Becker,+Joel

I learned, by reading this article, that hydrofluoric acid is really dangerous. I think it is ridiculous that you can buy this chemical with the simplest of ease. Even though this chemical is not considered a strong acid, it still can cause a lot of damage to the human body because of Flourine's want for an electron. Hydroflouric acid carries no charge so it has no problem getting through your skin and once it is inside you, it starts creating havoc. The human body is full of chemicals that have free electrons like calcium and magnesium and the flourine molecules within the hydroflouric acid will attach them letting go of the hydrogen atoms. This starts to destroy cells beneath the skin. From the outside, it looks like there is nothing wrong with the hand but the victim is actually in excruciating pain. This could even cause death if a large enough area is covered with the chemical.

Joel,

OK but be more specific about 3 things you knew and 3 things you didn't know. 5 stars. MW

I learned a lot by reading this article. I found it very interesting that they do not know where the orgins of the word "chemistry" comes from. It could have come from the Egyptians, meaning the area in Egypt where chemistry might have started or from the Greeks meaning "I cast or pour". Either way, it is an interesting start to the word chemistry. I also found it interesting that the prefixes for numbers are Greek or Latin. I find it interesting because I do not understand why they chose to use two different languages for the prefixes. Why did they not use just one language? Also I found it interesting that they always use Greek terminology even though the scientist who discovered it might be French or English. I know that they use Greek and Latin normally for all sciences but I just found it interesting that they always keep the origins of the words Greek or Latin.

Joel, OK but what is your MVP? I liked the origin of chemistry too! 4 stars. MW

Light is quite a difficult thing for these scientists to grasp. I thought that an important point would be Heinrich Hertz describing the photoelectric effect. It is still used today in modern science which shows how accurate this mans theory really was. I found it intesting that we use these ideas that he brought into the world to make objects such as motion detectors and night vision goggles. Another importnat fact from this article was the experiment that was explained. The experiment used a EMD to measure the electrons coming off the metal. It does make sence that the EMD went off when the frequency was higher because more excited electrons are being blasted into this metal so it would be easier for the machine to locate them and go off. The fact that different metals had different wave frequencies did not suprise me because metals all have different densities and some might absorb more light than others. The last important fact and the most important was the explanation of Eistein's theory of relativity. I liked this explanation in this article because it is a very complex idea and the article dumbed it down enough for us high school students so that we could understand the ideas behind it. This was a very interesting article.

Joel, Nice Job! Yes the relativity thing is very abstract. 5 stars! MW

I thought that omething interesting that was brought up was the name "AstroTurf" and how it got the name. It got it's name from the fact that the first place that got artificial turf was the Astrodome. It was originally sold as "Chemgrass" in the 1960's. The Astrodome stadium was having a lot of trouble growing grass so they needed a solution for the stadium. They hired Monsanto Industries to install the fake grass into the stadium. Now this artificial grass is seen all over the world in different indoor and outdoor stadiums. This grass is created by different rubber fibers for the grass parts and there is also polymeric fibers for cushioning when you fall. I also found it interesting how the stadiums all have a draining system for water. When old fields would get rainned on, they would get incredibly muddy. Now since there is no dirt on the fields to hold the water, the water would just collect and create a small pond. So, to solve this problem, they angled the field to allow the water to drain from the field. This allows athletes to play even in a down pour.

Joel, OK although the connections to chem are cryptic. 5 stars. MW

Even though we have had long discussions in class already about the affects of salt on ice, I still found it interesting to read this article. I still found it interesting how waters freezing point is lowered when salt is added. I also found it interesting that you can purify water by freezing it. I never knew that all ice is only water I thought if you froze salt water, the ice would be salty too. Its interesting that the salt molecules get pushed out of the way so the water molecules can form together to make ice crystals. Its also interesting that the salt is used the melt ice. Not only is it used to prevent it but it can also get rid of ice. The salt molecule start forming bonds with the water and slowly starts to lower the freezing point of water. Also, the friction of cars driving over the ice warms up the ice and causes it to melt faster than usual. With all of these points, i feel the MVP for the article is the fact that salt lowers the freezing point of water. That is what the entire article talks about and it is the true reason why we use salt on the roads during the cold seasons of the year.

Joel, Good job! Very thorough and timely! 5 stars. MW

Pool Questions: 1). How often do you have to test the pool's pH and does the frequency increase with more swim sessions? Mr. Miller said that they have to test the pool at least two time a day because of regulation. The number of times a day that it is checked is usually higher than that because they want the water at a good pH. The average amount of times it is checked everyday is usually three.

2). Since the pool's pH should be kept in the 7.2-7.8 range, what do you keep the pool's pH at? Mr. Miller said that they keep the pool's pH at 7.5 constantly. This is the best pH for swimmers eyes and bodies. A constant flow of chemicals into the pool keeps the pH constant so that swimmers do not get sick.

3). What chemicals do you normally use to increase or decrease the pH other than Chlorine? Mr. Miller said that the chemical they use for chlorinate the pool is NaClO4. The liquid chemical is in a giant barrel in the basement and is constantly pumped into the pool. Readings are taken very frequently so that the machine knows how much NaClO4 should be pumped into the pool. That is the only chemical that is used in the process.

Joel, Looks good but it's NaClO not NaClO4! 10. MW

Flaking Away: One thing I learned from reading this article was that cars were not made up of just iron on the exterior. I thought that it was the solid metal always with a layer of paint over top of it. I also did not know what made up steel. I did not know that it was made up of iron and other assortments of elements. I did not know that if you put energy into a rusted spot on a car, you could reverse the rust and have the car look normal again. I can see why it is not done often since it costs a lot of money and sometimes it is just not worth it. The third thing I learned from article is that scientists are developing smart paint that when scratched will form back together. This would be a great invention because with no scratches on cars or buildings with iron in them, it will take even longer for the rust to form fully on the object. I wonder how they would make this new type of paint. One thing i knew already before reading this was that areas up north and near the coast have a problem with rust because there is an abundance of salt in those areas. Salt makes the redox reaction move more quickly because it makes water a better conductor. Another thing I knew about when I read it was the reason why gold cars are not in production. Yes, they would not rust but there are many other factors that make it so you can not have god cars. Gold is very expensive and can not be found readily for car production. Gold is very malleable which makes it not safe to drive. If you got in an accident, the car would be totaled quite easily. Gold is also very heavy. A small compact car would weigh a couple tons from the metal. The third thing I knew before I read this was galvanization. I knew that if you added a layer of another metal on top of the iron, it will take even longer for the iron to rust. It protects the metal when a thin layer of paint is added.

Joel, Awesome post! Very thorough. 5 shiny stars! MW