Learn basic chemistry

[Cory]

Hey, can we be taught some basic chemistry Randy? Ive never taken it in school so I dont have much know how.

And im sure some people who have taken it would like to have a refresher.

The chemistry we learn here could be of good use in our reefs!

Couple of starter questions if your up to it?

What is the purpose of chemistry?

 

[JimWelsh]

http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Development_Details/The_Core

 

[reefwiser]

Would like to do a video series here on R2R on Reef chemistry. I know Randy is busy but Jim if you are interested would love to do it.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What is the purpose of chemistry?

The "purpose" of the science of chemistry is, IMO, to help people understand how things work on the molecular and atomic level.

So that distinguishes it from biology, for example, which studies things on a much larger scale (that of organisms and parts of organisms involving vast numbers of molecules) and physics, which often studies things on a much smaller scale (individual subatomic particles, for example). Both biology and physics blend into chemistry at their interfaces with the molecular and atomic scale of looking at things.

Some things chemistry addresses at a fundamental level:

How do atoms and molecules interact with one another?
Why do they interact that way?
What atoms and molecules make up more complicated processes (like a bacterium)? How are they doing that?
Can we make new molecules or materials to interact in specific ways with other molecules?

 

[Steve Maxwell]

Would like to do a video series here on R2R on Reef chemistry. I know Randy is busy but Jim if you are interested would love to do it.

A video series would be great...especially with a transcript that could be printed out so we can take notes...not have to find "that spot" in the video when we forget something...etc.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

FWIW, I am currently writing scripts for educational chemistry videos at JOVE (Journal of Visual Experimentation), but you need to buy a license to view their videos unless you are at an institution that already has a license (like a college).

The one I am working on today is "Sample Preparation for Analytical Characterization".

http://www.jove.com

 

[Steve Maxwell]

The one I am working on today is "Sample Preparation for Analytical Characterization".

http://www.jove.com

Huh?! Is that English

It's funny because being a nurse and working on the Electronic Medical Record, I always have to remember my audience. I can't speak medicalese to most of the system analysts...and I can't speak ITese to most of the clinicians. But I really think you're talking an entirely new language

 

[reefwiser]

Right want to spend 30 minutes a month talking Reef tank Chemistry. Like I do with SPS and Fish health. Think it will would be helpful to have visuals with info. Work was crazy last month so I took a month off but will have a SPS show out soon. Randy if you want to do it would love to help get this out to educate

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

Huh?! Is that English

It's funny because being a nurse and working on the Electronic Medical Record, I always have to remember my audience. I can't speak medicalese to most of the system analysts...and I can't speak ITese to most of the clinicians. But I really think you're talking an entirely new language

OK how's this:

Getting things ready to test

 

[Steve Maxwell]

OK hows this:

Getting things ready to test

Ahhh...much better

 

[reefwiser]

Every speciality has their own language. When people come into this hobby they have to spend a lot of time learning all the correct terms that we use to explain how to do a task too.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

. Randy if you want to do it would love to help get this out to educate

Unfortunately, I don't have the time to add more things right now, but it's a great idea.

 

[Cory]

The "purpose" of the science of chemistry is, IMO, to help people understand how things work on the molecular and atomic level.

So that distinguishes it from biology, for example, which studies things on a much larger scale (that of organisms and parts of organisms involving vast numbers of molecules) and physics, which often studies things on a much smaller scale (individual subatomic particles, for example). Both biology and physics blend into chemistry at their interfaces with the molecular and atomic scale of looking at things.

Some things chemistry addresses at a fundamental level:

How do atoms and molecules interact with one another?
Why do they interact that way?
What atoms and molecules make up more complicated processes (like a bacterium)? How are they doing that?
Can we make new molecules or materials to interact in specific ways with other molecules?

I liked how you categorized the sciences into a sort of "magnification".

what would be the first thing a absolute beginner should know about chemistry? What an atom is?

 

[reefwiser]

I will see what I can do.

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

I liked how you categorized the sciences into a sort of "magnification".

what would be the first thing a absolute beginner should know about chemistry? What an atom is?

Yes, what atoms are and now they form molecules.

 

[Cory]

Yes, what atoms are and now they form molecules.

So what are atoms and molecules?

 

[Cory]

The first ever picture taken of a molecule as it makes a bond:

http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/...-molecule-as-it-makes-and-breaks-atomic-bonds

 

[Cory]

What should we know next Randy?

Why do atoms attach to other atoms making molecules. Is this something to with magnetic attraction?

 

[Randy Holmes-Farley Verified Community Expert]

What should we know next Randy?

Why do atoms attach to other atoms making molecules. Is this something to with magnetic attraction?

For a covalent bond (like between carbon atoms) they share electrons between them. The shared electrons are the glue between atoms.

For ionic bonds, electrons transfer from one to the other, leaving one positively charged and the other negatively charged, and then the opposite electric charges attract. So if you start with a sodium atom (Na) and a chlorine atom (Cl), an electron jumps from the sodium, leaving it as the Na+ ion and goes to the chloride, leavign it as the Cl- ion. THen those are attracted to make salt crystals.

Whether you form a covalent bond or an ionic bond between two atoms depends on how much the two atoms differ in their desire for electrons. Chlorine loves to get one additional electron and sodium loves to give up one electron, so they form ionic bonds. Carbon doesn't care that much either way, so shares with other atoms like carbon, oxygen, nitrogen, etc.

 

[rayn]

I've learned more chemistry on these forums and from having tanks, then I EVER did in school. I keep learning almost daily from Randy and the other chem peeps.