Crystal Growing - Science Fair Project Ideas
Thursday July 31, 2003
Are you looking for a science fair project idea? Here are some ways you can turn crystal growing into a research project. Remember, the first step of the scientific method ... Read More
Back to School
Wednesday July 30, 2003
It's that time of year again! For your convenience, the lefthand navigation bar is featuring the Back to School link, with chemistry study tips, information about calculators and texts, and ... Read More
Emeril's Nerdy Chemist Brother
Tuesday July 29, 2003
If you missed the July 27th FoxTrot comic, you may want to take a peek. I'm told the link will only exist for a month, but you can find other ... Read More
Using Chemistry to Predict Planet Presence
Monday July 28, 2003
There are a lot of stars in the universe, so how do you know where to point a telescope to look for planets? First, you analyze the spectrum of the ... Read More
Building a Nanoscale Motor
Sunday July 27, 2003
Alex Zettl and his students at UC Berkeley and Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory have built the first nanoscale motor. Their gold rotor on a nanotube shaft is the smallest synthetic ... Read More
Sphere Packing Predictions
Saturday July 26, 2003
If you have a droplet of liquid containing a set number of spheres, they will preferentially clump to form certain shapes. Can you predict the shapes with math? That's a ... Read More
Using Forensics to Identify Saddam's Sons
Friday July 25, 2003
How exactly did the U.S. Military confirm that Odai and Qusai Hussein were among those killed in the Mosul firefight? For starters, they got visual confirmation from people who had ... Read More
You Were Searching for Chemistry Clip Art?
Friday July 25, 2003
Here are five of last week's favorite search terms on About Chemistry. Scattered throughout the list were various names for the Periodic Table, too.
Clip Art
Saponification
Chemistry 101
How to Make Slime
Tattoo Ink
Heats of Formation
Thursday July 24, 2003
Did you know that the heats of formation for most compounds are negative quantities? The formation of a compound from its elements tends to be an exothermic process. Here's a ... Read More
Let's Grow Crystals
Wednesday July 23, 2003
It's fun to grow crystals! Okay, maybe it's more tedious than fun to grow a perfect protein crystal for crystallography, but there are lots of crystals that you can grow ... Read More
Vanadium Facts
Tuesday July 22, 2003
Would you recognize pure vanadium if you saw it? Vanadium is a soft, bright white metal. The element forms multicolored compounds, so Nils Gabriel Sefström and Jakob Berzelius named the ... Read More
What Causes Rigor Mortis?
Monday July 21, 2003
My alma mater is the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, which is home to the Body Farm. If putrefaction interests you, then start your education by gaining a basic understanding ... Read More
Incompatible Chemical Mixtures
Sunday July 20, 2003
Avoid gassing yourself with chemical warfare agents (e.g., chlorine, phosphine, hydrogen cyanide) made from common household products! Here's a list of chemicals that you don't want to accidentally mix, together ... Read More
The Hype about Hydrogen-Fueled Cars
Saturday July 19, 2003
President Bush and several presidential candidates are pressing to spend billions of dollars to develop hydrogen-powdered fuel cells and hydrogen-fuel vehicles. Hydrogen cars are supposed to be environmentally friendly and ... Read More
You Were Searching for Slime?
Friday July 18, 2003
Here are some of last week's favorite search terms at About Chemistry. The top search from within the site was actually for the term 'chemistry'. Perhaps by chemistry, you were ... Read More
Let's Make Invisible Ink
Thursday July 17, 2003
When you get right down to it, there are a lot of substances that can be used as invisible ink. Some invisible inks work by causing slight damage to the ... Read More
Organic Functional Groups are Fun!
Wednesday July 16, 2003
You've heard their names: alcohol, aldehyde, amide, amine, carboxylic acid, ester, ether, and ketone. Do you know their structures? If not, then visit the functional groups page. Memorizing these groups ... Read More
Chemistry Glossary
Tuesday July 15, 2003
If you haven't used the glossary lately, you may be a bit surprised by how much it has grown (and I'm still adding terms). As always, if you don't find ... Read More
Solubility of Ionic Compounds in Water
Monday July 14, 2003
I remember being told to memorize this table. I even remember most of the contents of the table, but isn't it nice to know that you can find out whether ... Read More
Tungsten or Wolfram
Sunday July 13, 2003
Tungsten is one of those elements with a symbol that doesn't seem to correlate to its name, or at least its English name. The symbol 'W' comes from the name ... Read More
Bugged by MSN's DEET Article
Saturday July 12, 2003
Before I go off on my rant, let me assure you I'm not a DEET-basher. I own DEET-containing insect repellents and use them in those instances when I plan to ... Read More
The Many Uses of Catnip
Saturday July 12, 2003
Catnip drives about 75% of adult cats crazy, thanks to a chemical called nepetalactone. The kitties detect nepetalactone using their vomeronasal or Jacobson's organ. Catnip isn't just for cats, though. ... Read More
Better Living through Biochem - B Lymphocytes Detect Bioweapons
Friday July 11, 2003
MIT researchers have developed a fast and accurate sensor to detect bioweapons or more mundane pathogens. An immune response between mouse B lymphocytes and a bacteria or virus causes the ... Read More
You Were Searching for Saponification?
Thursday July 10, 2003
Here's a look at some of this week's favorite reader search terms on About Chemistry. Did you find what you were looking for?
Saponification
Buying a Rock Tumbler
Periodic Table
Chemical Engineering
Amedeo Avogadro
A Better Lightbulb
Wednesday July 9, 2003
The earliest lightbulbs heated carbon filaments until they glowed. Scientists experimented with other metals, such as platinum and tungsten. However, the output of incandescent bulbs has remained pretty much unchanged ... Read More
Mixing Bleach and Vinegar - Always A Bad Idea?
Tuesday July 8, 2003
I received an e-mail asking about the safety and effectiveness of mixing bleach and vinegar to produce chlorine gas to kill mold in a boat that is being closed up ... Read More
Happy Birthday to Me!
Monday July 7, 2003
Today's my birthday! Because my birthday falls so close to July 4th, my parents once tried putting sparklers on my cake instead of candles. Theoretically, a simple sparkler isn't too ... Read More
Limiting Reactant & Theoretical Yield
Sunday July 6, 2003
What good is a chemical reaction if you don't know what you'll get out of it? If you are unclear on how to determine the theoretical yield of a reaction ... Read More
Jewelry Chemistry
Saturday July 5, 2003
When I'm not writing for About Chemistry, I make my living as a jewelry designer. Sometimes the two interests mesh, so Chemistry offers several features of interest to beaders and ... Read More
PUR's New Packet Purifies Water
Friday July 4, 2003
Science News reports on a packet of chemicals that can be added to seriously nasty water to remove heavy metals, bacteria, viruses, parasites, and sediment. The process relies on flocculation ... Read More
You Were Searching for Fake Blood?
Thursday July 3, 2003
Each week, I like to see what readers are searching for at About Chemistry. (Hint: In addition to the search box, you can find most features using the Chemistry A-Z ... Read More
Environmental Chemistry: Manmade Pollutants Save Fishery
Wednesday July 2, 2003
Here's a story about the 'plus' side of pollution. In a nutshell, human sewage and agricultural run-off are providing the nutrients needed to support the Nile delta's fishing industry. I ... Read More
Drugs from Plants
Wednesday July 2, 2003
One of the skills chemists learn is how to synthesize molecules. The original substances might have been discovered in nature. For example, acetylsalicylic acid, or aspirin, was isolated from white ... Read More
Make a Patriotic Density Column
Tuesday July 1, 2003
As many of you know, this week's newsletter had a Fourth of July theme, with links to fireworks information and other holiday chemistry goodies. About Chemistry reader Andy Sae was ... Read More