Pattie Maes: Unveiling game-changing wearable tech

Why Are Humans Made Of Carbon? Chemist Points To Electrons, Molecular Bonds

Everything on earth is made up of combinations of different elements – all of which can be found on the periodic table. Considering that the periodic table contains 118 elements it seems a pity that organic life tends to feature only five or six of those elements in any vast quantities. The main one being carbon.

As well as being the main element in organic matter, carbon atoms are the only element in both graphite and diamond.

It would be impossible for life on earth to exist without carbon. Carbon is the main component of sugars, proteins, fats, DNA, muscle tissue, pretty much everything in your body. The reason carbon is so special is down to the electron configuration of the individual atoms. Electrons exist in concentric ‘shells’ around the central nucleus and carbon has four electrons in its outermost shell. As the most stable thing for an atom to have is eight electrons, this means that each carbon can form four bonds with surrounding atoms.

For more click here.

Credit:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com

Chemistry of Cooking

WHAT ARE ACIDS AND BASES? An acid is defined as a solution with more positive hydrogen ions than negative hydroxyl ions, which are made of one atom of oxygen and one of hydrogen. Acidity and basicity are measured on a scale called the pH scale. The value of freshly distilled water is seven, which indicates a neutral solution. A value of less than seven indicates an acid, and a value of more than seven indicates a base. Common acids include lemon juice and coffee, while common bases include ammonia and bleach.

WHY DOES FOOD SPOIL? Processing and improper storage practices can expose food items to heat or oxygen, which causes deterioration. In ancient times, salt was used to cure meats and fish to preserve them longer, while sugar was added to fruits to prevent spoilage. Certain herbs, spices and vinegar can also be used as preservatives, along with anti-oxidants, most notably Vitamins C and E. In processed foods, certain FDA-approved chemical additives also help extend shelf life.

This report has been produced thanks to a generous grant from the Camille and Henry Dreyfus Foundation, Inc.

Reported January 2009

Credit: http://www.ivanhoe.com/science/story/2009/01/528si.html

Happy Republic Day

To all blog readers...

Blog's Highlight

New page for Computational Chemistry will start soon. Guest bloggers can send their articles, which are highly welcomed, and will be published with full credit.

      Click here to submit your articles.

Image credit: http://pubs.acs.org

• I request all of you to inform your friends/colleague's/students.
• Please notify immediately, if you found any mistakes.
• Please provide your comments/suggestions for improvement.
• Utilize this platform for your educational purposes.  

Statistical Mechanics

Defining statistical mechanics: Statistical Mechanics provies the connection between microscopic motion of individual atoms of matter and macroscopically observable properties such as temperature, pressure, entropy, free energy, heat capacity, chemical potential, viscosity, spectra, reaction rates, etc. 

Why do we need Statistical Mechanics:

1. Statistical Mechanics provides the microscopic basis for thermodynamics, which, otherwise, is just a phenomenological theory.
2. Microscopic basis allows calculation of a wide variety of properties not dealt with in thermodynamics, such as structural properties, using distribution functions, and dynamical properties - spectra, rate constants, etc., using time correlation functions.
3. Because a statistical mechanical formulation of a problem begins with a detailed microscopic description, microscopic trajectories can, in principle and in practice, be generated providing a window into the microscopic world. This window often provides a means of connecting certain macroscopic properties with particular modes of motion in the complex dance of the individual atoms that compose a system, and this, in turn, allows for interpretation of experimental data and an elucidation of the mechanisms of energy and mass transfer in a system.

For more details and lecture notes click here.


Credit: Professor M. Tuckerman  

New 2-D Material for Next Generation High-Speed Electronics

Scientists at CSIRO and RMIT University have produced a new two-dimensional material that could revolutionise the electronics market, making “nano” more than just a marketing term.

The material – made up of layers of crystal known as molybdenum oxides – has unique properties that encourage the free flow of electrons at ultra-high speeds. 

In a paper published in the January issue of materials science journal Advanced Materials, the researchers explain how they adapted a revolutionary material known as graphene to create a new conductive nano-material.  For more details click here.

Artist impression of high carrier mobility through layered molybdenum oxide crystal lattice. (Credit: Dr Daniel J White, ScienceFX)

Credit: Dr Daniel J White, http://www.csiro.au