As promised at the end of my post on polar and non-polar molecules, here’s a basic concepts post on intermolecular forces. Intermolecular forces are the forces between molecules, whereas intramolecular forces are those within molecules. (The bonds that hold the atoms in a molecule together are intramolecular forces.)
Category Archives: Chemistry
Basic concepts: polar and non-polar molecules.
What list of basic concepts would be complete without a primer on polar and non-polar molecules?
You’ll recall that chemists live in a world made up of atoms and various assemblies and modifications thereof, which are, in turn, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. Protons (which have positive charge and some mass) and neutrons (which are just a squosh more massive than protons) hang out together in the nucleus of your atom, while electrons can be thought of as zipping around the nucleus.
When multiple atoms are part of an assembly in which they are bonded to each other, you have a molecule. For the moment, consider the “bond” between atoms in a molecule to be an electron-sharing arrangement that maintains a certain (average) spatial configuration between the nuclei of the bonded atoms. [1]
Your vote (for my haiku) can make a difference — but time is running out!
My humble haiku,
Clobbered in the poll — Unless
You vote, intervene.
Voting closes February 26, 11:59 PM EST — so act now!
(If you want to be sure you’re voting for mine, I reproduce them below the fold.)
Vote for the best physical science haiku!
Jim Gibbon has opened voting on his academic haiku contest. I urge you to check out all the 17-syllable distillations of scholarly works, but especially those in the physical sciences category.
Two of those haikus are mine. (Technically, one of them ought to be in the humanities category, but I can see how an exploration of philosophical issues in chemistry might look like it belongs in the physical sciences.) Here’s your chance to make me a winner!
Basic concepts: elements.
I figured it was time I weighed in on a basic concept from chemistry, so let’s talk about what defines an element.
The best graduate (chemistry) writing assignment ever.
As part of my graduate coursework in chemistry, I took a biophysical chemistry course from Professor Wray Huestis — not because my research was in biophysical chemistry, but because I was curious. Possibly my best move ever in choosing my classes, since she gave us one of the smartest and most useful writing assignments I’ve ever encountered.
Marcel Vigneron was robbed!
I simply cannot accept the final judgment in Bravo’s Top Chef (season 2). Marcel should have won.
Sure, I didn’t actually taste the two meals. But simply on the basis of innovation (especially given that the panel of judges seemed to have really good things to say about the flavors of both meals), Marcel should have had the edge. And that’s before we even get into which of the two finalists showed himself to be more ethical and mature (a category Marcel also won on the merits).
I am now officially interested as heck in learning all about molecular gastronomy. It’s chemistry that non-chemists can see a reason to care about. If Marcel Vigneron or “his people” (if he has “people” at this stage of his career) read this, Marcel has a standing invitation to appear on this blog and educate us about the chemistry of that cool stuff he does in the kitchen.
Nanotech ‘blogversation’ worth checking out.
ACS LiveWire is hosting a “blogversation” (don’t shoot me, I didn’t coin it!) about nanoscience and nanotechnology. Here are the panelists:
Getting down to basics.
Chad and Tara have spilled the beans on a highly classified backchannel discussion we ScienceBloggers have been having. Since the cat is already out of the bag (presumably a bag of beans), I suppose I’ll chime in.
What basic concepts would you like me to explain here?
Lab accidents are not funny.
The most recent Ask A ScienceBlogger question is:
What’s the funniest lab accident you’ve ever had?
Those who know me can tell you I like to laugh, but I’m having trouble coming up with a lab accident that I’d call funny.