Ayoub,+Norton

I learned that although hydrofluoric acid will barely damage the skin surface it will mainly destroy the body’s deep tissues because the acid doesn’t carry a charge and moves freely through membranes. The acid is a weak acid meaning that the bond between the hydrogen and the fluorine is not easily broken which is why it is so deadly. I also found that the acid will attach to calcium and magnesium in the body causing nerves to fail and cell membranes to collapse which can result in either mild cramps or as severe as death.

After reading the article I learned that the prefix “thio” means that an oxygen atom is replaced by a sulfur atom, for example a sulfur atom in the sulfate ion replaces an oxygen atom and that forms thiosulfate. I also learned that isomer means “same parts” so isomer compounds have the same composition but have a different arrangement of their atoms. I found pyrometry to be very interesting because pyro is the Greek word for fire so pyrometry means the measurement of high temperatures.

Joey, Good job finding three examples! MW

I read the article on the hydrogen-electrical house. This article was extremely interesting because Mike Strizi has converted his house to be completely self-sufficient by using the sun and stored hydrogen to create electricity to run all of the appliances in his house, heat his house, and even power his car. Strizi doesn't just use the typical solar panels, he actually breaks water into hydrogen and oxygen and saves the hydrogen for later use. He can use the hydrogen to power his car or mix the hydrogen with oxygen to create electricity to run his house. I think that this method of creating energy is really cool and might be the future of going green.

Polymers in the Field

After reading the article on the polymers, I learned about vulcanization. I think that vulcanization is really cool because it cross links the polymers to make the rubber stronger. Before reading this article I never realized that microbes in the soil decomposed the players spit and blood. I also found that the temperature differences between the turf and normal conditions were so drastic because of the rubber.

Joey, OK but your post is only 67 words! Too short. MW

Oil and Water

Before reading this article my previous knowledge of the relationship between oil and water is that when mixed, the oil will float on the surface of the water instead of mixing with it. I also knew that immiscible is what it's called when oil and water don't mix. The third thing that I knew before reading this article is that oil is non-polar while water is polar. After reading I learned that oil doesn't repel the water but in fact it is attracted to the water because of the water's polarity. The water molecule doesn't want to mix with the oil molecules because their dipole-dipole forces are much stronger than the induced dipole-dipole attractions. I finally learned that since oil is non-polar that the electrons move around at random.

Joey, OK. Looks good! MW

Salting Roads

After reading the article about salting roads I found many things very interesting. I knew that in the solid phase that the molecules were still moving but I didn't know that the bonds stretched or compressed in whats called vibrational motion. I found that the exterior of ice is less stable than the interior, allowing the salt to form a salty solution. Something interesting that I found was that magnesium chloride and calcium chloride work better than sodium chloride because they dissociate 3 ions instead of sodium chlorides 2, lowering the temperatures even more.

Joey, Looks good. MW

Hand Warmers

Before I read this article I knew that hand warmers warm your hands and feet by way of an exothermic reaction. I also knew that oxygen is the activator of the reaction. The third thing I already knew was that the packaging of hand warmers are extra strong to keep the oxygen out and the water in. What I didn't know was that the powder inside includes iron oxide and activated carbon. I also didn't realize that if the surface area of the powder is greater than the reaction rate will increase. I also didn't know that there was an absorbent material that plays a big part in the reaction as well.

Joey, Looks good. Seems like you knew a bit about handwarmers before this article. 5 stars! MW

Maple Syrup

Before reading this article I knew that maple syrup was made by extracting the sap from the bark of maple trees and boiling it into the finished product. I also knew that most of the production happens in Northeast North America. The third thing I knew was that when dried out sap turns to a white solid. One thing that I didn't know about maple syrup is that it is actually slightly because of the presence of organic acids and the quantity of the acid fluctuates throughout the season. I also didn't know that nearly 98% of the water from the sap needs to be removed to make syrup and it takes about 40-50 gallons of sap to make 1 gallon of syrup and it takes about 2600 KJ to remove that water. The third thing I learned was that there is another temperature scale called the Brix scale which expresses the concentrations of sugar solutions as the number of grams of sucrose per 100 grams of solution and sap becomes syrup at 66-67°Bx. (not finished)

OK. MW

Flaking Away

After reading this article there were some things that I already knew, like that rusting occurs more frequently in snowy and coastal areas. I also knew that cars are mainly composed of steel. I also know that a great, cheap way to prevent rust is a layer of paint to protect the car from water. I learned that rust is iron's favored state. I also learned that unpractical alternatives are gold or silver, but they are too soft, and stainless steel, but it's too expensive. I also didn't really think that rusting also affects machines like factory equipment.

Joey, OK. They probably keep the factory equipment dry and well-oiled. MW