Tuesday, September 3, 2013

Why is hydrogen peroxide stored in dark bottles? You may have noticed that the hydrogen peroxide in your school laboratory is always stored in a dark tinted bottle. Ever wondered why? What is hydrogen peroxide? Chemically known as H2O2, Hydrogen Peroxide is a chemical that has a variety of uses. Available as a pale blue liquid that is slightly more viscous than water, Hydrogen peroxide is a weak acid. Due to its strong oxidizing nature, hydrogen peroxide is often used as a bleaching agent. Peroxides are a class of chemical compounds where two oxygen atoms are linked with each other by a single covalent bond. The discovery of hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide was first discovered by Louis Jacques Thénard in 1818. This was achieved by reacting barium peroxide with nitric acid. Thénard’s process of creating hydrogen peroxide was widely used till the end of the 19th century. Making hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen Peroxide is produced naturally as by-product of oxygen metabolism. Most living beings have peroxidases enzymes that decompose small quantities of hydrogen peroxide present into water and oxygen. Hydrogen Peroxide can be produced indirectly by hydrogenation and oxidation of an anthraquinone. A direct method of hydrogenation not only hydrogenates O2 in H2O2but also convert H2O2into water. A new method of preparing hydrogen peroxide involves treating carbon support with either nitric or acetic acid. This is then dried. Gold and palladium, is then added to this support resultsin a reusable catalyst that produces H2O2with minimal conversion to H2O. Hydrogen Peroxide is produced naturally as by-product of oxygen metabolism. Uses of hydrogen peroxide Hydrogen peroxide is used primarily as a disinfectant and as a bleaching agent. Hydrogen peroxide was primarily used for pulp and paper bleaching. Today, it is growing more popular because it is seen as an environmentally friendly alternative to chlorine. This chemical is important for producing the PCB’s that are used in computers and other electronicsubstances. It is used as a monopropellant to fuel small engines in satellites. In your homes you might find hydrogen peroxide in hair bleach.As an antiseptic it is used to clean wounds. Mixed with baking soda and salt it can be used as toothpaste. Brown bottles and peroxide The packaging of hydrogen peroxide in brown bottles is essential to ensure that it retains its chemical properties. If hydrogen peroxide is heated or isexposed to trace amounts of metal or metal ions it turns into water or oxygen. Glass bottles sometimes have small amounts ofalkali metal ions dissolved in it. This is why plastic bottles or glassbottles coated with wax are used instead. The brown tint of the bottle prevents light being absorbed by the solution, preventing the oxidation and reduction reaction

Saturday, July 13, 2013

A party of electrons was attacked by a group of pesky protons. A mysterious stranger appeared on the scene and saved the group of protons. The electrons asked the mysterious stranger "Who are you?" The hero replies,"I am Bond, Covalent Bond."

A party of electrons was attacked by a group of pesky protons. A mysterious stranger appeared on the scene and saved the group of protons. The electrons asked the mysterious stranger "Who are you?" The hero replies,"I am Bond, Covalent Bond."

Thursday, March 29, 2012

INVESTING IN GOLD? KNOW ABOUT GOLD(Au)

Gold is a chemical element with the symbol Au
and an atomic number of 79.

Gold has only one stable isotope, 197Au, which is also its only naturally occurring isotope. Thirty-six radioisotopes have been synthesized ranging in atomic mass from 169 to 205. The most stable of these is 195Au with a half-life of 186.1 days



INTRESTING FACTS OF GOLD:

1. The term “gold” is the from the Proto-Indo-European base *ghel / *ghol meaning “yellow,” “green,” or possibly “bright.”


2. Gold is so rare that the world pours more steel in an hour than it has poured gold since the beginning of recorded history.

3. Gold has been discovered on every continent on earth.

4. Gold melts at 1064.43° Centigrade. It can conduct both heat and electricity and it never rusts.

5. Due to its high value, most gold discovered throughout history is still in circulation. However, it is thought that 80% of the world’s gold is still in the ground.

6. Seventy-five percent of all gold in circulation has been extracted since 1910.

7. A medical study in France during the early twentieth century suggests that gold is an effective treatment for rheumatoid arthritis.

8. Gold is so pliable that it can be made into sewing thread. An ounce of gold can be stretched over 50 miles.

RAW GOLD

9. Gold is chemically inert, which also explains why it never rusts and does not cause skin irritation. If gold jewelry irritates the skin, it is likely that the gold was mixed with some other metal.


10. One cubic foot of gold weighs half a ton. The world’s largest gold bar weighs 200 kg (440 lb).

11. In 2005, Rick Munarriz queried whether Google or gold was a better investment when both seemed to have equal value on the stock market.h By the end of 2008, Google closed at $307.65 a share, while gold closed the year at $866 an ounce.

13. The Olympic gold medals awarded in 1912 were made entirely from gold. Currently, the gold medals just must be covered in six grams of gold

14. Around 1200 B.C., the Egyptians used unshorn sheepskin to mine for gold dust from the sands of the Black Sea. This practice is most likely the inspiration for the “Golden Fleece.

15. There are more than 400 references to gold in the Bible, including specific instructions from God to cover furniture in the tabernacle with “pure gold.” Gold is also mentioned as one of the gifts of the Magi

16. The world’s largest stockpile of gold can be found five stories underground inside the Federal Reserve Bank of New York’s vault and it holds 25% of the world's gold reserve (540,000 gold bars). While it contains more gold than Fort Knox, most of it belongs to foreign governments

17. The purity of gold is measured in carat weight. The term “carat” comes from “carob seed,” which was standard for weighing small quantities in the Middle East. Carats were the fruit of the leguminous carob tree, every single pod of which weighs 1/5 of a gram (200 mg).


18. Carat weight can be 10, 12, 14, 18, 22, or 24. The higher the number, the greater the purity. To be called “solid gold,” gold must have a minimum weight of 10 carats. “Pure gold” must have a carat weight of 24, (though there is still a small amount of copper in it). Pure gold is so soft that it can be molded by hand