Nickel Hydroxide

Chris Kwong

(4)

Have you ever asked yourself what is inside a battery? No? Well you just have, by reading that, so is that a Yes I hear? Well look no further this is the place for you. With the new and improved Nickel Hydroxide based batteries you can forget about those old useless nickel cadmium batteries that had low energy capacity and you couldn't even use it to it's full potential even when you recharged them. Compared to the new Nickel hydroxide batteries they were inferior. While on the other hand nickel hydroxide batteries last longer when you use them and cost less because they cost less to make.(2)(3) You can also use Lithium-Ion batteries but just don't use Nickel Cadmium ones trust me it's not worth it.

Anyways batteries are like sooo interesting, I know, I know, you are probably thinking so how do I make this amazing thing. Well let me teach you how you make them so you can save some money and not ever buy them again. First off you need to get some nickel nitrate, potassium persulfate and sodium hydroxide.(2) Then you put the together and cause a oxidation reaction A.K.A loss of electrons. Ta Da! Nickel Hydroxide is formed. If you don't know where to get those chemicals well you could also try to get the precipitate of an acidic Nickel Sulfate solution.

Also some safety tips for when you are trying to make Nickel hydroxide. You never want to inhale of swallow it. Wear a mask when you are making it. Don't be making this a lot because it is harmful to you if you are constantly exposed to it. Because if can cause eye and skin irritations and worst case scenario, damage to your organs.(1) Just a side note if you're going to eat this even after all those side effects. Try not to consume more than 1515mg/kg(1) all at once, because you will die.

In hind sight, I think its better to leave it to the professionals to make them, because of how costly it would be to make only a few when they make them in bulk and it would be cheaper. Also it would be a lot safer than doing this at home with no safety precautions installed. Yeah so don't try that at home.



References:

1. Acros Organic. Safety Data Sheet. https://www.fishersci.com/shop/msdsproxy?storeId=10652&productName=AC275020010 (accessed Dec 11)

2. Wikipedia. Nickel(II)_hydroxide. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nickel(II)_hydroxide (accessed Dec 11)

3. Electronic Design. What’s The Difference Between Rechargeable Lithium And Nickel Batteries?
http://electronicdesign.com/power/what-s-difference-between-rechargeable-lithium-and-nickel-batteries(accessed Dec 11)


4. TOXNET. Nickel Hydroxide. http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+1827(accessed Dec 11)

Water

                                          Blog post for water

            Water is one of the most abundant and most important compounds on earth (6). In IUPAC naming system, water is known as Oxidane, while it is commonly known as H₂O and Dihydrogen oxide (6). In its normal state, water is not toxic to human body but it could toxic when contaminated by heavy metal like mercury and potassium cyanide during gold mining; acid rain could also be a major source of ground water toxicity (5). Although toxic water is harmful to the health of individuals, excessive amount of water drinking at once could also be lethal to people since water could have a lethal dose of 6 litters per 165 pound person (10). Unlike most compounds, water is found naturally on earth in large quantities. There is 332 500 000 cubic miles of water present on earth including salt water, fresh water and ground water. The amount of fresh water present only in lacks and rivers is about 22, 339 cubic miles (7).

            Water has very unique properties due to the hydrogen bonding between its molecules. These strong intermolecular forces gives water a very high freezing and boiling points when compared to other hydride compounds (3). Water is also a universal solvent due to its polarity and almost dissolves any compound that comes in contact. Another unique property of water is that ice flow on top of the water surface because it is less dense than liquid water. This property allows water to provide a suitable environment for sea life even in very cold climates (3). Water is so important to life on earth that there is no alternative to it; and without water, life could not exist. Beside some political controversies on the control of water flow around the world (9), drinking water does not have any controversies and no one could survive without using it including me.

 

                   

The total amount of water present on earth (bigger blue sphere) is compared to the earth size in a photographic representation.

References:

1.        Ackroyd, N. (2015). Lecture Notes. Retrieved from Mount Royal University BCEM 4212 Blackboard website:https://courseware.mymru.ca/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_212548_1&content_id=_3366840_1

2.       Boron, W.F., BoulPae, E. L. (2009). Medical Physiology (2^nd ed). Philadelphia, U. S: Saunders Elsever.

3.       Chemwiki.  Unusual properties of water. Retrieved December 4, 2015, from http://chemwiki.ucdavis.edu/Physical_Chemistry/Physical_Properties_of_Matter/Bulk_Properties/Unusual_Properties_of_Water

4.       Granger, J. (1999). The chemistry of WATER. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/chemistry.html

5.       McConnell, R. L,. Abel, D.C. (2015). Ground water. In Environmental Geology. PP, 57-95. Boston, MA: Pearson Custom.

6.       National Institute Of Health. (2015). Water. Retrieved December 03, 2015, from https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/water

7.       U.S. Geological Survey. (2015). The USGS Water Science School. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from  http://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html

8.       U.S. Geological Survey. (2015). [Photograph]. Retrieved December 3, 2015, from http://water.usgs.gov/edu/earthhowmuch.html

9.       Water Wars: Who Control the Flow? (2013, June 15). NRP Hourly Newscast. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/2013/06/15/192034094/rivers-run-through-controversies-over-who-owns-the-water

10.   Tjandra, K. (2015). Lecture Notes. Retrieved from Mount Royal University BIOL 3104 Black Board Website:https://courseware.mymru.ca/webapps/blackboard/content/listContent.jsp?course_id=_212421_1&content_id=_3446658_1&mode=reset

Xylitol - A sugar substitute that’s actually good for you!

Xylitol

A sugar substitute that’s actually good for you!

By Kristi Hawkes

*

Confession time… I love sweets and baked goodies.  

Okay, not that juicy of a confession I know, but when you’re trying to achieve a healthier weight 

and you’re a dental professional, it does kind of seem like a big, dark secret.  

But, guess what?!?  I think I’ve found a way that I can have my cake, and eat it too.  

Ever heard of xylitol before? Well don’t fear...

I’m here to tell you just what you need to know about this magical sugar substitute.

First of all, there’s no magic involved, it’s actually chemistry.  

Fruits and vegetables, such as strawberries, raspberries, cauliflower and lettuce, 

are the first components of xylitol production⁶. 

D-xylose is extracted from plant fibers and then undergoes a process in the lab, 

called chemical hydrogenation, to become xylitol.  

Xylitol looks and tastes a lot like sugar; it can be substituted 1 for 1 for sugar in any recipe, 

or add it to your coffee or tea to sweeten it up without all the guilt⁵.  

I think I’m going to do some Christmas baking with xylitol and try and pass it off as a salad. 

It comes from fruit and veggies, so it’s got to count! Right?

Xylitol is classified as a sugar alcohol, and its chemical formula is C₅H₁₂O₅.  

Xylitol and other sugar alcohols are commonly found in sugar-free, dentist-approved, 

chewing gum².  Why?  Because unlike sugar, xylitol does not cause cavities, 

in fact it even helps to prevent them!  Your mouth is full of bacteria, 

and some strains of bacteria produce acids that can cause cavities to form. 

Scientists have found that xylitol can actually reduce the amount of 

some acid-producing, cavity-causing bacteria³.  

Therefore:

Bacteria + Sugar = more acid

BUT

Bacteria + Xylitol = less acid and less bacteria

Xylitol is a safer option for diabetics who need to limit or avoid sugar intake.  

It’s also lower in calories than sugar⁴.  This is why xylitol is often the sweetener that is used in chewable and gummy vitamins⁷.  Xylitol seems almost too good to be true, doesn’t it? 

Well here it is...  Although xylitol is safe for humans, it’s been making its way into the news recently because it is highly toxic to dogs¹.  (See video here) 

Make sure to keep your canine furry friends far away from xylitol and any products containing it.  

Give xylitol a chance, unlike many sugar substitutes, it doesn’t have a bad aftertaste⁵.  

It might even save you from having to get a big needle the next time you go to the dentist.

Photo: Injection by Conor Lawless Retrieved from https://www.flickr.com/photos/conchur/1573136674

(Image edited using Office Word by Kristi Hawkes)

References

¹Becker, K. (2011). Xylitol: This Toxic Sugar Substitute Could Be in Your Purse, Pocket or Pantry. Retrieved from http://healthypets.mercola.com/sites/healthypets/archive/2011/03/24/dangers-of-xylitol-for-pet-dogs.aspx

²Burt, B. A. (2006). The use of sorbitol- and xylitol-sweetened chewing gum in caries control. Journal of the American Dental Association, 13, 190-196.

³Ҫaglar, E., Kavaloglu, S. C., Kuscu, O. O., Sandalli, N., Holgerson, P. L., & Twetman, S. (2007). Effect of chewing gums containing xylitol or probiotic bacteria on salivary mutans streptococci and lactobacilli. Clinical Oral Investigations, 11, 425-429.

⁴LookChem.com (2008). Xylitol. Retrieved from http://www.lookchem.com/Xylitol/

⁵Mercola, J. (2013). Sugar Substitutes—What’s Safe and What’s Not. Retrieved from http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2013/10/07/sugar-substitutes.aspx

⁶National Center for Biotechnology Information (n.d.). Xylitol; CID=6912. PubChem Compound Database.  Retrieved from http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/6912

⁷Wolters Kluwer Health (2009). Xylitol. Retrieved from http://www.drugs.com/npp/xylitol.html

* Photo of woman enjoying a xylitol-sweetened mint taken by Kristi Hawkes 

How Much White Out Do You Use?

Let's start with a little game to get us thinking about titanium dioxide. From the list of uses below, put them in the correct category. If you think titanium dioxide will be found in the product say yes, and if not put it in the no category.

paints, gasoline, light bulbs, plastics, toothpaste, coloring of foods, sunscreen, diamonds, clothing, ceramics, white out (2)

YES                                                                       NO

                                                                         paint                                                                   gasoline

                                                                       plastics                                                                lightbulbs 

                                                                    toothpaste                                                             diamonds

                                                                         foods

                                                                     sunscreen

                                                                       clothing

                                                                     white out 

                                                                      ceramics

Answer: Use your cursor to highlight the text

How'd you do? Those aren't the only places you will find titanium dioxide. It can also be found in rubber boots, tires, and mascara (2). You may be wondering how this random chemical you have never heard of before ended up in all these things! Well, titanium dioxide is highly reflective and is easily dispersed (4). These two qualities sound like the perfect combination for white paint. You want to be able to spread it easily and we know sun rays reflect off of white. Titanium dioxide is also insoluble, non-flammable, thermally stable, AND the best part is, it's cheap! (3, 4)

If it's so wonderful then why does everyone have their knickers in a knot about it? It is believed that its production as nanoparticles (very, very, very, very small particles), are bad for our health. But the good news is, we aren't being exposed to enough of it for it to be a problem (1). Only in very high concentrations does it have the potential to make us sick (1).

Now I bet you are wondering how it is made (as all good scientists do). If you were to head deep down into a mine, you would be able to find the dirty version of the stuff (4). We need it to be "clean" so we can use it. We can do that in two ways.

            1. Sulfate process - mixing our titanium dioxide sludge with sulfuric acid (4)

            2. Chloride process - mixing the sludge with chlorine gas and petroleum coke (which looks similar to coal) (4)

Since we haven't had any problems with using titanium dioxide so far, we haven't had to think of any backups in case we run out. But if we did, we could use rice starch (3) to whiten foods or diatomaceous earth to whiten paint (5).

So next time you are out and about, try and see how many things you can find that contain titanium dioxide. I bet you will be surprised!

References

1. Australian Government Department of Health. (2015). Nano titanium dioxide technical information sheet. Retrieved December 3, 2015 from http://www.nicnas.gov.au/communications/ issues/nanomaterials-nanotechnology/nicnas-technical-activities-in-nanomaterials/nano-titanium-dioxide-human-health-hazard-review/nano-titanium-dioxide-technical-information-sheet

2. Hext, P. M., Tomenson, J. A., & Thompson, P. (2005). Titanium dioxide: Inhalation toxicology and epidemiology. Annals of Occupational Hygiene, 49(6), 461-472. Doi:10.1093/annhyg/ mei012

3. Industry Sourcing. (2014). Rice starch as an alternative to titanium dioxide. Retrieved December 3, 2015 from http://www.industrysourcing.com/article/rice-starch-alternative-titanium-dioxide

4. Lakshmanan, V. I., Bhowmick, A., & Halim, M. A. (2014). Titanium dioxide: Production, properties, and applications. Chemical Physics Research Journal, 7(1), 37-91. 

5. Specifier. (2011). Alternatives to titanium dioxide for paint industry. Retrieved December 3, 2015 from http://www.specifile.co.za/specifier/coatings-insulation-and-waterproofing/799-alternatives-to-titanium-dioxide-for-paint-industry

Sodium Fluoride - Michelle Le

Toothpaste. We all use it, twice a day, once in the morning and once at night. It helpss keep our mouth as healthy as can be. Majority of toothpastes have sodium fluoride which aids in strengthening our teeth’s defenses against bacteria.

Sodium fluoride is an inorganic salt that can be found naturally in a mineral called Villiaumite. It can be produced when making phosphate fertilizers or if sodium carbonate is treated with hydrogen fluoride.

In small doses, it’s not harmful to human but I wouldn’t recommend taking a bite of Villiaumite as a part of maintaining healthy teeth. If sodium fluoride is consumed in high doses for a long period of time, it can cause a condition called Fluorosis. Fluorosis is when your teeth and bones can become yellow and brittle. Some other symptoms are burning in your GI tract, vomiting, abdominal pain, weight loss, and general weakness.

If used correctly, sodium fluoride can be very useful. In everyday life, it can help prevent tooth decay and aid dentists in making teeth resistant to decay. In the work force, sodium fluoride is used as a wood preservative; disinfectant in breweries and wineries; make glass and glass-like enamels; and used in the production of insecticides and pesticides for ant and roach control.

If regular toothpaste doesn’t float your boat, there are other ways to keep your pearly whites nice and clean. The first way is for those DIY people who want to try their hand at homemade and completely natural toothpaste. It’s a simple recipe that only needs 2 ingredients: baking soda and coconut oil. Substitute this mixture for your normal toothpaste and it will produce the same results as toothpaste would. If that is not your cup of tea, the other option is to purchase Desert Essence’s Natural Tea Tree Oil Toothpaste. It uses the same logic as the first alternative but instead of coconut oil, tea tree oil is used. It comes in a handy tube and a variety of flavors.

Sodium Fluoride does ruffle the feathers of certain people who are against adding fluoride to drinking water. Local governments decide whether or not to add it. For example, Calgary Alberta used to have fluoridated water but was voted to stop in 2011. Calgary’s Bow river and Elbow river both have naturally occurring fluoride in them but the fluoride in that water is the last thing a person should be worried about when drinking from those swampy rivers.  

Moral of the story, don’t eat a rock if it’s labeled Villiaumite, try out different toothpastes to see which works for you, don’t drink straight out of any river without some sort of filtration, and listen to your mother and brush every day. Mother’s know best.

References

¹ Ed. Neil Schlager, Jayne Weisblatt, and David E. Newton. Vol. 3. Detroit: UXL, 2006. p747-751. COPYRIGHT 2006 Gale

² Science Lab. Sodium Fluoride MSDS. http://www.sciencelab.com/msds.php?msdsId=9927595

³ IXOM. Sodium Fluoride MSDS. http://msds.orica.com/pdf/shess-en-cds-010-000031020001.pdf

⁴ City Of Calgary. Fluoride in Calgary’s Water. http://www.calgary.ca/UEP/Water/Pages/Drinking-water/Fluoride.aspx

⁵ Danielle Rabb-Waytowich. Water Fluoridation in Canada: Past and Present

https://www.cda-adc.ca/jcda/vol-75/issue-6/451.pdf

Parabenoia

Hey you! Yeah, you! You know that cleanser you just bought that is supposedly sulphate, paraben, phthalate and who knows what else “free.” Do you even know why you would want your product “paraben free”? No need for panic my friend, there’s no need to fear parabens. Parabens are added to your cosmetic products, like your cleanser or lotion, to prevent the growth of yeasts, molds, and bacteria¹. This makes them preservatives¹! Which is a good thing, you don’t want little critters swimming around in your cleanser.

Parabens easily dissolve in water² which is super important because water is almost always present in cosmetics, and you need your parabens to mingle with water in order for them to do their job. What’s that? You’re afraid of parabens mingling inside your body? Hear me out. Yes parabens can be absorbed by your skin² but that shouldn’t worry you because your body breaks them down into different chemicals that you simply “excrete” out later³, you know what I mean. If you’re still worried then listen to this, parabens are made up of the same chemical that you find in many fruits and vegetables like blueberries and carrots³. This just means that once parabens enter your body they are quickly converted into the same chemical seen in fruits and vegetables.  

I know word on the block says that parabens are also bad because they can mess up your hormones but that’s not completely true. Yes parabens act like the hormone estrogen (at least in experiments done on rats²), but they aren’t as strong as the natural estrogen in our bodies, and the natural estrogens found in plants³. Oh yes and then there’s also that rumor going around that parabens cause cancer⁴. Well let me tell you something X cannot cause Y with 100% assurance. What this does mean is that the measurement of a compound in a sample requires further studies.

If I haven’t been able to rid you of your parabenoia then I’m not sure who can. But that’s your choice. If you are convinced that you don’t want to use parabens in your life here are some natural alternatives that act as preservatives: salt, clay and talc⁵. But just remember everything you use has chemicals and some are just misjudged.

 

Source: http://primemag.me/go-curls-or-go-home/ (accessed December 4^th 2015)

    1.O’Connor S., Spunt A. (2010) No More Dirty Looks: The Truth about Your Beauty Products And the Ultimate Guide to Safe and Clean Cosmetics. Cambridge, Ma: Da Capo Press.

    2. Routledge, E. J., Parker, J., Odum, J., Ashby, J., & Sumpter, J. P. (1998). Some alkyl hydroxy benzoate preservatives (parabens) are estrogenic. Toxicology and Applied Pharmacology, 153(1), 12–9. http://doi.org/10.1006/taap.1998.8544

    3. Cosmeticsinfo.org. Methylparaben Information. Accessed November, 21 2015 from http://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/paraben-information

    4. Darbre, P. D., Aljarrah, a., Miller, W. R., Coldham, N. G., Sauer, M. J., & Pope, G. S. (2004). Concentrations of Parabens in human breast tumours. Journal of Applied Toxicology, 24(1), 5–13. http://doi.org/10.1002/jat.958

    5. Lush Fresh Handmade Cosmetics. Ingredient: Methylparaben. Accessed November, 21 2015 from https://www.lush.co.uk/methylparaben

Why Elvis Presley's Hair was Shiny

Bist, Jordan. "Petrolatum in Pomade." 2015. JPEG.

Petrolatum and Pomade

Pomade has been used to style men's hair for over a century and while traditionally using bear fat as the main ingredient, petrolatum (petroleum jelly) has become more frequent as a main ingredient as of the early 20th century (1). If you ever wondered what made Elvis Presley's hair shine, it was petrolatum.

The resulting greaser term from pomade use, coined out of the 1950's (2) has its merit, as petrolatum is primarily a lubricant made from several distillation processes of crude oil (3). Since its discovery in 1859 from an oil well in Pennsylvania (4), petrolatum has grown to accompany many usages such as ointment base in cosmetics and pharmaceuticals, lubricating firearms and machinery, leather greaser, shoe polish, rust prevention, modelling clay, laxatives, (5) and much more. This greasy, malleable, almost clear jelly has a structure composed of complex hydrocarbons with carbon chains longer than 25 (6), and while it is not toxic (7), can cause complications if one was to inhale it (such as inhibiting ciliary movement in the lungs) (8). While an apparent simple compound, petrolatum gave rock and roll's most iconic figure an unbeatable style.

References

1. Wikipedia. Pomade, n.d., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pomade (accessed Dec 3, 2015).
2. Wikipedia. Greaser (subculture), n.d., https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greaser_(subculture) (accessed Dec 3, 2015).
3. Petrolatum. The Columbia Electronic Encyclopaedia, (6^th ed.) [online]; Columbia University Press, 2012. http://www.infoplease.com/encyclopedia/science/petrolatum.html (accessed Dec 3, 2015).
4. Vaseline History, n.d., http://www.vaseline.com.pk/about-us/history/(accessed Dec 3, 2015).
5. Petrolatum. In The Merck Index (14^th ed.); Wiley & Sons; NJ, 2006; 7190.
6. TOXNET. Petrolatum, n.d., http://chem.sis.nlm.nih.gov/chemidplus/rn/8009-03-8 (accessed Dec 3, 2015).
7. Petrolatum; MSDS No. P3350 [online]; Spectrum Laboratory Products Inc: San Pedro Street Gardena, CA, https://www.spectrumchemical.com/MSDS/P3350.pdf (accessed Dec 3, 2015).
8. TOXNET. Petrolatum Emergency Medical Treatment, n.d., http://toxnet.nlm.nih.gov/cgi-bin/sis/search/a?dbs+hsdb:@term+@DOCNO+1138 (accessed Dec 3, 2015).

Chocolate and Tea, what are you doing to me?

Figure 1: A lovely looking snack of tea and chocolate cake!

Nicubunu. (2012). Black tea and chocolate cake. [photograph]. Retrieved from https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Tea_for_two.jpg

Do you have a mild (or major) addiction to chocolate? Do you enjoy a cup of coffee, tea, or pop on a daily basis? Then you happen to be just like me! You also happen to be ingesting a chemical called theobromine, which belongs to the same family as caffeine, and has many of the same effects as caffeine, though it is about 10 times weaker¹. It has been known to decrease calmness², increase focus on study tasks², act as a cough suppressant¹, and even lower blood pressure²! Some people are even looking into its uses in treating tooth sensitivity³.

It would seem theobromine has many uses, but it isn’t often used in medicine because other chemicals with very similar structure are more potent and therefore more useful⁴. These include caffeine, which most people know about, and theophylline (even more potent than caffeine), which is a common asthma medication, has more of an affect as a bronchodilator to help people breathe⁴.

Theobromine is found in highest concentration in dark chocolate¹. It is what gives dark chocolate its bitter taste that some people dislike¹. It is also what is toxic to dogs and why dogs should not be allowed to consume chocolate⁵. A dose as low as 90mg/kg of bodyweight has been recorded as lethal⁵!

Humans, however, metabolize theobromine more effectively and as such would need about 0.8g to feel any effect, which may include sweating, trembling, or headache⁴. The average milk chocolate bar is 45g, and 1 gram of milk chocolate typically only has 1.5mg of theobromine⁵. This means you would have to eat almost 15 chocolate bars in a day to even start to feel an effect; that’s a lot of chocolate! So you and I are safe to continue eating chocolate without the worry of theobromine poisoning. Eat on chocolate lovers!

References List

¹ Theobromine. (2006). In N. Schlager, J. Weisblatt, & D. E. Newton (Eds.), Chemical Compounds (Vol. 3, pp. 843-846). Detroit: UXL. Retrieved from http://library.mtroyal.ca:2163/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CCX3441700205&v=2.1&u=mtroyalc&it=r&p=GVRL&asid=a1b02b16e4c5f35ffcbcde30daded55f

² Mitchell, E. S., Slettenaar, M., vd Meer, N., Transler, C., Jans, L., Quadt, F., & Berry, M. (2011). Differential contributions of theobromine and caffeine on mood, psychomotor performance and blood pressure. Physiology & Behavior, 104(5), 816-822. doi:10.1016/j.physbeh.2011.07.027

³ "Compositions containing theobromine and their use in treating tooth hypersensitivity" in patent application approval process. (2015). Medical Patent Business Week, (1552-5597), 2414.

⁴ National Center for Biotechnology Information. (n.d.) PubChem Compound Database; CID=5429, https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/5429  (accessed Nov. 27, 2015).

⁵ Campbell, Alexander, and Chapman, Michael. (2008). Handbook of Poisoning in Dogs and Cats. Hoboken, NJ, USA: Wiley-Blackwell,  ProQuest ebrary. Web. 26 November 2015.