of adaptations each flower has. Different flowers that have different pollinators attracted to them, also affects the scent of a flower. 

[chemistry2013-14]

Coloring is really fun. I remember when I was younger I would always color with crayons. There are so many different colors, too! Now that I am older, I realized there is more to crayons than just a utensil to color and draw! I wondered how they were made, and the answer was easy: chemistry!...

[justine-chem-5]

Ever since I was a kid, I have used to crayons, especially being a creative and artistic person. Out of everything, I would have never thought that crayons are made from chemistry. After reading Lindsey's blog post, I now know that without chemistry, crayons are impossible. I know that pigments are what give the crayons different color, but my question is, how the crayons are actually produced?

[justine-chem-5]

Computers are used by people everyday and they are becoming more and more advanced. How fast they work is also revolving. Molecules are being practiced with to increase the speed of new computers. The small materials they used are in the nano-science world, to create a smaller version of technology they are trying to reach. The scientists take their time to make sure everything fits into place and works to create the bigger version. Their progress has expanded to single atom binded and pentacenes, along with electrons  to create the chemical bond. The scientists feel that very soon, success and their goal will be reached.

[chemistry2013-14]

Don’t you hate it when your hair turns green after swimming? Ugh! It is the worst? I always wonder why that happens after I leave the pool! Being a swimmer all year round, it can definitely be frustrating!!

I did some research, and I found out what is the cause of the green hair after…

[chemistrychronicles]

Wow Lindsay! I never saw that people’s hair turns green once out of a pool (since my hair is black) but I have heard of it. I always assumed that it was chlorine like you said, but the copper turning things green makes a lot more sense!

For example you all know how the Statue of Liberty is green now? Well the Statue of Liberty is actually made of copper and it used to be brownish gold like our copper pennies (when they’re new). When copper oxidizes (Ooh chemistry!: meaning copper eventually lost electrons) it actually turns green.

So a living example of Lindsay’s blog post, you learn a new thing everyday!

[justine-chem-5]

I used to think that hair turning green, only occurred to light haired people,specifically blondes. After reading Monnavi's blog, I now know it can happy to really anyone. Next time I go swimming, I have a feeling that that's all I'm going to be worrying about. I would prefer my hair to stay its natural color.

[malvinachemistry-blog]

Some shoes contain cotton, leather, or natural rubber, but what you lace up before a run is probably an assortment of industrial chemicals derived from hydrocarbons. Polyester and polyurethane which are petroleum-based synthetics, make up 36 percent of the weight of the average running shoe….

[chemistrychronicles]

I love running shoes, especially light weight running shoes, now I know what material to thank for the Nikes I lace up before gym class and track.

Polyurethane is actually in a lot of other things other than running shoes too, it’s in stuff like skateboard wheels, paints, varnishes, adhesives, and foams.

Polyester is also in a bunch of things. It can be a fabric in your clothes or part of your water bottle.

[justine-chem-5]

I'm always looking for new running shoes, being so involved in athletics. After reading Malvina's blog, and Monnavi's, I understand why the sneakers I put on my feet are so comfortable and light. The polyurethane also "doesn't melt when heated", which also keeps your feet cool when running, unless they are thermoplastic polyurethane-made sneakers, which will keep your feet warmer, intentionally.

[ch-e-mis-t-ry]

If you don’t understand the title, it says bubble. Or more specifically, “The Study of Bubbles”.

A bubble is a thin film of soapy water. Most of the bubbles we know are filled with air, but can also be filled with all sorts of other gases. Now, what makes a bubble special is its wall, which can...

[justine-chem-5]

Bubbles are every little kids dream. Amusing and fun to watch pop, bubbles are also connected to chemistry, which I now know thanks to Zoe's blog. I now know that there are layers to a bubble. I would have never guessed that. Knowing that the same thing chemical in the product I clean my clothes with is also being used to blow bubbles, is ironic but also somewhat common sense since there are bubbles that are made when cleaning the clothes. Maybe I will use detergent instead to make bubbles 

[aneesachemistry]

It’s not surprising that your concealer you put on daily maybe the reason why your skin condition is bad.

If you look deeper,dozens of harsh synthesized chemicals have made their way to approval through loopholes in US’s Federal Law and FDA.

Most of these chemicals are known to be great risk…

[w0rldofchemistry-blog]

This is almost scary. I don’t know how to react to knowing the chemical background of my make-up. Then again, it makes me a little less curious about what I am putting on my skin. Thank you for this Aneesa!It would be nice to know how they are testing these products as well and what other chemicals that I am putting on. Maybe we could find out why people react differently to different brands as well. Team work!

[justine-chem-5]

I have not really thought that. Most people think putting on make up to cover any acne or blemishes helps, To think that the make up is making it worse, is ironic. The little concealer I put on, could possibly make my skin worse. Next time I think to put make up, I will definitely remember this.

[justine-chem-5]

Books are an everyday necessity as much as most people don't think so. We use them for religion, education, directions, and any kind of information. Made up of, paper, and the cover and binding, books are made as a complex object. 

[justine-chem-5]

Brushing my teeth is apart of my everyday morning and night routine. I like to keep my breath smelling clean and fresh. Abrasives are the main ingredients in toothpaste. They clean, remove plaque, food and any staining. There are different kinds of abrasives; "hydrates silica, calcium carbonate, aluminum oxides, and various phosphates of calcium or aluminum". Some abrasives use the same compounds as chalk, but they use them differently. Others are in sand, but toothpaste silica is smoother. When you go to the dentist, thicker, harsher abrasives tend to be used for harder jobs. So next time you brush your teeth, think about how lucky you are to have toothpaste and how it benefits you because many people around the world don't have the opportunity to brush their teeth. 

[yes-meganchemistry-things-blog]

Going to the movie theatre wasn’t complete without a big bag of buttery popcorn. But how exactly does popcorn work? This article tells us! http://chemistry.about.com/b/2014/02/08/how-popcorn-pops.htm

Popcorn starts off as a kernel. These kernels are coated and inside of them is water and…

[malvinachemistry-blog]

After reading Megan’s blog about popcorn I am able to infer that making popcorn, and almost every other way of cooking food is a chemical reaction. In the beginning of the year we noted that signs a chemical reaction is occurring are heat given off, a change of matter, change of color, gas produced, etc. We know that popcorn is a chemical reaction because as Megan mentioned the kernel changed its form of matter and steam (a gas) was released to create this delicious treat!

[justine-chem-5]

After reading both Megan's post and Malvina's comment on the blog, I've learned that making one of the best snacks, relates to chemistry. Realizing that popcorn in a microwave is a chemical reaction, is something that I should know. I also found out the there is more than one way to make popcorn. You can make it in a microwave, with the electrical wires throughout or on a stove with a flame. Either way heat is being applied, as Malvina said, and it is considered a chemical reaction.