Angie's Chem Blog @melbelblue2 - Tumblr Blog

After coming home today I sat down on my coach to take a rest then I realized one thing. I was sore! My muscles were aching from the workout I had done yesterday. Now for those of you have had muscle soreness, I’m sure you know the pain and discomfort that I was in. As I was trying to get rid...

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Who knew that watermelon juice could help relieve pain caused by sore muscles! Spencer discovered that L-citrulline, an ingredient in watermelon juice, helps to relieve the pain caused by muscle soreness. L-citrulline is an amino acid that has similar properties to antioxidants. This particular amino acid is believed to enhance athletic performance and speed up the process of removing lactic acid from the body. (Lactic acid is that burning sensation you feel in your muscles when exercising.) The removal of lactic acid enables athletes to train more intensely and recover within a shorter time period. As can be seen, watermelons can be quite beneficial for those who frequently exercise.

Another type of fruit that is often associated with exercise are bananas. Bananas are said to prevent muscle cramps while running because bananas have a lot of potassium, and muscles need potassium to function. A cramps is usually caused because there are not enough potassium ions in the body for muscles to contract and release. I knew potassium was important for the body, but I never knew why! Eating bananas does not guarantee that you will not have cramps, but your chances for avoiding them are more likely.

This is an example of how everything in life is related; from the ingredients within food to the training of an athlete. The reason people are aware of watermelon and banana's beneficial ingredients is because of chemists and their study to understand what different things are made up of. So the next time you'll be doing physical exercise, make sure to eat some a few slices of watermelon and a banana or two!

Cooking and Stoichiometry

Cooking and Stoichiometry are very much related to each other. A few weeks ago in my chemistry class, we conducted a lab that involved cooking. My classmates and I were split into groups and were asked to cook several dishes. My group decided to cook spinach and artichoke dip, baked macaroni and cheese, truffles, and butter beer as seen in the Harry Potter books. This was the most fun any of us had doing a chemistry lab all year, but we knew it must be related to chemistry in some way, otherwise we would not be doing it.

It turns out that cooking and stoichiometry are very similar because both involve a series of quantities combining in specific ratios. Just like chemical equations, in cooking, we start with reactants and end with a product. Also, all the ingredients we start with must be part of the finished product just like mass and atoms are conserved in a chemical reaction. If we have a recipe that prepares enough for 12 people, and we need to serve 24 people, we must double the quantities of each ingredient in the recipe. By doing this, we are working with ratios and proportions. In chemistry, mole ratios are conversion factors used to convert between moles of reactants and moles of products. When cooking, we also have to be aware of how much of each ingredient we have. If we run out of an ingredient, it would be considered a limiting reagent. For example if we ran out of cheese sauce for the pasta, some of the pasta would be dry and not covered with cheese. There are also excess reagents when there is an excess of an ingredients. In this lab, we had an excess of chocolate sauce after covering the oreo truffles. As can be seen, cooking is clearly related to chemistry and stoichiometry.

w0rldofchemistry-blog

A pencil is a utensil that a student like myself uses everyday especially in math, chemistry, and when I do basketball stats. Pencils used to be made of lead, however now pencils are made of graphite. This is ironic because everyone calls them lead pencils even though they’re not produced with lead anymore. Now pencils are made by grinding graphite and mixing it with clay and water. This will produce a paste substance that is then transferred into tubes to form the core of the pencil. Cedar wood is usually then used to form the casing around the graphite core, but first the core is superheated while in the metal tube so that it becomes smooth. The graphite rods are then fitted to the grooves in the pencil, and the eraser and grips are then added.

There are so many types of pencils that you have to classify one from another. To do so you have to follow certain steps. Firstly, pencils are classified for their darkness. “H” stands for hardness while “B” stands for blackness. This means that a pencil that is “9B” is lighter than a pencil labeled “9H.” The harder the graphite is the lighter the pencil shade will be. This rule applies to all pencils.

This relates to chemistry because graphite is used in the making of a pencil. Graphite has chemistry behind it as well as wood and the other parts of the pencil. Maybe for my fellow classmates, someone can find the chemistry of an eraser or a full pencil? That might be interesting! If anyone does find anything, let me know!

melbelblue2

I always find interest in learning about how everyday products are made! Emily does a great job explaining the process from start to finish. As many of you know, pencils are now made from graphite instead of lead. Pencil manufacturers make pencils by grinding graphite and mixing it with clay and water. The wooden exterior of the pencil is typically made from cedar wood, but before it encloses the graphite, the graphite is superheated while in a metal tube to make it smooth. Erasers and grips are then added after the graphite are fitted to the grooves.

Emily continues to explain that there are many different types of pencils, which are classified for their darkness. The letter H on a pencil stands for hardness while B stands for blackness. Emily provides the example that a pencil classified as 9B is lighter than a pencil labeled 9H. The harder the graphite the lighter the pencil shade.

As mentioned earlier, lead in pencils was replaced by graphite because lead is considered toxic. The reason lead is toxic is because the metal replaces other metals in biochemical reactions. Lead interferes with human proteins that cause certain genes to turn on and off by displacing other metals in the molecules. This causes a change in the shape of the protein preventing it from preforming its function. I thought this was an interesting piece of information to add to this post because many of us know that lead is toxic but are not aware of the reasons why.

This relates to chemistry because graphite is a form of carbon and is used to make pencils. Check out my blog if your interested in learning how erasers are made and related to chemistry. Isn't it nice to see how all things are related and come full circle? All material goods can be related back to chemistry!

http://chemistry.about.com/od/howthingsworkfaqs/f/leadpoisoning.htm

Why Can't We Breathe Underwater?

Why can't humans breathe underwater? Humans need oxygen to breathe, and water contains one part oxygen; yet we cannot breathe underwater. However the two part hydrogen that is bound to the one part oxygen prevents us from breathing in the oxygen. This form of oxygen is useless to humans because our lungs do not have enough surface area to absorb enough oxygen as well as the fact that the lining in our lungs is adapted to take in air not water. Interestingly enough, there have been experiments in which humans breathed in fluorocarbons that dissolve enough oxygen for our lungs to draw out.

Fish can take in the oxygen from water with the help of their gills. Since fish are cold-blooded, they don't need to take in as much oxygen. Extracting oxygen from water is a lot more work because water is thicker than air. In addition, air contains 20 times more oxygen than the same volume of water.

So there you have it! An official explanation of why humans cannot breathe underwater!

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...

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This article was very interesting! Like Lindsey, I swim almost all year round and wondered why hair turns green or is discolored. (My hair has never turned green, maybe because it's brown, but the ends of my hair have turned blonde.) So why does this happen? Lindsey explains that although most people may believe Chlorine is the contributing factor to discolored hair, it is actually due to oxidized metals in water. These metals bind protein in hair, depositing color in the hair shaft. The metal copper causes the green tint because when it is oxidized by the bleach in the pools, it discolors hair!

This relates to chemistry because a reaction is taking place between the bleach and copper in the swimming pool which in turn makes the copper green, discoloring your hair. Similar reactions occur when pennies turn green or like how the Statue of Liberty is green. The only difference is that the oxidizing reactant changes, typically it is oxygen. As you can see, a lot can be credited to chemistry and science. So the next time you go swimming and your hair turns green, at least it won't be a magical mystery and you will understand the chemical reaction that has taken place.

Prevent Cancer with Vitamin E

When you read the title of the this blog post, you're probably thinking how can Vitamin E prevent cancer? Vitamin E is a very common anti-oxidant found in numerous different foods, but it is much more than that. At the University of Ohio, researchers have conducted a series of experiments to test Vitamin E's ability to prevent the formation of cancer cells. In prostate cancer cells, scientists have observed that one type of vitamin inhibits the activation of an enzyme called Akt, an enzyme necessary for the survival of cancer cells. Without this, the tumor cell dies.

So what is Vitamin E? Vitamin E refers to a group of eight fat-soluble compounds. y-Toccopherol is one of the most common kinds of the vitamin found in everyday food. Scientists discovered that Toccopherol is what fights cancer. The recommended dose of Vitamin E for adolescents is a minimum of 15 gms. However, since Vitamin E is an anti-oxidant, it can sever various neurological functions, so consuming excess Vitamin E is potentially hazardous.

Even thought vitamin E has been shown to prevent cancer, scientists warn people that taking Vitamin E supplements won't fight cancer. This is because the tablets are synthetic and based mainly in a form of vitamin E that does not fight cancer. In addition, the body cannot consume a lot a of the vitamin that does cure cancer.

Scientists are currently working to create a safe pill to consume. In the meantime, scientists are hard at work to put an end to cancer that has claimed the lives of so many friends and family. This relates to chemistry because the chemical composition of Vitamin E produces toccopherol, which has been proven to stop cancerous cells. This shows new treatments for cancer a being discovered.

http://humantouchofchemistry.com/how-vitamin-e-can-help-prevent-cancer.htm

Why does Baking Soda extingiush fires?

Fires can be quite dangerous and hard to put out in some cases. To understand how baking soda extinguishes fire, first we must gather some background knowledge. All fires need three basic elements to burn: fuel, an oxidizing element, and heat. By removing any one of these three elements, the fire will cease to exist. So how can someone remove one of these elements from the fire? Some of the more obvious ways is to use a blanket to cut off the oxygen supply to the fire or dump water over the flame to reduce the temperature to a point where the fire can no longer burn. Yet another way to extinguish a fire is to replace oxygen with a gas that does not support combustion, such as carbon dioxide. Carbon dioxide is a main "ingredient" in most fire extinguishers. Since carbon dioxide is heavier than air it does not support combustion, meaning the gas will naturally cover the flames like a blanket. Carbon dioxide extinguishers also release cold gas that reduces the heat of the flame.

So, back to the question, how does backing soda extinguish flames? Baking soda, also known as sodium bicarbonate, produces a lot of carbon dioxide when heated to a high temperature. Baking soda's unique chemical properties allow it to remove oxygen from the environment, therefore putting out the fire. During this reaction, a small quantity of water and sodium carbonate are produced as well.

This relates to chemistry because when baking soda is put in fire, it produces carbon dioxide, which in turn reduces the oxygen in the environment, putting an end to the flame. Fire is the result of a combustion reaction, and baking soda does not support combustion reactions. So if you were ever faced with the challenge to put out a flame before the fire department arrived, you now have some readily available knowledge in how to do so.

http://humantouchofchemistry.com/why-does-baking-soda-extinguish-fires.htm

slazieh

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2014/04/140403131942.htm

Altering the genetic language of any organism can be considered quite difficult by the common person. Yet, scientists technically do this every day to a plethora of foods people consume on a daily basis. The fruits, vegetables, or...

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Genetic engineering really shows how far science has come in this past decade! I remember learning about this in biology class last year, but Stefany does a great job of refreshing the facts for me! I remember learning genetic engineering is especially used for making bigger and better fruits and vegetables. Genetically engineered fruits and vegetables have many people feeling skeptical. Many wonder if it is safe to eat. Stefany explains that Cornell University conducted an experiment to test if genetically engineered tomatoes are safe for people to consume (trying to put more doubts to rest.). Researchers from the University extracted 1,000 biochemicals called metabolites and compared it to the physiology of normal tomatoes. The researchers observed that there are very few differences between the modified tomatoes and the normal tomatoes. The reason the two tomatoes are so similar is because the FDA requires the makers of genetically modified tomatoes to contain the same key nutritional compounds that are found in the tomatoes that are not modified.

Other common foods that are genetically modified include potatoes, squash, corn, soybeans, and rice. All genetically modified foods at the supermarket receive special labels that mark it as being modified. In general, most modified foods have been found safe, however concerns still remain. Some people fear that the genes from one food that are inserted into another food can cause people to have allergic reactions. With genetic engineering, the possibilities are endless. Who knows, maybe in the not so far future, people will engineer their children to have specific traits or prevent certain hereditary diseases. Bioengineering has opened a whole new field in the scientific world; let's see where it takes us!

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002432.htm

There is such a thing as Too Much Water!

If you read the title of this blog, you may be in disbelief, but yes, there is such a thing as too much water. Water is a very important to our bodies; most of our body is made up of water. Water is needed to keep us hydrated, especially in the summer when the sun is strongest. People always tell us to drink lots of water to stay hydrated, but too much of anything, even something like water, can cause harm. Too much water can lead to water intoxication and hyponatremia. This occurs when a dehydrated person drinks too much water without electrolytes. Water intoxication occurs when tissue swells due to the presence of too much water in our body cells. Cells need to maintain a specific concentration gradient and so when there is excess water outside of the cells, sodium leaves the cell to re-establish the necessary concentration. As more water collects outside the cell, the water sodium concentration drops causing hyponatremia. The cells then try to regain the electrolyte balance through osmosis. In osmosis, the electrolytes mixed with water inside the cell try to move across the semipermeable membrane to balance the concentration. Sometimes this causes the cell to swell and maybe even burst. The swollen cells put pressure on the brain and nerves, which results in behavioral patterns similar to someone who is intoxicated with alcohol. Swollen brain tissues can very well cause seizures, coma, irregular heart beat in turn allowing fluid to enter the lungs causing fluttering eyelids, and even death unless water intake is restricted and a hypertonic saline solution is administered.

The good news is that this is very unlikely to occur, and mainly happens to athletes and infants. It is recommended by doctors and nutritionists to follow the 8-12 ounce glasses of water a day count. However you may need more water if its hot and sunny or if you're taking certain medications. Just remember drinking water is good for you, but drinking in excess can be fatal. Who would of thought that something you cannot live without could also kill you? Quite ironic!

http://humantouchofchemistry.com/can-you-drink-too-much-water.htm

Shampoo

After reading Lindsey's blog post on shampoo, I was very intrigued in how it relates to chemistry! Lindsey explains that hair has a protective coating called sebum that gives hair a healthy shine, or if their is too much sebum, it makes hair look dirty. Interestingly enough, sebum is hydrophobic, meaning it resists water, and therefore cannot be fully cleaned with just water. Therefore, people need shampoo, a type of soap, to rid their hair of dust and dirt.

Shampoo is a detergent, and detergents work as surfactants, lowering surface tension. Part of shampoo is hydrophobic and hydrocarbon. The hydrocarbon binds to the sebum of hair. The hydrophillic, water loving part of shampoo removes the sebum and shampoo from the hair.

Even though Lindsey thoroughly explained how shampoos work, I was curious in unearthing the ingredients used to make shampoo. Some common ingredients in shampoo include, ammonium chloried, ammonium lauryl sulfate, glycol, sodium laureth sulfate (used to soften water), sodium lauryl sulfate (a cleanser), polysorbate 20 (used to solubilize fragrance and oils) polysorbate 80 (to emulsify oils in water), PEG-150 distearate (thickener), citric acid (perserves oils), quaternium- 15 (bacterial preservative), polyquaternium -10 (conditions), Di-PPG-2 myreth-10 adipate (water- dispersible emollient that forms clear solutions), and methylisothiazolinone ( a preservative).

There are a lot of different types of shampoos that serve different functions. There are specific shampoos for people with dandruff, for those who dye their hair, gluten free shampoo, organic, and even baby shampoo. Although there are many different types, shampoos have the same chemical compositions and react with hair in similar fashions!

http://chemistry2013-14.tumblr.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shampoo

Body Fats

In my chemistry class, we are working on a project that requires us to discover the composition of the human body. Many of us are very self conscious of the way they look, wanting to be skinny and fit. However many people are not aware that chemistry is linked to the fats in our body? Fats and oils are one type of lipids, and lipids are are bio-chemicals. Fats and oils, more specifically, are triglyceride molecules based on glycerol, an organic molecule made up of chains with three carbon atoms and a hydroxyl group. Each hydroxyl group in glycerol connects to a long chain molecule called fatty acid. This creates a three-tailed molecule called triglyceride. When triglycerides are forming, resultant fat molecules are hydrophobic, meaning that the fat molecules do not dissolve in water. This type of fat is a good source of energy and gets stored in the body.

There are four types of fats in our body: saturated, mono-unsaturated, poly-saturated, cis, and trans fat. Saturated, unsaturated fats, and oil have similar compositions. Carbon atoms and hydrogen atoms bond together to form long chains of fatty acids. Saturated fats have single bonds and line up nicely causing saturated fats to be solid at room temperature. If one of the carbon bonds in the chain is a double bond, there will be two less hydrogen atoms as compared to saturated fats, which will result in the creation of mono-unsaturated fats. Poly-unsaturated fats therefore are formed when there is more than one double bond. Mono-unsaturated and poly-unsaturated fats are liquid at room temperature because their double bonds do not allow for the molecules to get close together. As you may or may not know, unsaturated fats are healthier than saturated fats because the body can easily break down unsaturated fats and used it more quickly in the body's metabolism.

Cis and trans fats are prefixes found on nutritional labels and refer to the shape of the carbon- carbon double bond. If hydrogen is bonded to the same side of the double bond, then it is a cis-bond. If they are bonded to the opposite side, it is then a trans-bond. Cis-bonds are easier for the body to break down and are found in natural vegetable oils. If the oil is heated, they transform into trans-bonds. Continuously heated oil contains a lot of trans-bonds. Hence why food cooked in deep fat fryers contain more trans-bonds than those cooked in a frying pan.

In conclusion, you can clearly see the chemistry involved in the fats of the body. Not all fats are harmful to your body, in fact some are beneficial and essential to maintain a healthy body.

http://humantouchofchemistry.com/how-is-chemistry-related-to-fats-in-your-body.htm

The Importance of Saliva

Did you know that the reason we taste food is because of saliva! I was not aware of saliva's importance. Spencer explains that chemoreceptors in our taste buds need a liquid to bind flavors to receptor molecules, and without this liquid we would only faintly taste the flavor of food. Spencer continues to explain that the reason we don't use water to taste our food is because saliva works better. Even though saliva is 98% water and 2% chemicals and enzymes, the enzymes make all the difference. The enzyme amylase acts on sugars and carbohydrates to essentially enhance the taste.

In addition, I recently discovered that saliva helps to prevent tooth decay by washing away food and plaque from the teeth. The chemicals in saliva also work against the acid made by decay- producing bacteria and helps to repair teeth that have just begun to decay. Lack of saliva is referred to as dry mouth.

As can be seen, saliva is more important than one might think. The chemicals in saliva allow us to enjoy the enriching flavors of food and prevent cavities so we can have a healthy mouth!

http://okspenco.tumblr.com/

http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/cavities/basics/risk-factors/con-20030076

Indoor Pollution

Were you aware that pollution can be found in your house and not only outside? Many pollutants get trapped in indoor air due to poor ventilation and the concentration of pollutants increases over time. Some indoor pollutants include fossil fuels, smoking, volatile substances, pollen and spores, as well as radioactive materials. Fossil fuels are released into the air when we cook our food. While cooking, some LPG gas escapes unburnt. LPG contains hydrocarbons, carbon monoxide, and nitrogen oxides. Although these gases are released in small, undetectable amounts, over time the gases can build up with no where to escape. Families that use kerosene or firewood in their homes are at greater risk because the pollutants can cause asthma, heart disease, and cancer. For households in which people smoke, the smoke from bidis, cigars, and cigarettes contain about 4,000 different compounds including formaldehyde, nicotine, aromatic hydrocarbons, and particulate matter. Not only are smokers greatly affected by smoking, the people around them as well are at risk for asthma, cancer, and lung infections. Organic chemicals are used as floor cleaners, in paint, disinfectants, detergents, furniture polish, and laminates. These products contain formaldehyde, toluene, and acetone, which evaporates at room temperature. Besides cigarettes and cigars, formaldehyde is also found in plywood, particle boards, and insulating foam. Formaldehyde, toluene, and acetone may cause skin rashes, irritate the eyes, and cause allergies. Homes that are high in humidity increase the chances for the growth of fungi, moss, and bacteria, which release spores into the air. Fungi, moss, and bacteria are often found in the attic and in corners that are difficult to reach and clean. In addition, house plants release pollen into the indoor air. Pollen and spores can trigger asthma and allergies in sensitive people. Bacteria and fungi may increase the chances for infections in the respiratory and digestive system. Radioactivity is constantly present in our everyday lives. Radioactivity can be found in the uranium that's in the soil as well as in the cement, where radioactive gas radon escapes from the time it was being manufactured. To make homes healthy, proper ventilation is key. Try opening a window and turning off the a/c every once in a while to air out the house. It's best when cooking to make sure the flame is bright blue instead of yellow, which indicates an incomplete burning. This relates to chemistry because it shows how we are surrounded by chemistry. Many household products are unsafe and release harmful chemicals that cause health issues, but hopefully by becoming more aware of the possible risks we can reduce the number of people diagnosed with diseases. http://humantouchofchemistry.com/indoor-pollution-the-dangers-at-home.htm

CFCs in the Environment

Richie explains in his blog that three new CFCs (chlorofluorocarbons) have been released into the atmosphere as identified by scientists at the University of East Anglia. CFCs are very harmful to the environment because it is an accumulating substance that creates holes in the ozone layer. With the depletion of the ozone layer, humans are less protected from the sun's harmful UV rays. Many people release CFCs into the environment without even knowing. The following is a list of products that contain CFCs: -Air conditioners -Refrigerators -Foam insulation -Spray- foam sealant -Cushions -Packaging materials -Cleaning fluids for electronic equiptment -Aerosol propellants -Boat Horns -Tire inflators -Dust-off cleaning camera lenses Because of CFCs harmful effects, they have been banned from the country since 1978. After some precautions were taken to reduce the amount of CFCs released into the environment, scientists found a large hole in the ozone layer above the Antarctica in 1985. A worldwide effort is being taken to prevent the thinning of the ozone layer above the Arctic. CFCs introduce chlorine and numerous other reactive elements into the stratosphere, about 15 to 50 kilometers above the earth's surface. The chlorine ions react with the ozone and break off three oxygen atoms and form a transition compound, chlorine monoxide, and molecular oxygen. Chlorine monoxide reacts with another ozone molecule repeating the same process. One chlorine atom can break down tens of thousands of ozone molecules in this process, hence why CFCs are so destructive to the ozone layer. Like Richie said, it is alarming that CFCs have such a negative impact on the environment and I'm sure many people are not even aware of this substance. I feel that people need to become aware of CFCs and its impact on the environment in order to prevent more of the substance from entering the atmosphere. Once the ozone layer is gone, there is no getting it back. http://www.motherearthnews.com/nature-and-environment/cfcs-and-ozone-depletion-zmaz89ndzshe.aspx?PageId=1#axzz2xa5Gvga5 http://richieg06.tumblr.com/

Sleepy Heads...Wake Up!

This past Thursday, March 20th, was the first day of spring! Good bye layers of jackets and hello warm beams of sunshine! Since we have been having some warmer weather, I walked home from school and realized that the birds were singing. I asked myself how do animals know when to wake up from hibernation? Not surprisingly, animals know when to wake up due to the chemistry of their bodies. Animals in dark burrows are not able to sense warmer temperatures or longer days, however, they have an internal clock. This internal chemical is a series of chemical reactions controlled by the hypothalamus of the animal's brain. The internal clock is "set" by external signals. For example, a woodchuck goes into hibernation when it senses cooling temperatures and shorter days. This sets the internal clock to time zero and signals the woodchuck to enter hibernation. Approximately 180 days later, the central nervous system sounds the alarm causing the hibernator to shiver, which in turn uses energy and heat to wake the woodchuck. Hibernating animals have a slower metabolic rate to conserve energy. A woodchuck's normal body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius, but while hibernating, the temperature drops to 0 degrees Celsius. This conserves a lot of energy and allows for the woodchuck to live off body fat for six months. The body fat that the animals store is typically burned off in a week in an animal's normeothermic, or waking, state. The fat that in not burned for energy during hibernation known as brown fat. Brown fat is used to generate heat when an animal get's cold. I was unaware that all known deep hibernators wake up periodically during hibernation to get rid of the metabolic waste that has built up. The ground squirrel, for example, wakes up about every week to re-warm itself for about three hours and then re-enters hibernation. This relates to chemistry because animals have internal signals regulated by chemical reactions in order to recognize when to enter hibernation and when to wake up from hibernation. In the next few weeks I'm sure you will begin to notice more animals scurrying around full of energy after a long winter rest! http://earthsky.org/earth/how-do-hibernating-animals-know-when-to-wake-up

Colors

During a lab in chemistry class, we were observing the colors produced by different elements when put in a flame. I remember one of the colors observed was magenta and during the lab write-up we had to identify its place on the color wheel. I had no idea where magenta belonged! Thankfully, Dhara wrote a blog post on magenta's place in the color wheel. Dhara said that magenta is complementary (meaning opposite) to green on the color wheel. To understand magenta's placement on the color spectrum, our eyes process colors as detecting different wavelengths of light hitting the retina. Colors are the result of how our brains process wavelengths as Dhara puts it. So, going back to magenta, when your eyes detect two colors (red and violet) on the opposite sides of the spectrum, the brain makes up a color half way between the two colors, red and violet. To expand upon the idea of wavelengths, rainbows are created when light is reflected. We see rainbows after rainstorms because the raindrops serve as a prism for light to pass through. Sunlight enters the rain drop at a specific angle, and the rain drop then separates the white light into many colors. Red light bends the least, exiting a rain drop at a 42 degree angle, while violet light bends the most at a 40 degree angle. All other colors bend between a 42 and 40 degree angle which is the reason the order of the rainbow, ROYGBIV, never changes. As can be seen, the different colors are produced from different wavelengths and color is just an allusion of the brain. http://captainchemistry.tumblr.com/page/2

Chewing Gum

I love to chew on gum; especially the fruity and minty kind! Spencer did a blog post of the chemistry behind gum and I was able to learn some new things that I didn't know before. Spencer explains that chewing gum comes from the latex sap of the sapodilla tree, otherwise known as chicle. Interestingly enough, gum became popular during World War I and was new on the shelves at stores. Gum is made of long chains that are in the shape of coiled ropes. The interactions between the molecules in the "coiled rope" are weak, so when chewing gum is stretched, the substance breaks down. What really caught my attention in Spencer's post is that when you chew gum, the heat increases and stored energy becomes thermal energy. Spencer did a great job explaining the chemistry behind chewing gum, but he may not know about what I'm going to share with him next. I recently wrote a blog entry about this, but did you know that to a chemist when you say gum they are most likely not thinking about the chewing gum. There are many different kinds of gums, but all gums are thick substances from plants that are made up of polysaccharides. There is gum arabic used as a coating for stamps, tragacanth gum used to make toothpaste flow out of the tube, and guar gum to prevent ice crystals from appearing on ice cream. The newest gum that has been discovered is Xanthan gum, which is produced by the bacteria Xanthomonas. Did you know that all gums are made of polysaccharides (some more complex than others)? Polysaccharides are the building blocks for gum. Viscosity is another common word used to describe gum. Viscosity is a measure of how slowly or quickly the gum flows. With all this information about gum, we probably could be considered gum experts! http://www.tumblr.com/blog/melbelblue2 http://okspenco.tumblr.com/page/4

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