10 Carbon Facts

1.) Carbon is a nonmetal that can bond with itself and many other elements, forming nearly ten million elements.
2.) Elemental carbon can take the form of one of the hardest substances (diamond) or one of the softest (graphite).
3.) Carbon is the basis for organic chemistry, as it occurs in all living organisms.
4.) Carbon is made in the interiors of stars, though it was not produced in the Big Bang.
5.) Carbon compounds have limitless uses. In its elemental form, diamond is a gemstone and used for drilling/cutting; graphite is used in pencils, as a lubricant, and to protect against rust; while charcoal is used to remove toxins, tastes, and odors.
6.) Carbon has the highest melting/sublimation point of the elements. The melting point of diamond is ~3550°C, with the sublimation point of carbon around 3800°C.
7.) Pure carbon exists free in nature and has been known since prehistoric time.
8.) The origin of the name 'carbon' comes from the Latin word carbo, for charcoal. The German and French words for charcoal are similar.
9.) Pure carbon is considered non-toxic, although inhalation of fine particles, such as soot, can damage lung tissue.
10.) Carbon is the fourth most abundant element in the universe (hydrogen, helium, and oxygen are found in higher amounts, by mass).

Rodrigo Monsalve.....

i just think it was necessary that we all know get some information about this particular element carbon.

Erwin Rudolf Josef Alexander Schrödinger

Hey guys well today in class we were talkign about a few german scientists and I chose to look up this man. Hes pretty neat feel free to read up on him.

http://www-history.mcs.st-andrews.ac.uk/history/Biographies/Schrodinger.html

KATHY

Microbeads Improve Disease Detection

Detecting Disease: Microbeads To Improve Identification Of Biomarkers In Body
Fluids

Analyzing human blood for a very low virus concentration or a sample of water for a bioterrorism agent has always been a time-consuming and difficult process. Researchers at the Georgia Institute of Technology and Emory University have developed an easier and faster method to detect these types of target molecules in liquid samples using highly porous, micron-sized, silica beads. The researchers developed a technique to simultaneously or sequentially add optical and magnetic nanoparticles into the beads. Adding magnetic nanoparticles allows the use of a magnetic field to attract and easily remove the beads from a liquid sample. The beads are mixed in a liquid such as urine. Viruses, proteins or other biomarkers are captured on the bead surface. After the beads are removed from the liquid, optical imaging is used to determine the concentration of a specific protein or virus in the liquid sample based on the number of proteins or viruses attached to the surface of the beads. For further research,

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/02/070215131713.htm

Okie, Vivian Coolen

Key to Safe Tan...

Sorry, I forgot to write my name at the end of that last blog about skin cancer.
-Manuel Contreras

Key to Safe Tan for Fair Skinned

Recently, we discussed how UV rays can cause skin conditions including cancer. I was wondering if there were any ways to protect ourselves besides traditional ways such as using sun-screen. It turns out there might actually be another solution in the future.
Research has led to discoveries on what actually causes skin to tan or, to be more precise, what keeps light-skinned people from tanning. Previously, it was believed that UV radiation directly affected melanocyte cells, which are cells in the epidermis that produce pigment known as melanin. Actually, UV rays affect nearby cells called keratinocytes and those can affect the melanocyte cells through receptors that link the two. However, light-skinned people have faulty receptors and that keeps them from tanning.
This is interesting because now that they know more about what causes the skin to tan, they have also found a possible way to allow tanning in light-skinned people. In experiments with mice, scientists have been able to use a plant extract called forskolin to bypass the faulty receptors causing pigmentation.
The true significance behind this is that if scientists succeed in being able to give light-skinned people a natural tan, that will reduce the number of people that develop skin cancer since people with light skin are at higher risk. However, we won't see any of this for years since it's currently only been tested on mice meaning that much of the process is still only theoretical. It's a good start though.
Here's the link which goes further in depth if anyone's interested.
http://www.webmd.com/news/20060920/key-to-safe-tan-for-fair-skinned?page=1

Why Do Onions Make You Cry?

Unless you’ve avoided cooking, you probably cut up an onion and experienced the burning and tearing you get from the vapors. When you cut an onion, you break cells, releasing their contents. Amino acid sulfoxides form sulfenic acids. Enzymes that were kept separate now are free to mix with the sulfenic acids to produce propanethiol S-oxide, a volatile sulfur compound that wafts upward toward your eyes. This gas reacts with the water in your tears to form sulfuric acid. The sulfuric acid burns, stimulating your eyes to release more tears to wash the irritant away.

I know most of you guys know this, but I wanted to share this article anyways…if you want to know more go to this website

http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/onionscry.htm

Rodrigo Monsalve

Why do cut apples, pears, bananas and apples turn brown?

Guys!!...

Along with the previews posted article, I found this other interesting article. It is about the reason why bananas, apples, pears and potatoes turn brown after a certain time of being cut.

This fruits contain contain an enzyme (called polyphenol oxidase or tyrosinase) that reacts with oxygen and iron-containing phenols that are also found in the apple. The oxidation reaction basically forms a sort of rust on the surface of the fruit. You see the browning when the fruit is cut or bruised because these actions damage the cells in the fruit, allowing oxygen in the air to react with the enzyme and other chemicals.

This reaction that takes place could be slowed or prevented by inactivating the enzyme with heat (cooking), reducing the pH on the surface of the fruit (by adding lemon juice or another acid), reducing the amount of available oxygen (by putting cut fruit under water or vacuum packing it), or by adding certain preservative chemicals (like sulfur dioxide).

If you want to read more about this, here is the link http://chemistry.about.com/od/chemistryfaqs/f/brownapplefaq.htm

Hope you found it interesting!!

Nohora C. Duque