Flight of the Conchords = Awesome

If you didn't already know how awesome they were - now is the time to find out.

Pure genius.

(If you didn't watch the TV show the first 3-4 min might be a bit weird but stay tuned - it is worth it!)

The Reactions to Know

These are the equations you need in your toolbox to support your answers in the HSC. Some are handy to push for the high marks in extended response questions. Some are VITAL to know (eg 3, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 18, 19) to achieve the basics of the course.

If you are having trouble remembering them – try to think of them in context. Eg remember what happened in your fermentation experiment, remember how we decarbonated soft drink, remember how ozone blocks UV rays and why CFC’s decompose ozone etc

 

Click on the images for a larger version.

1) Addition polymerisation  eg PVC

HINT
Show 2n monomers so you can show the repeating structure of the polymer chain. NB the square brackets to signify the repeating unit

2) Polymerisation of glucose to form cellulose
HINTS

1)      If you need help remembering the structure of glucose – let me know – I’ve taken a few people through it and it is (for the most part) working

2)      Every second glucose is inverted.

3)      Being a condensation polymerisation there is a water molecule produced for each link – there is always one less link than monomers (think about why) thus there is always one less water molecule than monomers.

4)      Showing four glucose monomers is ideal to illustrate the above but under time pressure two would suffice as long as you note that every second one is inverted.

3) Addition of bromine water to cyclohexene

HINTS

1)      use the carbon chemistry shorthand – ie don’t bother drawing the C and H atoms

2)      Bromine water is an aqueous solution, but cyclohexene and 1,2-dibromocyclohexane are non-soluble in water so are liquids.

4) Fermentation

HINTS

1)      you *SHOULD*  know that ethanol and carbon dioxide are products, that the glucose needs to be aqueous and yeast is required. We do the experiments (and you learned all about ethanol production) so you don’t need to think about these things – you should just remember.

2)      If you know the products then it is just a simple case of remembering that there are TWO of each product.

3)      This is one of the only reactions involving carbon compounds where you don’t need to use structural equations

 

5) Combustion of an alkanol  eg ethanol

HINTS

1)      For all hydrocarbon combustions – balance carbon, then hydrogen, then oxygen (CHO)

2)      Remember that there is an oxygen in the alkanol so you need one less oxygen than normal (ie one of the reasons why ethanol has such complete combustion)

 

6) Incomplete combustion  eg ethanol
HINTS

1)      The simplest incomplete combustion is where C_(s) is the only product

2)      Use CHO

 

7) Dry cell reactions
HINTS

1)      Never hate mangoes watery monkey nuts

2)      You should know that ammonium has a charge of +1 (it is the ‘t’ in hate)

 

8) Silver cell reactions

HINTS

1)      The silver and zinc reactions are basically opposites of each other

2)      The oxide and hydroxide must be on opposite sides of the equations

3)      Hydroxide is consumed at the anode and produced at the cathode

 

9) Radioactive decay
HINTS

1)      RULE 1 – If Z > 82 = alpha emitter

2)      RULE 2 – If n/p is too high = beta emitter

            Z < 20 : n/p = 1:1

            Z ~ 50 : n/p = 1.3:1

Z ~ 80 : n/p = 1.5:1

Eg 1) C-14

C has 6 protons

Thus there are 14-6 = 8 neutrons

n/p = 1.33:1 – too high s it should be 1:1 – thus it is a beta emitter

Eg 2) Hg-210

Hg has 80 protons

Thus there are 210-80 = 130 neutrons

n/p = 1.625:1 – too high should be 1.5:1 – thus it is a beta emitter

Eg 3) Sn-115

Sn has 50 protons

Thus there are 115-50 = 65 neutrons

n/p = 1.3:1 – just right = stable

Eg 4) At-217

At has 85 protons – thus it is an alpha emitter

 

10) Acid rain

HINT

All you have to show is that it forms an acid – thus if you can show sulphur dioxide forming sulfurous acid or nitrogen dioxide forming its mixture of nitric and nitrous acid you can stop

11) CO₂ solubility

HINTS

1)      Generally, non-polar covalent molecular compounds do not dissolve in water. Carbon dioxide is an exception because it REACTS with water

2)      The reaction is as simple as just adding the atoms of carbon dioxide and water together – remembering to use an equilibrium sign!

 

12) Citric acid
HINTS

1)      Remember that it is the oxygen of the hydroxyl group that bonds to the carbon

2)      Carboxylic acid groups have a double bonded oxygen and a hydroxyl group

 

13) Esterification  eg pentyl ethanoate
HINTS

1)      Remember it is EQUILIBRIUM

2)      Remember that it needs a concentrated sulfuric acid catalyst

3)      Remember that is produces water

4)      Remember that primary alkanols from propanol onward need to end with ‘…an-1-ol’

 

14) Haber equilibrium
HINTS

1)      Know the formula of ammonia

2)      Know that it comes from hydrogen and nitrogen gas

3)      Balance the equation

4)      Know that it is in equilibrium

15) Ozone

HINTS

1)      When writing the ozone equilibrium always show O3 absorbing UV – this is so you can explain how the ozone layer absorbs UV

2)      It is good practise to label the coordinate covalent bond for ozone (distinguishing the electrons from each oxygen is also useful)

 

16) CFC’s decomposing ozone
HINT – to show that it is a catalyst for ozone decomposition you must show them reforming (ie catalysts provide a reaction pathway that lower the activation energy but are not consumed in the reaction).

 

17) Rusting
HINT – if you want to do well in the shipwrecks option you need to know these four equations. They can be used to explain just about everything about the factors that effect rusting and rust protection systems

 

18) Sulfate reducing bacteria
HINT – Soloh ate his two sneakers for water. Need I say more?

 

19) Precipitation
HINTS – This is as simple as I can make the solubility rules for the HSC

1)      All Group 1 metal, ammonium, nitrate, acetate (and phosphate in acidic conditions) compounds are SOLUBLE

2)      All other carbonates and phosphates are INSOLUBLE

3)      Chlorides are soluble except lead and silver

4)      Hydroxides are soluble except lead, silver, iron and copper

5)      Sulfates are soluble except for lead, silver, barium and calcium

6)      Carbonates bubble in acid

7)      Flame tests – barium = apple green, calcium = brick red, copper = emerald green

 

 

Accelerators

Here are some interesting clips of accelerators

1) I couldn't find a good one of a linac - but here is something 'similar'

2) Here are some cyclotron videos - despite the strange voice, the first one is pretty good



3) I couldn't find a good synchrotron clip that was short enough - check here for some previous good CERN videos and if you can stomach it - there is a documentary by Brian Cox about CERN below



4) And here is something that I haven't been able to do in 34 years

Sometimes TV is awesome

I don't watch much TV - because most of it it garbage - but sometimes I realise that there are some true gems in TV land.

Yes, I am five years behind the times re this show - but I have not laughed this hard for a LONG time.

And to make it relevant to this Blog - this episode features guest Physics celebrity professor Brian Cox.

Episode in two parts below:

The Physics of the Big Knights

I was introduced to this animation series recently and have spent the weekend enjoying the adventures of Sir Boris and Sir Morris (and Sir Horace and Sir Doris) - I think that from now on I will teach Space (projectiles, Ep etc) using the fine examples set by the Big Knights.

As a treat here is a special physics/Olympics themed episode:
Revision Q on the way soon.

And in a more-directly-linked-to-physics way. Here is the recent instalment on the Higgs Boson from One Minute Physics.

And in case you haven't seen Veritasium - here are some Physics demo's that will get you thinking (make sure you watch in order)

Can you explain them using Newtons Laws?

What would happen in each case if the system was in zero gravity?...