Friday, October 8, 2010
Biology- It's not easy
So I have spent almost a quarter now in Biology. One thing I really understand now is Acids and Bases. All I had to do was focus and actually work on it instead of cruising facebook. I also really understand Water Properties and how they work now. I'm thinking it just takes me a little bit longer to understand science then at the pace we were going at. I just have to make sure I don't get distracted on my computer doing something else that I shouldn't be doing. Something I really need to work on is carbohydrates and sugars. I'm having a hard time understanding them. But I know if I stay more focused in class I can keep up and understand things better.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
Acids and Bases.....Uhh
What makes an acid an acid?
Acids make things taste sour. Vinegar and lemon juice are both sour because they are acids. Acids are corrosive to metals, change litmus red, and become less acidic when they are mixed with acids. They also taste sour. A scientist named Arrhenius suggested that acids are compounds that contain hydrogen and can dissolve in water to release hydrogen ions into solution. Arrhenius's suggestion can explain why acids have similar properties to each other.
What makes a base a base?
Bases are different from acids. Bases feel slippery and change litmus blue instead of red. They also bacome less basic when they are mixed with acids. Arrhenius said that bases are substances that dissolve in water to release hydroxide ions into solution. An example of a base is sodium hydroxide. All bases are similar in their properties and they all release OH-.
Neautralization is the idea that acids and bases counteract each other. The idea is that a base makes an acid weaker and an acid makes a base weaker.
Why is water neutral?
Water is neutral becauase the hydrogen negative and OH positive are the same amount.
How do antacids work?
Antacids work by increasing the PH level of stomach acid. They work by neutralizing acid and coating the stomach. The opposite of an acid is a base and that is what an antacid is. Antacids can treat symptoms like heartburn and gastritis.
Acids make things taste sour. Vinegar and lemon juice are both sour because they are acids. Acids are corrosive to metals, change litmus red, and become less acidic when they are mixed with acids. They also taste sour. A scientist named Arrhenius suggested that acids are compounds that contain hydrogen and can dissolve in water to release hydrogen ions into solution. Arrhenius's suggestion can explain why acids have similar properties to each other.
What makes a base a base?
Bases are different from acids. Bases feel slippery and change litmus blue instead of red. They also bacome less basic when they are mixed with acids. Arrhenius said that bases are substances that dissolve in water to release hydroxide ions into solution. An example of a base is sodium hydroxide. All bases are similar in their properties and they all release OH-.
Neautralization is the idea that acids and bases counteract each other. The idea is that a base makes an acid weaker and an acid makes a base weaker.
Why is water neutral?
Water is neutral becauase the hydrogen negative and OH positive are the same amount.
How do antacids work?
Antacids work by increasing the PH level of stomach acid. They work by neutralizing acid and coating the stomach. The opposite of an acid is a base and that is what an antacid is. Antacids can treat symptoms like heartburn and gastritis.
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Properties of Water Review "Dead Simple"
The article I read "Dead Simple"(http://www.futurity.org/science-technology/dead-simple-way-to-see-atomic-structure/) was about how scientists are trying to find new ways to see atomic structure. They were using many different ideas to obtain the first direct images of how water coats surfaces at room temperature.
One way they tried actually happened on accident. A guy named Heath accidentally figured out a technique how to pin down moving molecules under room temperature conditions.
Graphene is composed of a one-atom thick layer of carbon atoms in a honey comb like lattitce. Graphene should be completely flat but while experimenting Heath found some nanoscale island-shaped structures trapped between the graphene and something called mica that they didn't expect to see. Heath likes to call this experiment a happy accident. There were many different ways this team found that you couls study molecular structure.
Next this team hopes to improve the resolution of the technique so it can be used to image the atomic structure of biomolecules like antibodies. This science team is making a lot of progress.
One way they tried actually happened on accident. A guy named Heath accidentally figured out a technique how to pin down moving molecules under room temperature conditions.
Graphene is composed of a one-atom thick layer of carbon atoms in a honey comb like lattitce. Graphene should be completely flat but while experimenting Heath found some nanoscale island-shaped structures trapped between the graphene and something called mica that they didn't expect to see. Heath likes to call this experiment a happy accident. There were many different ways this team found that you couls study molecular structure.
Next this team hopes to improve the resolution of the technique so it can be used to image the atomic structure of biomolecules like antibodies. This science team is making a lot of progress.
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