Life could not exist without compounds of sodium. These compounds hold
water in body tissues, and a severe deficiency of sodium can cause death.
Blood contains sodium compounds in solution. Sodium compounds are used in
industry in the manufacture of chemicals and pharmaceuticals, in metallurgy,
in sodium vapor lamps, and in the production of hundreds of every day
products. One of the most common sodium compounds is table salt, or sodium
chloride. In its pure form sodium is a silver-white, soft and waxy metallic
element. It is the sixth most abundant element on Earth and occurs in more
that trace amounts in the stars and sun.
The secret that led to low-cost production was learned in 1789, when the
French chemist Nicolas Leblanc discovered how to make soda out of common
salt. The compound called soda is sodium carbonate. Crude sodium carbonate
is called soda ash. The carbonate also combines with water in crystals known
as washing soda, or sal soda. Soda is used in manufacturing soap, glass,
dyestuffs, and explosives and as the basis for making other sodium compounds.
Other sodium compounds, with some of their uses, are: baking soda(sodium
bicarbonate), an ingredient of baking powder; borax (sodium borate), a food
preservative; and caustic soda, or lye (sodium hydroxide), used in
soapmaking. Some properties of sodium are: Symbol Na, Atomic Number 11,
Atomic Weight 22.9898, Boiling Point 1,621.2 F, and Melting Point 208.06 F.
Sodium belongs to the group of elements known as alkali metals. It is never
found uncombined in nature and was first isolated by the English scientist
Sir Humphry Davy in 1807. Lighter than water, pure sodium can be cut with a
knife at room temperature and is brittle at low temperatures. It conducts
heat and electricity easily and exhibits a photoelectric effect, that is, it
emits electrons when exposed to light. In its pure form, sodium oxidizes
Pulitzer Prize winning author, Michael Moss, talked about how food industries are spending trillions of dollars on processed food which essentially caused an increase of obesity over the past couple centuries. His #1 New York best-selling investigative report, Salt, Sugar, Fat, discusses a time when he visited the Kellogg’s company headquartered at Battle Creek, Michigan. After talking to representatives from this company about their food and how there is so much salt in their branded products. The company invited Moss to test their food products that did not incorporate any salt in the ingredients and as expected, the taste was bland. From this taste test, the company showed Moss why salt was so important in their products. Salt gives
The Effect of Sodium Chloride on a Potato Chip To investigate what happens to a potato chip's weight when placed in different concentrations of Sodium Chloride INTRODUCTION:~ = == == == ==
The cultured genre of hip-hop, which includes R&B and rap, has a slew of pioneers. Artists from Sugarhill Gang to Run DMC dominated the airwaves. Hip-hop belonged to men. It was their territory. No one had ever even conceived such a notion of an all-girl rap group. That is, until Salt-N-Pepa came into place. Salt-N-Pepa are one of hip-hop's biggest influences for women whom are presently involved in the music industry. They were one of the many women whom lit the torch for women and have passed it down to artists such Nicki Minaj, Kelly Rowland, and many others. Salt-N-Pepa are inspirations for many women around the world.
Barium is a soft, heavy, silver-colored metal element. This element does not have very many uses outside of the laboratory, but it combines easily with other chemicals to form compounds used for important industrial uses. For example, Barium carbonate is used in the manufacture of ceramics and special glass, and also to purify certain chemical solutions. It is also an ingredient in clay slurries, also known as water muds, used in drilling oil wells. Barium titanate is used in sonar detectors and other electrical equipment. At low doses, barium acts as a muscle stimulant and at higher doses affects the nervous system eventually leading to paralysis. Acute and subchronic oral doses of barium cause vomiting and diarrhea, followed by decreased heart rate and elevated blood pressure. Higher doses result in cardiac irregularities, weakness, tremors, anxiety, and dyspnea. A drop in serum potassium may account for some of the symptoms. Death can occur from cardiac and respiratory failure. Acute doses around 0.8 grams can be fatal to humans. Barium nitrate makes signal flares burn with a green flame. Barium ferrite is used to make magnets. Barium sulfate is an extremely insoluble barium compound that is not poisonous. Doctors use it in X-ray examinations of a patient's digestive system. The barium sulfate absorbs X rays to show an outline of the intestines on the developed film. A barium enema is performed to examine the walls of the colon. During the procedure, a well lubricated enema tube is inserted gently into the rectum. The barium is then allowed to flow into the colon. The flow of the barium is monitored by the health care provider on an X-ray fluoroscope screen. The test is used to detect colon cancer. The barium enema may also be used to diagnose and evaluate the extent of inflammatory bowel diseases. Barium sulfate and zinc sulfide form lithopone, a white coloring matter for paint. Barium is never found in a pure state because it combines so easily with other elements. Pure barium is obtained by passing an electric current through a fused barium compound, such as barium chloride. A piece of barium metal quickly reacts with oxygen and water vapor in the air to form barium oxide. It must be stored under kerosene to keep it pure. Barium is found most often as barium sulfate in the mineral barite. The chemical symbol for barium is Ba.
The Radium Girls was the nickname given to hundreds of young women who worked in clock factories in the early 1900s in the U.S. and in Canada. The women painted and sold over 1,000,000 watch dials with a luminous radium paint to make them glow in the dark. The girls were referred to as the Ghost Girls in their time because they would physically shine at nighttime due to the radium on their skin from the factories. They also licked their paint brushes every time they picked them up after making a mark on the watch dials to make a finer tip on the brush. The ingestion of radium caused devastating side effects for the girls because of the gamma radiation that radium emits (Moore, 2017). Gamma radiation refers to gamma rays which can cause stochastic (random) health risks such as cancer.
X-rays are electromagnetic waves that are like light. They can penetrate materials with masses to different levels. When the x-rays hit the film, it creates an image which shows it like a light would. Since bone, fat, muscle, tumors and other structures all absorb x-rays at different levels, the image on the film lets you see different distinct structures inside the body. This is because of the various levels of exposure on the film.
Potassium is an element on the periodic table that is symbolized by the letter K. The atomic number of this element is 19. At room temperature this element is a solid. Potassium can be found in two forms: either pure or compounds. Pure potassium is described as a soft silvery-white alkali metal that oxidizes rapidly in air and is very reactive in water However, Potassium forms many compounds such as Potassium chloride, which is the most common potassium compound (Gagnon, 1). This form of Potassium is especially used in fertilizers as a salt substitute. Another potassium compound is Potassium hydroxide, which is used to make soap, detergents and drain cleaners. Potassium carbonate is used to make some types of glass and soaps. This is also obtained as a byproduct of ammonia. Lastly, Potassium superoxide can create oxygen from water vapor and carbon dioxide. An example of this reaction is “2KO2 + H2O + 2CO2 => 2KHCO3 + O2” (Gagnon, 1). Gagnon also says, “it is used in respiratory equipment and is produced by burning potassium metal in dry air. Potassium nitrate (KNO3), also known as saltpeter or nitre, is used in fertilizers, match heads and pyrotechnics” (Gagnon, 1). Sir Humphrey Davy discovered this element in England in 1807 (Helmenstine, 1). Steve Gagnon, maintainer of the Jefferson Lab website page says, “Sir Humphry Davy first isolated metallic potassium in 1807 through the electrolysis of molten caustic potash (KOH)” (Gagnon, 1). Gagnon also writes, “a few months after discovering potassium, Davy used the same method to isolate sodium. Potassium can be obtained from the minerals sylvite (KCl), carnallite (KCl·MgCl2·6H2O), langbeinite (K2Mg2(SO4)3) and polyhalite (K2Ca2Mg(SO4)4·2H2O). These minerals are often found in ancient...
Have you ever wondered why sodium is so important in our day to day lives? Sodium is one fo the top 5 most commonly used chemical compounds in our surroundings. When you close this page you will know everything about sodium!
- The amount of times the mixture was stirred. We stirred the mixture until the Ammonium Nitrate was dissolved, so the amount of times we stirred after each teaspoon was different.
5."In Bad Taste: The MSG Syndrome" by Dr. George R. Schwartz, M.D. Health Press, Santa Fe, New Mexico, c1988
In 1817, an aging Swedish chemist was pouring over his work on a late afternoon in Stockholm, Sweden. He was analyzing a strange ore named Petalite that had been procured from an island off the coast of Sweden called Utö. The ore Petalite (which is now recognized to be LiAl(Si2O5)2) had been discovered by a Brazilian scientist, José Bonifácio de Andrada e Silva towards the end of the 18th century on a visit to Sweden. This Swedish scientist, Johann August Arfvedson, detected traces of an unknown substance in his sample of Petalite. This was the first discovery of Lithium.
Ions are critical to human health. As defined by Dictionary.com, an ion is an electrically charged atom or group of atoms formed by the loss or gain of one or more electrons. The human body is the most intricate of ‘designs,’ despite the fact it is composed of basic natural resources called elements. The ions discussed in this paper include oxygen, carbon, potassium, and sulfur. A healthy body is composed of these ions, along with others (zinc, fluoride, iron, etc.). The absence of these elements could lead to an unhealthy body, and make it an easier target for diseases. The chemical formulas, charges, and properties will also be discussed in this document. Also, addressed is the essential role of the ion presented, the way in which the ion serves the body, the diseases that may result from deficiency, and the global distribution of these deficiencies. Ions are an essential part of human health. The ions that are present make the body’s daily functions possible, allowing it to be protected from cruel bacteria or diseases.