15Jul 2019 by Vincent Summers 2 Comments

Carbide Cannons & Miners’ Lamps – The Chemistry?

Chemistry, Technology
When I was a kid, a friend showed me what he called an acetylene cannon. Many know it as a carbide cannon. What made it work? It's all a matter of chemistry. Which Carbide? A carbide is a compound in which carbon is bonded to a more electropositive element. Silicon carbide (SiC) and tungsten carbide (WC) are two well-known examples. What carbide do carbide cannons use? Calcium Carbide The answer is calcium carbide. Lime and coke are placed in an electric furnace. The chemical reaction is: CaO + 3 C → CaC2 + CO2↑ What makes calcium oxide so interesting is its bonding. The valence of calcium is +2. Ordinarily, carbon is assigned a valence of 4. Something's strange here... The puzzle is solved if we write the structure of…
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30Dec 2018 by Vincent Summers 7 Comments

Double Tragedy for the Japanese-American Iba Family of California

History, People
I am a chemist. So why do I write about the tragedy befalling a family? It stems from an article I wrote entitled The Tragic Case of the Los Angeles Wannabe Chemist. In that article, I describe a chemical explosion in 1947 that killed 17 and injured more than 150 persons. Alice was not simply killed. Her body was blown to bits. She was assisting the Ohio-born wannabe chemist, Robert M. Magee. Magee not only lied about his higher education credentials, he hadn't even finished high school, according to his mother. Introducing the Iba Family Alice had been hired just one month-and-a-half before the incident, and was given a change of assignment to work alongside Magee. Her education appears to have been limited to high school. How old was she?…
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26Dec 2018 by Vincent Summers 8 Comments

The Tragic Case of the Los Angeles Wannabe Chemist

Chemistry, Technology
I wrote how I was, in younger years, badly gassed by the carcinogenic, heavy-metal compound chromyl chloride during a home chemistry experiment. Another article I wrote was about how I mistakenly produced, not an organic ester as intended, but a powerful tear gas. In both cases, I aptly demonstrated my lack of knowledge as a wannabe chemist. My "unfortunate" experiments did not prove tragic. Another fellow was not so fortunate... In fact, his experiment cost him – and sixteen others – their lives. Not to mention, those badly injured, and the many surrounding buildings it destroyed. Introducing Wannabe Chemist Bobby Magee Does the name remind you of the Janis Joplin song Me and Bobby Magee? Well our Bobby, or more precisely, Robert M. Magee was the son of James W.…
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09Nov 2016 by Vincent Summers 3 Comments

How Can a Rocket Fly in the Vacuum of Space?

Physics, Technology
Recently a friend told me he met a man who doesn’t believe in rockets flying in space. Why not? Because (he said) there’s nothing in space for a rocket to push against. There’s only vacuum—no air. A rocket fly in space? Nah. Rockets in space are products of film studios. A Stupid Thing to Say? That’s not really an entirely stupid statement. Imagine you’re on a chair with wheels. How can you move if you don’t push on something? But the man didn’t fully appreciate the rocket does push on something—or, rather, something pushes on the rocket—its fuel. To Illustrate Imagine one of those kids’ cherry bombs, a quarter-sized explosive kids set off on various occasions. Imagine a cherry bomb tied with a very sewing thread, suspended from a tree…
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