In-f-Organic Chemistry

What is Helonium? Credit: Mondolithic studios Helonium or Helium hydride is a molecular ion consisting of a helium atom and a hydrogen ion (HeH + ) and it is considered to be the first molecule of the universe. It is viewed as a protonated helium and it is the lightest heteronuclear ion. Discovery Helonium was first produced in the laboratory in Berkeley in 1925, under vacuum conditions with the aid of electricity by injecting protons of known energy into a rarefied mixture of hydrogen and helium. Although it is stable in isolation, it cannot be prepared in bulk because it is extremely reactive. Properties It is the strongest known acid with pKa -63 (for comparison hydrochloric acid pKa is -6.3) It is isoelectronic with molecular hydrogen H2 Its covalent bond is dative with a length of 0.772 A 80% of the electron charge is closer to the helium nucleus than to the hydrogen nucleus Unlike the helium hydride ion, the neutral helium hydride molecule HeH is not stable in the ground state De...

What is it? It is a graphite screen-printed electrode coupled with a screen-printed bonded magnet (NdFeB particles dispersed in a thixotropic carbon ink) with 3 mm ∅, 56 ± 6 μm thickness. Scope The magnetic screen-printed electrode is a compact, portable, cheap, and disposable alternative to various accessories have been developed aiming to attract MNPs on the electrode surface, such as magnetic electrode shafts, electrochemical cells integrating (electro)magnets, magnetic stickers, etc. Investigation In the study parameters as the composition of the NdFeB/ink blend, the thickness and the pattern (compact or hole-engraved) of the printed magnet, and the thickness of the substrate were investigated by both experimental and theoretical studies. Results The performance is enhanced if a void round area is created in the center of the magnet to introduce a further area of strong field gradient. This pattern allows the development of stronger attracting forces to MNPs, higher MNPs loading, a...

"Plastic made from milk" —that certainly sounds like something made-up. If you agree, you may be surprised to learn that in the early 20th century, milk was used to make many different plastic ornaments —including jewelry for Queen Mary of England!         Plastic from milk    ~    Casein Plastic    ~    Galalith What is it Galalith? Galalith (Erinoid in the United Kingdom) is a synthetic plastic material manufactured by the interaction of casein and formaldehyde. Given a commercial name derived from the Greek words gala (milk) and lithos (stone), it is odourless, insoluble in water, biodegradable, antiallergenic, antistatic and virtually nonflammable. What is Casein? Casein is the name for a family of related phosphoproteins. These proteins are commonly found in mammalian milk, making up 80% of the proteins in cow's milk and between 20% and 45% of the proteins in human milk. Casei...

What is nanostructures and basics informations about  nanotechnology Nanotechnology ("nanotech") is manipulation of matter on an atomic, molecular, and supramolecular scale. A more generalized description of nanotechnology was subsequently established by the National Nanotechnology Initiative, which defines nanotechnology as the manipulation of matter with at least one dimension sized from 1 to 100 nanometers.  Nanotechnology may be able to create many new materials and devices with a vast range of applications, such as in nanomedicine, nanoelectronics, biomaterials energy production, and consumer products. On the other hand, nanotechnology raises many of the same issues as any new technology, including concerns about the toxicity and environmental impact of nanomaterials, and their potential effects on global economics, as well as speculation about various doomsday scenarios.  In describing nanostructures, it is necessary to differentiate between the numbe...

About chocolate... Chocolate is a typically sweet, usually brown, food preparation of Theobroma cacao seeds, roasted and ground, often flavored, as with vanilla. It is made in the form of a liquid, paste, or in a block, or used as a flavoring ingredient in other foods. Chocolate has become one of the most popular food types and flavors in the world, A 100 gram serving of milk chocolate supplies 540 calories. It is 59% carbohydrates (52% as sugar and 3% as dietary fiber), 30% fat and 8% protein (table). Approximately 65% of the fat in milk chocolate is saturated, composed mainly of palmitic acid and stearic acid, while the predominant unsaturated fat is oleic acid (table). Chocolate also contain theobromine, which is toxic to some animals and unable to metabolize it. What's new? Scientists can reduce the fat in chocolate by 20%  by passing it through an electric field. Chocolate manufacturers have never quite found a way to make low-fat chocolate and it's n...

What's new? Chinese chemists  have designed an organic polymer that is green in the reduced state but oxidises and turns a sandy-brown when a low voltage is applied. The change is reversible, and the polymer maintains its activity after 1000 repetitions. Properties of the polymer The alkoxy side chains of our polymer play an important role fine tuning the colors. The polymer takes 1–1.5 seconds to change colour and maintains its activity after 1000 repetitions. The polymer also absorbs IR radiation, so could conceal body heat too, and it is super-hydrophobic so would not wash out of clothing. Application ----> Clothing The team used conductive fabric as an electrode to confirm the polymers application in clothing. To make it, they sprayed the conductive fabric with a mixture of the polymer and toluene. Estimation The industrial interest in such products could be relatively high, and not just restricted to the military sector. The structure of t...

What is it? Onion is a vegetable and the most widely cultivated species of the genus Allium . Nutrients and phytochemicals Most onion cultivars are about 89% water, 4% sugar, 1% protein, 2% fibre, and 0.1% fat. Onions contain phytochemical compounds such as phenolics that are under basic research to determine their possible properties in humans. What causes their odour? Thiosulfinate: Allicin Thiosulfinates are the primary flavour and odour producing molecules in an onion. Allyl methyl sulfide If the onion is ingested, thiosulfinates are eventually broken down into allyl methyl sulfide, shown below, which can be removed from the body by exhalation – giving rise to the characteristic ‘onion breath’. Why chopping onions will make your eyes water? syn -propanethial-S-oxide Interestingly, none of the compounds that cause these effects are present in the intact onion; rather, when the cell walls of the onion are damaged by chopping, an enzyme released ...

A tomic-scale honeycomb lattice  made of  carbon  atoms What is it? It is a thin layer of pure carbon. A single, tightly packed layer of carbon atoms that are bonded together in a hexagonal honeycomb lattice. Properties It’s one atom thick, stronger than steel, harder than diamond, nearly transparent, and one of the most conductive materials on earth. Graphene's electrons In ordinary, three-dimensional metals, electrons hardly interact with each other. But graphene’s two-dimensional, honeycomb structure acts like an electron superhighway in which all the particles have to travel in the same lane. The electrons in graphene act like massless relativistic objects, some with positive charge and some with negative charge. Behaviour When the strongly interacting particles in graphene were driven by an electric field, they behaved not like individual particles but like a fluid that could be described by hydrodynamics. Graphene is a metal that behaves like w...