What is a Mole?

A "mole" in science is a unit that is used for measurement, and is often referred to as "Avogadro's number." This is because Amedeo Avogadro, an Italian chemist and physics professor, proclaimed in the year 1811 that gases with the same volumes at the same temperature had an equivalent quantity of molecules in its composition. This theory was developed even further fifty years later, with an Italian scientist named Stanislao Cannizzaro. He used Avogadro's original hypothesis to create a set of atomic weights for the known elements by performing comparisons on the masses of gases with equal volumes. In the year 1865, Austrian school teacher, Johann Josef Loschmidt further the research efforts of his predecessors, and was successfully able to calculate the size of an air molecule. This was significant because it allowed for an estimation for the quantity of molecules in a given volume of air. All of these efforts led to the mole, which can be defined as a theory that in a certain mass of an element, there is an exact number of atoms.

The mole is important for scientists because it allows for the quantities of microscopic things, such as atoms and molecules, to be calculated in an easier fashion. Like the term "dozen" is used to simplify a quantity of twelve, the mole allows for extremely small decimal-pointed numbers to be expressed in an simpler way. If you have a periodic table, you can convert moles into grams for different elements. The mole also represents the number of particles of a certain substance.

Sources:
http://www.enotes.com/science/q-and-a/what-mole-chemistry-287632
http://www.visionlearning.com/library/module_viewer.php?mid=53

Earth's Biogeochemical Cycles: Once in Concert, Falling Out of Sync

Biogeochemical cycles are known to be coupled, meaning that all the different phases and cycles in the natural world (including the water cycle, the nitrogen cycle, and the carbon cycle) are conected to each other. All these different occurences happen in harmony with the other forces working around it. Especially with all things, such as global warming, affecting our atmosphere, it is important to study and further examine all aspects of the biogeochemical cycles and find a solution to the environmental issues. Tim Killeen, NSF assistant director for geosciences, says that, "Biogeochemical cycles don't exist in isolation..." It is crucial to understand that we have to study these cycles in terms of how they are harmonizing with the cycles around itself. This is a method that scientists can use to determine how humans have impacted the environment.

Technique Allows Researchers to Examine How Materials Bond at the Atomic Level

Facts:

1. Strain makes a difference in how bonds form, but there hasn't been a great deal of understanding on how this idea works on the atomic level
2. Scientists have been able to influence the assembly process of silicon crystals by applying strain during bond formation
3. The results from the experiment led to the conclusion that application of even small amount of strain in one direction increases the chemical reactivity of bonds in a certain direction, which in turn causes structural changes
4. Continued research should allow for future scientists to be able to identify the significant hidden variables, and silicon-based devices will in turn become more efficient as a result.

Dry Ice

What is dry ice?
 - The frozen form of carbon dioxide
How is it made?
STEPS:
1. Take the gas form of carbon dioxide and have it pressurized and refrigerated to form liquid carbon dioxide.  
2. Allow for it to expand in an atmospheric chamber.
3. When the CO2 changes from a liquid to a gas, there should be a huge drop in temperature, which will cause some of the gas to freeze. This should allow for the creation of both the solid and gas form of carbon dioxide. 

4.  Product is then hydraulically pressed into dry ice blocks.   

What is it used for?
- Is particularly used for freezing/keeping things frozen
- Also to create "fog"
Why does it "smoke"/Is it really "smoke"?

- When combined with water, it turns into a cold mixture of carbon dioxide and humid air, which creates condensation of water vapor in the air (smoke/fog).

Alloys

Definition:
A mixture or metallic solution composed of two of more elements
Examples:

Brass - jewelry; piping; stamping dies; instruments

Bronze - coins; medals; gears; tools; electrical hardware 

What Colors do Birds See?

Interesting Facts:

1. Changing the color of ambient light can trigger early breeding, or alter fertility rates through mimicking the change of seasons.
2. Birds have photo-pigments with sensitivities at four or five peak wavelengths, making them between a tetrachromat or pentachromats
3. The fovea, where there is a  high concentration of cones, may form a lateral stripe in the eyes rather than being in a central area.
4. There is a strong correspondence between the habitat and behavior patterns of different species, and their spectral sensitivities
5. The inner segment of the cones in a bird's eyes contains a colored oil droplet beside the base of the outer segment, which filters light before it can reach the visual pigment.

The Periodic Table Expands Once Again

Elements 114 and 116 have recently been added to the periodic table, making for a total of 114 recognized elements ("elements" 113 and 115 have not yet been approved). The numbers used in the name signify the quantity of of protons in the nucleus of an atom. Because these are their temporary names, permanent titles for these elements will be determined by scientists in the near future. Although not much has been discussed over the future monikers of the newly-created elements, the names will have to end using "ium." In the past, names of more modern elements were named after renowned scientists, so perhaps the new elements will be in honor of one of the scientists responsible for the discovery, Dr. Moody. If not, maybe it will be a mix of the elements combined to make the 114 and 116 elements: calcium ions into atoms of plutonium or curium.But for now, more discussion will have to be made before any such decision is made.