Daily Post 24/2/12

What surprised me related to the lab yesterday?

Something that surprised me in the lab yesterday was when the reaction between the H₂SO₄ and the NaOH because of the change in temperature. Also when mixing two liquids together, a solid forms.

 What was an observation that led you to think a chemical reaction occurred?

I knew that a chemical reaction occurred when the mixture changed colors, state, and changed temperature.

Which reactions produced different product(s) states?

Combination between BaCl₂ and FeSO₄, FeSO₄ and K₃[Fe(CN)₆], NaCl and AgNO₃, and H₂SO₄ and NaOH.

An observation I made is different product states occur when mixing soluble compounds.

Describe salt going into water

As the salt hits the water, the atoms separate from each other and float freely around in the water. As more salt is added to the water, the mixture becomes saturated with salt. When the saturation limit has been reached, the extra salt lays at the bottom of the container in a dynamic state. Depending on the solubility of the salt will affect how much the salt will dissolve in the water.

Write a chemical equation for the above observation

NaCl_(s) + H₂O_(l) -> H₂O_(l) + Na⁺_(aq) + Cl^-_(aq)

Daily Post 15/2/12

What were today's two main topics?
Naming ionic compounds
Coulombs law and melting points of compounds

Look at food or product labels in and around your home. Post on your blog (name and formula) 5 ionic compounds that you found, and list the common product in which they are contained.
Sodium aluminum phosphate [ Na₃Al₂H₁₅(PO₄)₈ ]-Flour tortillas
Aluminum Bicarbonate [Al(HCO₃)₃]-Goldfish crackers
Sodium Bicarbonate [Na(HCO₃)]-Lay’s potato chips
Monocalcium phosphate [CaPO₄]-Cereal bar
Calcium Chloride [CaCl]-Canned tomatoes

Explain why ionic compounds tend to have high melting points.
Using Coulomb’s law (F=K*q₁q₂/r²) we find that as the charge of the ionic compound increases, the melting point of the compound increases.  Also using Coulomb’s law, we discover that as the size of the ionic compound increases, the melting point decreases.  From this observation, we can conclude that the force between atoms varies directly with the melting point of the compound.

Daily Post 8/2/12

What were the main topics covered in class today?
Structure of atoms

Describe the structure of an atom.
A structure of an atom contains a nucleus consisting of protons and neutrons. Around the nucleus of the nucleus is a “cloud” of electrons. 

Explain the location and behavior of electrons.
Electrons behave like a cloud in which they appear at a random point around the nucleus and in difference layers-or rings-(depending on the atom).

Comments:
When the topic about the table being touched and what interactions were taking place, I failed to mention the phenomenon that there is a layer of “ice” at room temperature laying on the surface of the table. So according to the research from Caltech, there is a layer of ice between my finger and the table I am attempting to touch.  

Daily Post 3/2/12

What are the four fundamental forces in our universe? List the two that we most commonly feel and experience every day.

The four fundamental forces in the universe are strong nuclear force, weak nuclear force, electrostatic force, and gravity. The two forces that we feel and experience every day are:

-Gravity
-Electrostatic force

Explain a situation (list liquid examples and order) in which two liquids of different densities form two layers.

The example that was given in class was the solution of oil and water. Because oil is insoluble, both liquids don’t mix with each other. Another example in everyday life is vinaigrette. This is as solution of oil and vinegar in which both liquids aren’t able to be mixed with each other. Going back to the first example, the layer order of the liquid in a beaker would be:

-Oil (on top)                0.8 g/cm³
-Water (on bottom)     1.0 g/cm³

The layer order for the vinaigrette would be:
-Olive oil                     0.92 g/cm³
-Vinegar                      1.01 g/cm³

Explain a situation in which two liquids of different densities form one layers.
            An example of a solution containing two different liquid densities is a cocktail (as mentioned in class). When the liquids are poured into a glass, they need to be agitated in order for both liquids to reach equilibrium and form one layer.

List the density of osmium, lead, and aluminum.
-Os: 22.59 g/cm³
-Pb: 11.34 g/cm³
-Al: 2.70 g/cm³

What questions/comments do you have?

Related to the four fundamental forces in the universe, I remember from high school learning that three of the forces (strong and weak nuclear, and electrostatic forces) can be related to each other, however, gravity cannot. If physicists were able to relate gravity to the three other forces, they would be able to complete the Theory of everything, which would allow us to understand of everything in our universe and how it began.

For future reference:
-Strong nuclear force: gluons
-Weak nuclear force: bosons
-Electrostatic: photons
-Gravity: gravitons