Have you ever looked up at a fireworks display and wondered where all those colors are actually coming from? To answer this question we must first go back to atomic theory. As you may recall, an atom is comprised of electrons, protons, and neutrons. The protons and neutrons are contained within the nucleus while the… Read more »
On Sunday, January 28, 2018, there was a significant explosion in a chemistry laboratory. Fortunately, no one was injured due to the laboratory being vacant at the moment of the explosion, but the fume hood where it occurred was severely damaged. The safety sash, which consists of four safety glass panels at the front of… Read more »
Chemistry labs typically contain a number of potential hazards ranging from chemicals to lasers and beyond. Pyrophoric materials are among the most dangerous, as they spontaneously and violently ignite when exposed to mere water, or even air! Dealing with pyrophoric materials safely requires significantly more protection than that offered by traditional safety attire like eye… Read more »
Many of us probably remember learning about greenhouse gases in middle school. The one that first comes to mind is likely carbon dioxide. But it is only one of several primary greenhouse gases. Water vapor, methane, nitrous oxide, and ozone are all on the list as well. But what is the determining factor of whether… Read more »
When we look around the world, we see order and symmetry. It’s evident in snowflakes, flowers, and beehives, just to name a few. Going beyond what the plain eye can see, we also know that several chemical structures consist of ordered atoms. For example, think of sodium chloride (more plainly known as table salt). Its… Read more »
The storage capability of hard drives has been increasing exponentially over the past 60 years. The IBM 350 RAMAC disk released in 1956 was able to store 2000 bits (a unit used to measure storage ability) of information per square inch. In 2014, Seagate Technology released a hard drive that could store 1 billion bits… Read more »
Hydrogen gas (H2), which is currently used in world-wide production of ammonia, is also being considered as an alternative fuel. But how is hydrogen gas made? Carbon monoxide (CO) and water (H2O) can be combined to form hydrogen gas (H2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) in a process known as the water-gas shift reaction. The water-gas… Read more »