Vincent Summers, Author at Quirky Science

16May 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Azulene or Cycloheptatrienyl Cation Cyclopentadienyl Anion “Salt”?

[caption id="attachment_14421" align="alignright" width="440"] The dipolar azulene hydrocarbon[/caption] Azulene is a fascinating hydrocarbon. It is bicyclic, meaning it has a kind of double ring structure. It is a seven-member ring adjoined to a five-member ring by a shared two-carbon wall. One ring resembles cycloheptatriene. The other ring, cyclopentadiene. And yet, there is something different about azulene. Or should we say some things different? Unusual Qualities Although azulene is a hydrocarbon, it is a deep blue hydrocarbon, something very much out of the ordinary. The Lactarius indigo mushroom, in fact, gets its blue coloration from a derivative of azulene. In addition, although most plain hydrocarbons have little or no dipole moment, azulene has a dipole moment of 1.08 Debye units. This is equal to that of the nitrogen-containing diphenylamine molecule. [caption…

16May 2016 by Vincent Summers No Comments

Cyclobutadiene Antiaromatic or Other Destabilization Factors?

Chemistry

Clearly cyclobutadiene is not aromatic. Is cyclobutadiene antiaromatic? Or is its lack of stability due to other factors? Cyclobutadiene is a four-carbon hydrocarbon. The –diene part of its name indicates it has two double bonds. The cyclo– part indicates it is not a chain structure, but a cyclic (ring) structure. Now double bonds hold atoms tighter than single ones do. So they are shorter than single bonds. This causes cyclobutadiene to assume a rectangular shape. If it were square instead, it would indicate the four carbon to carbon bonds were identical, and aromatic. Cyclobutadiene's four hydrogen atoms point away from the ring. Analyzing the Structure Cyclobutadiene is flat. The two double bonds of cyclobutadiene are conjugated. That is, their ring structure alternates double bond, single bond, double bond, single bond.…

13May 2016 by Vincent Summers 4 Comments

Is Cyclopropenone Aromatic or Not?

Chemistry

Is cyclopropenone aromatic? Before reading on, try to anticipate the answer to that question. When most students think of aromatic, they think of simple hydrocarbons—compounds composed of hydrogen and carbon atoms only. The best known example of an aromatic hydrocarbon is the 6-sided cyclic compound benzene—C₆H₆. Benzene, if drawn according to classical structures, has alternating single and double bonds between carbon atoms. Basic Qualifications for Aromaticity A double bond consists of one sigma (σ) and one pi (π) bond. If the ring is single rather than multiple (as, for instance, for naphthalene, which is comprised of two fused rings), and if it has 4n+2 completely conjugated π electrons in a closed loop or ring, is neutral, and is flat, the structure obeys Hückel’s rule and will be aromatic. There are…

13May 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Mathematical Powers – a Simple Insight

Education, Mathematics

[caption id="attachment_14363" align="alignright" width="380"] Squaring - the Power of 2[/caption] Multiplication is one of the simpler operations we perform on numbers. As kids we had to learn the multiplication tables, one times two equals two, two times two equals three, three times two equals six, and so forth. It didn’t take long before most of us were comfortable multiplying simple numbers. But sometimes we multiply the same number times itself. In that case, we can write out the multiplication in the usual way, or we can write it in terms of mathematical powers. Mathematical Powers – a Simple Illustration Let’s consider the example of three times three. That can be written either 3 x 3 = 9, or in powers notation, 32 = 9 This tells us three to the…

11May 2016 by Vincent Summers 3 Comments

Requiescat In Pace (R.I.P. or Rest in Peace) – A Valid Phrase?

Bible, Language

[caption id="attachment_14341" align="alignright" width="480"] The Sarcophagus of Cyriacus.[/caption]In its article entitled Rest in peace (Latin: Requiescat in pace), Wikipedia states “The phrase dormit in pace (he sleeps in peace) was found in the catacombs of the early Christians.” [Italics added] I am not certain how early the “early” Christians are that are referenced by Wikipedia. In fact, I wonder if any inscription of this sort was used at all for, say, the first 100 years after Jesus' death. Yet, "he sleeps in peace" better represents the Bible’s true hope for the dead. Requiescat In Pace? Today these words are replaced by the phrase “rest in peace”. Wikipedia speaks of this as well, saying “Th[is] phrase was not found on tombstones before the eighth century.” Even though he sleeps in peace,…

09May 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Ethane Sigma Bond Rotation Conformers

Chemistry

[caption id="attachment_14316" align="alignright" width="440"] Methane Ball & Stick Model[/caption] Methane is the smallest molecule consisting of just carbon and hydrogen, CH₄. The second smallest hydrocarbon is ethane, C₂H₆. It is sometimes written H₃C–CH₃. The “dash” between the two carbon atoms represents a single bond. It is also a sigma bond. What is a sigma bond? And what are ethane sigma bond rotation conformers? What is a Sigma Bond? The carbon to carbon single bond is a covalent bond. That is, bonding electrons lying between the two carbon atoms are shared equally. A sigma bond is the strongest variety of covalent bond. The two atoms overlap head-on. One could view such a bond as being of cylindrical symmetry or like a straight line between the two atoms. Hence, the dash notation.…

06May 2016 by Vincent Summers 1 Comment

Carbs or Carbohydrates – What are They?

Chemistry, Food

[caption id="attachment_14302" align="alignright" width="440"] Yum! White Potatoes.[/caption] When people refer to limiting their “carb” intake, they mean they are holding back from eating food rich in carbohydrates. What are carbs, and what are some examples of foods high in carbohydrates that dieters may wish to limit their consuming? Derived from carbo- (carbon) and hydrate (water), these substances are compounds such as sugars, starches, and cellulose that contain carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The ratio of hydrogen to oxygen atoms is 2 to 1, the same as that for water (H2O). In essence, all carbohydrates are some combination of carbon and water. What are Carbs – Sugars Mention sugar, and the average person thinks of ordinary table sugar or sucrose. Others may have also heard of glucose. This sugar is of special…

05May 2016 by Vincent Summers 3 Comments

Cyanides How Toxic Are They? Are All Cyanides Deadly?

Chemistry, Medicine

Potassium and sodium cyanides are iconic poisons. Murder mystery movies frequently feature one of these two substances as the cause of death. Their chemical formulas may be written more than one way. Most simplistically, they are KCN and NaCN. K stands for potassium (kalium), and Na stands for sodium (natrium). C is for carbon. N is for nitrogen. Another way of writing the chemical formulas of these substances is, K–C≡N and Na–C≡N. Both of these chemical compounds dissolve in water. This makes them especially dangerous, since if consumed, they can enter the bloodstream and travel to all of the bodies’ cells. KCN → K+ + CN- NaCN → Na+ + CN- Cyanides How Toxic? Organic Nitriles Organic nitriles are a kind of cyanide. For instance, acetonitrile is written, CH3CN But…

04May 2016 by Vincent Summers 4 Comments

Have Boxelder Maple Trees? Make Boxelder Syrup!

Food, Plants

[caption id="attachment_14989" align="alignright" width="480"] Tree Tapping[/caption] Do you really adore 100% real maple syrup and maple sugar? If so, maybe you would enjoy making your own maple syrup. But you say you don’t have sugar maple trees! There is good news, though. There are other trees whose sap can be used to produce sweet syrup for your morning pancakes or French toast. Have you ever heard of boxelder syrup? Confusing Boxelder Trees with Poison Ivy It is not rare for a person to identify a boxelder tree as poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans). You can see why this is the case if you compare the images provided with this article. Because I am aware of the similarity between the two plants and the tendency of others to make a mistake, I…

02May 2016 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Colonel Jacob Bucher Ayres Married into the Royal Stewarts

Genealogy, History

[caption id="attachment_18300" align="alignleft" width="380"] A young Jacob Bucher Ayres.[/caption] The Ayres family can be traced from England through Ireland through Scotland to Pennsylvania, USA. There are other lines of Ayres, but the line we discuss here descends from Samuel Ayres married to Margaret Richmond. Jacob Bucher Ayres, who went by his middle name only, was son of William, son of John, son of William, son of Samuel. [caption id="attachment_14222" align="alignright" width="244"] Bucher's father William.[/caption] [Jacob Bucher] "Bucher" and George Bucher Ayres, along with six others, were children of William Sr. and Mary Elizabeth Bucher Ayres. Mary had been married once before, in 1812, to one John Swift, having a son likewise named John. The author has not yet attempted to trace that family line. However, there has proved to be…