Simon Davies's Blog
Posted by Simon Davies
One important factor in today's quest for a solution to climate change will be new ideas from the chemical industry and university departments. We can't just turn the clock back to times when we didn't produce so much carbon dioxide. Society has moved on and developed and we need to find new ways of doing things.
An example of what this might mean has just been presented to the American Chemical Society's 235th Annual Meeting. German chemist, Thomas Muller, has proposed a method by which the carbon dioxide, which is so plentifully available in the smokestacks of industries that burn fossil fuels, can be converted into a polymer known as polycarbonate.
Polycarbonate is a hard tough material used for applications such as CDs and DVDs, lenses for spectacles, drinks bottles and car headlight casings. To be able to use carbon dioxide to make these products and so avoid releasiong it into the atmosphere can only be a good thing.
Posted by Simon Davies
A very encouraging story from the RSC (here) throws up some important questions about the state of science education in the UK.
Haileybury is a public school, which in the UK means that students have to pay quite large sums of money to attend (a state school is free to all). This means that the school has a much larger budget available.
In the upper-sixth form there are 35 students taking chemistry A-Level, as well as two or three other subjects. Of those 35, 14 have chosen to study chemistry at university.
What is the secret of the Haileybury Chemistry Department?
Is it simply that the school has more modern labs and can afford to give each individual student, good quality, functional equipment? Many state schools have to make sixth form students share equipment between two or three. I am sure this reason does enter into it.
One quote from the head of Chemistry, Ray Dexter, however, I think gets to the heart of the matter:
"Chemistry, taught badly, is the worst subject in the world, but, if it is well-taught, pupils never want to stop studying it."
The manner of teaching makes all the difference. Chemistry is a fascinating and, indeed, exciting subject. Many teachers today are simply not doing the subject justice. But this is not always the fault of the teachers.
The science teacher in the UK has so many presures on his time and energy, especially with chidren lower down the schools who simply do not want to learn, that when they get to A-level classes, they simply do not have the enthusiasm left to put a spark into their teaching.
The answer? No idea! Maybe dedicated sixth-form colleges with good facilities and fresh teacher would help.
Posted by Simon Davies
This article tells of the tragic explosion at the Imperial Sugar Company at Port Wentworth near Savannah in Georgia. It was such a serious explosion that five days later hotspots were still burning and investigators were still unable to gain access to the structure.
The probable cause is the sugar dust that would have been present in the factory. How could sugar dust cause an explosion? It is due to the size of particles and hence the surface area available to be burned.
Organic matter such as sugar and flour is combustible to a certain extent. When exposed to oxygen and a source of heat it will burn. Kinetic theory states that the rate of reaction will increase as particle size decreases because there is more surface area available to react.
This means that when sugar dust or flour is dispersed in the air and a source of ignition is applied, the dust will burn very rapidly, causing an explosion.
The arguments in the USA over regulations applied to factories which have quantities of combustible dust need to take into account this simple chemistry!
Posted by Simon Davies
You have to read this article:
http://hubpages.com/_3t33z4bqmga3n/hub/WeirdMoleculeNames
It is a list of loads of names which have been given to chemicals, some purposely but some are simply systematic names which turn into something else.
For example there really is a chemical called Arsole, and Moronic Acid, and even Sexithiophine! There is Spamol - which will amuse emailers everywhere, and Dogcollarane for the clerics amongst us.
Some minerals with lovely names include Apatite, Welshite, and Cummingtonite.
The article includes the reasons behind the name and some amusing anecdotes too. Give it a read, its well worth it!
Posted by Simon Davies
One of a woman's great distresses is the orange-peel effect of cellulite in their skin. The latest "miracle cure" for this stubborn condition is a pair of tights which is impregnated with microcapsules of caffeine. They can be purchased online from Tightsplease.com for £33 ($64) for three pairs. The publicity says that as the temperture rises, the caffeine is released directly into the thigh where it increases the metabolism and burns up the fat which causes cellulite.
Reviews on the seller's website are very positive (of course) but the caffeine only remains in the tights for four washes, so what is the chemistry behind this idea?
It does seem to be generally sound. In an article elsewhere (here) I have described the effects of caffeine on the adenosine receptors in the brain. Another effect that caffeine has is that it inhibits the activity of an enzyme called phosphodiesterase which slows down fat breakdown (mentioned here)
Cellulite is essentially fat accumulated beneath the skin of the thighs and buttocks. It takes on the "orange-peel" appearance because of the way the skin is attached to the muscle. So if the enzyme which slows down fat breakdown is taken out of play by the caffeine, fat and hence cellulite will be burnt away quicker.
So my advice to women is: Try it! You never know you may lose those 2cm from your thighs and be a little bit less self-conscious on the beach this summer!
