Chapter 2 Blog: The Chemical Basis of Life I (John T)


In the first section of this page, you will write a daily summary of that day's class.  For example in  your chapter 2 blog, your first entry should be titled 9/3/10.  You should then write a one or two paragraph summary of that day's lecture, outlining the major points.  In the second section, you are required to add two items (link to a website, video, animation, student-created slide show, student-created PowerPoint presentation) and one journal article pertaining to a topic in this chapter.  A one-paragraph summary must accompany each item describing the main idea and how it applies to the lecture topic.  Please see the PBWorks help guide for assistance embedding video and other items directly in the page.  I will also produce a how-to video on using tables to wrap text around items and other useful tips.  Please see the syllabus for organization and grading details.

 

A.  Daily Blog

 

9/3/10: The first day of lecture covered the sections 2.1 and 2.2 from our textbook. We began our first lecture with a poll that registered our answers via text message. This was the coolest and most efficient way to check the class's understanding of the homework I have ever seen. We then went on to cover the first part of section 2.1, the structure of the atom. After that we moved on to isotopes and their usefulness in detecting cancer. Then, we started section 2.2. (Gasp!) This section discusses the three different bonds atoms form to create molecules, Covalent, hydrogen, and ionic. We learned that (unlike people) not all covalent bonds are equal. A covalent bond can be either polar (the electrons aren't equally shared) or non-polar (the electrons are shared equally. What I found the most interesting was the reason behind carbon being the building block for life. Carbon, being a tetravalent atom, is able to form more complex structures than most atoms, and it is relatively small and abundant.  

 

 

9/8/10: Captain's Log: Bio-lecture day 2. Captain John Tamanas recording. Much like day 1, we began with the super-awesome text poll thing. After that, we continued our discussion on atomic bonding and moved on to the properties of water, most of which come from the massive amounts of hydrogen bonds that occur between the H2O molecules. Some examples of the properties are surface tension, super-awesome solvent, cohesion, and adhesion. We also learned that water is not compressible, making it perfect for cells to use so they(and we) don't implode. Micelles were also mentioned in this lecture. Micelles are bunches of molecules that are amphiphilic(Both hydrophilic and hydrophobic) that takes the form of a bubble. These bunches allow oils and other non-polar molecules dissolve in water. We finished the lecture by starting the topic of pH. Unfortunately, we ran out of time, and had to cut it short. And that concludes this log.

 

B.  Useful Materials

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Submitted (9/6/2010): This video covers a bunch of stuff about isotopes. It begins by explaining what they are. Then, the video goes onto how they affect our universe, and it finishes with how we can use isotopes in medicine. Oh, and it happens to be in the form of a rap. 

 

Submitted (9/12/2010): http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20830727

 

The adsorption properties of oxalic acid molecules on the surface of hexagonal ice are investigated by means of molecular dynamics simulations performed at tropospheric temperatures. Although the oxalic acid-water interaction is strong at low coverage, due to the possible formation of a large number of hydrogen bonds between the adsorbed oxalic acid and the surface water molecules, the results of the simulations at finite coverage show the predominant role played by the oxalic acid-oxalic acid lateral interactions in the adsorption/desorption process. These interactions are even stronger than the water-water or water-oxalic acid interactions. With increasing temperature these strong lateral interactions favor the formation of oxalic acid aggregates on the ice surface, with the concomitant departure of water molecules through the ducts in the adsorbed layer created by the aggregation process. These results support conclusions of experimental data on the oxalic acid-ice interactions. Moreover, in comparison to previously obtained results for formic and acetic acid adsorbed on ice, the present study suggests that not only the organic functionality is of importance for atmospheric implications of partially oxidized hydrocarbons (POH) interactions with ice, but also the balance between water-ice, water-POH, and POH-POH interactions.

 

This article talks about the chemical reaction that occurs when oxalic acid reacts with hexagonal ice. It discusses how water creates hydrogen bonds to act as an awesome solvent. It also shows the different interactions that occur in water. 

 

Submitted (9/12/2010): http://www.freedrinkingwater.com/water-education/water-health.htm

 

This web-page shows the importance of water to human health. It says some of the things that water provides the body with; like saliva and it is the basis for metabolism.Water is also a lubricant and it helps regulate body temperature. It also has some info about city water at the bottom. (But that may just be an advertisment.)