Ganjam,+Anand

From reading the article, I learned that Hydrofluoric acid is one of the most dangerous acid that exist. Though it is considered a weak acid, it is dangerous because it can easily pass through exposed human skin as well as membranes since it has a neutral charge. I was really surprised when I read that the hydrogen from the gas actually binds itself to enzymes in our body that control our blood and tissues. If that happens, it can severly damage the internal part of a body and even cause death. This just goes to show how important it is to be careful when dealing with chemicals, especially ones that can be hazardous to your health.
 * //Article 1//**

By reading the article I learned that most chemistry terms derived from Latin or Greek. In fact, there are 36 elements on the periodic table whose names derive from one of those two languages. The IUPAC system, which uses Greek numbers, is used when naming chemical compounds. I also learned that the word thermodynamics means "movement of heat" and was used when the steam engines were first put to work. After reading the article, it was clear to me that by having a basic understanding of the Greek language, one can understand chemistry to a deeper perspective.
 * //Article 2//**

I read the article "Is the hydrogen car of the future running on empty?" I found it interesting that even though a hydrogen powered 2008 Honda FC Clarity looks no different than a regular Honda, its price is very similar to that of the Lamborghini Murcielago. I also thought it was interesting how the hydrogen fueled cars run very quietly and has power heated and cooled seats. The article emphasizes that there is a low distribution of hydrogen throughout the United States giving the reason why there are so few hydrogen powered cars. As of this point there is no success in the future use of fuel cell cars because of the fact that there are not enough hydrogen service stations built in the country to supply fuel for a great number of people, making the demand for them less.
 * //Article 3//**

Good thoughts Anand. Gasoline and diesel fuel are much more available right now. MW

When reading the articleProxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 oxy-Connection: keep-alive Cache-Control: max-age=0 0Polymers in the field, I thought that it was really interesting when it said that polymers are used to manufacture much of the common sports equipment found today. I also thought that it was neat to read that when they found it was impossible to grow natural grass in texas for fields, scientists came up with an artificial grass which they call "chemgrass" or now known as turf. With the success, of what was eventually called Astroturf, in Texas, the new artificial grass began to be used in a widespread perspective. Many tennis courts now, for example, have polymeric fibers mixed into the surface for cushioning.
 * //Polymers in the Field//**

Anand, Good job. MW

One thing I already knew before reading the article on oil and water was that oil floats on top of water because it is less dense than water. I also knew that water molecules form hyrdogen bonds because of the fact that hydrogen bonds are formed when hydrogen directly bonds with nitrogen, oxygen, or flourine. This is where the "FON" concept we learned in class comes in. Lastly, I knew that the term immiscibility means the inability of a substance to be mixed, as we learned this term in the solutions unit of our class. One thing that I learned when reading this article was that the term "hyrdophobic" refers to nonpolar substances that fear or repel water. Many people like to say oil is hydrophobic, however, it has been proven that oil actually likes to attract to water. Another thing that I learned was that the reason oil and water are immiscible is because the dipole-dipole attractions between water molecules are so strong that they prevent any oil molecules from coming in between them. Lastly, I learned that even though it is true that like dissolves like, polar substances have the power to choose if they want to attract to a nonpolar or polar substance, whereas a nonpolar substance has to be satisfied for what they can get.
 * //Oil and Water//**

Anand, Well done. Keep up the good work! MW

//**Salting Roads**// While reading this article I learned that movements of the compacted molecules in a solid is called vibrational motion. I also learned that you can purify saltwater by freezing a portion of it and washing it off of ice crystals. Once the ice is thawed, pure water will be produced. Additionally, I have wondered why there is always snow in regions such as Alaska, Greenland, and in parts of Canada, even when the sun is out, and why they cannot use any of the techniques that we use like salting the roads to get rid of the snow. This article explained that in places like york, salt is placed on the roads before snow falls so that when the first snow flakes arrive, they melt due to the higher temperature of the road surface leaving a solution of salty water. The salty water on the ground has a lower freezing point which means ice does not form on the roads, making it easier to plow. In areas where there is always snow, the temperature is so low that the lower freezing point of salty water does not prevent the roads from freezing. Because of that, only the top layers of the snow are plowed off and the base layers of ice and snow remain for long periods of time.

Anand, Good thoughts. In areas above the arctic circle the sun never rises in the winter so the ice and snow doesn't melt very easily. 5 stars! MW

One thing I knew while reading the article about hand warmers is the disposable hand warmers create an exothermic reaction because they are releasing heat into your hands. I also already knew that iron and oxygen react to form iron oxide or Fe2O3 (because iron had a charge of +3 and oxygen has a charge of +2). Lastly, I knew that many plastics are semi-permeable because if you wrap certain types of food products in them, grease and other liquids are sometimes seen to leak through the plastic. One thing that I learned whilr reading this article was that hand warming packets contain iron powder, salt, water, activated carbon and an absorbent material that could be vermiculite, pulverized wood, or polyacrylate. I also learned that the difference between disposable and reusable hand warmers is that reusable ones contain a supersaturated solution of sodium acetate, instead of iron, that releases heat as it crystallizes, whereas the disposable hand warmers just contains iron, not the sodium acetate. Lastly, I learned that hand warmers have been used to transfer tropical fish, which need warm water to survive, from place to place.
 * //Hand Warmers//**

Anand, Very good. A thorough treatment of this article. 5 stars. MW

One thing I already knew about maple syrup before reading this article is that the syrup is taken from maple trees by slashing off the bark of the tree. I also already knew that sucrose and glucose have major concentrations in syrup. Lastly, I knew that sap contains amino acids and a small amount of minerals. One thing I learned was that it takes about 40-50 gallons of sap just to make one gallon of maple syrup. I thought it was interesting how it takes about 2600 Kilo-joules to evaporate one liter of sap into syrup because we had a whole unit on the enthalpy of reactions and I can understand the process that is occurring here. Another thing I learned while reading this article is that the components that create the color and flavor of maple syrup are unknown. People think that the possible causes of the color could be reactions between amino acids and reducing sugars, caramelization of sugars, and polycarbonyl compounds. Lastly, I learned that most people use imitation syrup which is based on corn syrup and artificial coloring. The real maple syrup is said to be tastier and more expensive.
 * //The Chemical Composition of Maple Syrup

Anand, They don't actually slash the bark off of the tree! They drill a hole in the tree. Yes most people like the real thing. Not my family though!? 5 stars. MW

//**Flaking Away
 * //One thing I knew before reading this article was that classing cars are becoming less and less common. Another thing I knew was that oxidation is the process of an atom losing electrons and reduction is the process of gaining electrons. Lastly, I remembered the "RedCat" pneumonic device we use when talking about cathodes because it helps us remember that cathodes are reduced and therefore accept electrons, leaving anodes to lose electrons and therefore be oxidized. One thing I didn't know before reading this article was that rust hits cars in colder climates and coastal areas more than anywhere else because there is a larger abundance of salt in those areas. I also learned that making cars out of gold and silver would prevent or at least reduce the amount of rust on cars in colder climates. Lastly, I didnt know that corrosion was such a serious problem in the military because it can prevent firearms from firing and can also reduce the lifetime of expensive vehicles like helicopters and tanks.

Anand, Yes the military is very interested in rust prevention! 5 stars. MW//**