Category Archives: chemistry in the news

Autism versus Vaccines

Posted on October 14, 2016 by | 3 comments

Earlier this year, a huge controversy regarding the correlation of autism and vaccination resurfaced and caught the attention of many concerned parents over the internet. This matter sparked a large interest in the general public and caused many debates on whether if autism and vaccination is actually correlated.

This controversy first appeared in 1998, when Andrew Wakefield published a fraudulent paper on the MMR (mumps, measles, and rubella) vaccine and autism. His initial research proposed that the MMR vaccine caused inflammation in the guts of patients, which allowed a certain unproven protein to be so called, ‘leaked’ across the inflamed intestines and travel through the body to the developing brain, causing autism.

When I first heard about this controversy, I was enraged by the potential harm caused by the ignorance and misinformation sown through the general public. As a science student at UBC, I have considered it a personal goal to spread the truth. Despite what Khan Academy has explained in the attached video above, let us look into this matter scientifically, shall we?

First let’s dissect the causation of Autism.

To be honest, the exact cause of autism is unknown. However, research has shown that there are several possible factors, including genetics. Scientists have discovered that in some cases of autistic children, their chromosomes differed from the karyotype, the visual representation of all the chromosomes present in an organism, of a healthy, normal individual’s. It was often found that mutations arose in their set of chromosomes, causing changes in the DNA sequence that would affect the appropriate proteins later produced for proper physical and mental development.

Normal Human Karyotype (Male)   Credit: Flickr Commons

Now, let’s look at the function of vaccines. When vaccines are introduced to the body, it does in fact contain a small portion of the disease. However, it is in its deactivated or weakened form, thus unable to cause any virulent harm to the host. The purpose of vaccines is to introduce potential harmful foreign proteins to the body so our immune system is able to recognize these viruses or bacteria. In return, when our immune system is exposed to the fully activated version of the disease, the body is able to make antibodies fast enough before the host actually falls ill.

Between the function of vaccines and how autism may be caused, I find it absurd that some people believe vaccinating their children can potentially expose them to the risk of autism. By that logic, they are suggesting that deactivated or weakened versions of bacteria or viruses are able to change DNA sequences in cells.

I stand by the fact that vaccines do not cause autism in children. I truly hope parents who are against vaccinating their children for this very reason have looked into this topic in depth, and hopefully have changed their minds and have come to the correct conclusion. After all, why risk your child’s health and safety for something you’ve read on Facebook that has been proven false by many research studies?

– Katrina Lim

Resources:

Child Autism Parent Café. http://www.child-autism-parent-cafe.com/autism-and-genes.html (accessed Oct 10, 2016)

Zorica, H.I. et al. Numerical and structural chromosomal changes in a case of autism. [online] 2007. (accessed Oct 10, 2016) http://www.rombio.eu/vol12nr.3/manuscript_8_Hertzog%20BT%20nr.3.htm

Gillber, C.J. Chromosomal Disorder and Autism. Springer Link. [Online] doi:10.1023/A:1026004505764. 1998. 28: 415 http://link.springer.com/article/10.1023/A:1026004505764 (accessed Oct 10, 2016)

3 Comments

Posted in chemistry in the news

Tagged , , , ,

The World’s Smallest Machines!

Posted on October 11, 2016 by | 3 comments

The 2016 Nobel prize in chemistry was awarded to Jean-Pierre Sauvage of the University of Strasbourg for the design and synthesis of molecular machines. As a chemistry undergraduate myself, the idea of molecular machines immediately peaked my interests. These machines are no different than the gears that rotate the wheels of our cars and spin the fans that cool the computer chips inside our computers. Now you might be asking, what’s so spectacular about that? The fact is, these machines are so small they are invisible to our naked eye; they are so tiny that even under a magnifying glass you wouldn’t even see a spec.

Jean-Pierre Sauvage and his research team first proposed the idea of molecular machines in 1983 when they successfully linked two ring-shaped molecules into one structure called a “catenane”. The linked rings acted like two gears that can move mechanically with respect to each other just like any other gear in the macroscopic world. This simple discovery has propelled the research till present day. It has now been more than 30 years since the initial proposal of molecular machines with only a two gear system.

This is the crystal structure of catenane discovered by Sauvage and his team in 1985. Released under the GNU Free Documentation License

This is the crystal structure of catenane discovered by Sauvage and his team in 1985. (c) M stone, released under the GNU Free Documentation License

Jean-Pierre Sauvage and his research team has perfected the simple two-ringed molecule into a sophisticated system of many molecules that can be designed to perform certain tasks when energy is added. As of right now, Sauvage’s team has been able to display spinning of cranks and wheels at the microscopic level. In terms of development, their systems are equivalent to the electric motors during the 1830s. Without a doubt, what Sauvage and his team have discovered is just the tip of the iceberg. These molecular machines could potentially be further developed and used for things such as new materials, sensors and energy storage systems, and I’m excited to see the applications of these molecular motors in our everyday lives. Maybe one day when molecular motors become an integral part of our world, just like the electrical motors we use now, we will look back and truly appreciate Sauvage and the other scientists for the work they have put into developing these amazingly small but complex nano-machines.

 

-Charlie Wei

References:

Press Release: The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2016 http://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2016/press.html (accessed Oct 12, 2016).

Jean-Pierre Sauvage – Facts https://www.nobelprize.org/nobel_prizes/chemistry/laureates/2016/sauvage-facts.html (accessed Oct 12, 2016).

Transformations of Fullerene http://www.org-chem.org/yuuki/catenane/catenane_en.html (accessed Oct 12, 2016).

3 Comments

Posted in chemistry in the news, frontiers of chemistry

Tagged , ,

Vantablack, the darkest material ever made

Posted on October 11, 2016 by | 1 comment

j56kj54

(Image Credits: SURREY NANOSYSTEMS https://www.surreynanosystems.com/vantablack)

The picture above shows Vantablack, which is the darkest artificial material ever made. The coating, which absorbs almost all light, was created by British company Surrey NanoSystems to eliminate light that interfere satellites and telescopes. Let us see what is this mysterious material and how it can be used.

1.Does the darkest means the blackest?

As we known, the color is actually a result of reflected light from the object. The color shown is depend on the light frequency. The Vantablack does not actually shows any colour since there is no light reflected from it. The reason why the light can not escape is because of the structure of Vantablack. It is made of a “forest” of tiny, hollow carbon tubes, each has the width of a single atom. According to the Surrey NanoSystems website, “a surface area of 1 centimeter squared would contain around 1000 million nanotubes.” These tubes can absorb light hits, so Vantablack is called the absence of color.

 

2.Does it feels like the way it looks?

“One of the things that people often say is ‘Can I touch it?’” said by Steve Northam from Surrey NanoSystems. “They expect it to feel like a warm velvet.” However Vantablack does not feels like the way it looks. When you touch Vantablack, it just feels like a smooth surface. Because the nanotubes are minute and thin, they will collapse easily by a slight human touch. So, Vantablack is extremely sensitive  to touch, that explains why it can not yet be applied to unprotected surfaces like cars —one brush of a hand can make material lose its magic.

3.How much does it weight?

One thing interesting is that, though Vantablack is vulnerable to damage, it is super robust against other forces, like shock and vibration. This is due to the fact that every carbon nanotube is independent, and has almost no mass at all. Plus, most of the material is air. “If there’s no mass, there’s no force during acceleration,” Northam says. This makes Vantablack ideal for protected objects that might have to endure a jouncy ride, like a space rocket.

4.Any possibilities beyond its original applications?

As mentioned above, the material was initially designed for fields of frontier science, like space launch, where its ability to limit stray light makes it ideal for the inside of telescopes. But it could be applied in more daily objects with right conditions. Northam says Surrey NanoSystems has already been approached by a handful of luxury watchmakers interested in incorporating Vantablack into their wrist candy, and high-end car manufacturers want to use it in their dashboard displays for stunning visual appearance.

To my opinion, the invention of Vantablank is a great achievement for material chemistry. It suggest that the appropriate design can make the simple element show characteristics we never expected. The Vantablank give approaches to development of  carbon-related synthesis.

Video:

Reference:

Evangelos Theocharous, Christopher J. Chunnilall, Ryan Mole, David Gibbs, Nigel Fox, Naigui Shang, Guy Howlett, Ben Jensen, Rosie Taylor, Juan R. Reveles, Oliver B. Harris, and Naseer Ahmed, “The partial space qualification of a vertically aligned carbon nanotube coating on aluminium substrates for EO applications,” Opt. Express 22, 7290-7307 (2014)

 

1 Comment

Posted in chemistry in the news, chemistry publishing, frontiers of chemistry

Tagged , ,

Oxygen Water and Reasons to Avoid it

Posted on October 10, 2016 by | 2 comments

Have you heard of “oxygen water?” This self-explanatory drink contains a higher concentration of oxygen than normal water. The manufacturers of oxygen water such as GP8 oxygen water and OXiGEN all claim their products have many health benefits such as an improvement in an athlete’s performance; however, is this true? In short it isn’t.

 

When people are vigorously exercising, they are always out of breath. Why is that? Oxygen is an essential fuel needed to generate energy (ATP) in the human body. This process of making energy in our bodies is known as cellular respiration.

Simple Overview of Cellular Respiration. It requires oxygen, sugar (food) to make energy, carbon dioxide and water. As shown above, oxygen is a necessary component in the process. Image created by Jay Park, public domain source: http://imgur.com/a/hqKCh

YouTube Preview Image

 

When people are breathing hard, they are trying to get more oxygen in their lungs to fuel their bodies into motion. What if there was an alternate way of getting oxygen inside your body than breathing? Oxygen water manufacturers claim that drinking their product will increase the oxygen levels in your body. Unfortunately, this is no where near the truth.

 
With the popularity of oxygen water growing in both professional and amateur athletes, a few teams of scientists decided to challenge the science behind oxygen water. One of those scientists was Dr. Piantadosi who tested whether or not consuming oxygen water improved athletic performance. The study concluded that oxygen water did not improve any athletic abilities. Many other studies that tested oxygen water’s ability to enhance athletic ability all came to the same conclusion.

 
Unlike the aforementioned studies, Schoenberg and his team were determined to figure out if oxygen water was harmful by investigating the relationship between oxygen water and oxygen radicals. Oxygen radicals are a type of free radicals.  Free radicals have an unpaired electron and this makes the radicals highly unstable and reactive. When they are present in our body, they can damage and even kill the cells they come in contact with; therefore, having high levels of oxygen radicals is harmful.

 
YouTube Preview Image

 
The scientists hypothesized that participants who drank oxygen water will have more oxygen radicals in their blood.  Their hypothesis was correct. Volunteers who drank oxygen water had higher blood oxygen radical levels than normal for thirty minutes after drinking oxygen water. With this finding, the team concluded that oxygen water may be harmful to the consumer.

 
The scientific community has made it clear that oxygen water is not what it claims to be. Hopefully with the power of science behind your back, you will avoid wasting your money on oxygen water!

 

Jay Park.

Reference:
1. Haque, Rabiul. Free Radical Injury (HD). 2015. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
2. Piantadosi, C A. “”Oxygenated” Water and Athletic Performance * COMMENTARY”. British Journal of Sports Medicine 40.9 (2006): 740-741. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
3. Schoenberg MH, et al. “The Generation Of Oxygen Radicals After Drinking Of Oxygenated Water. – Pubmed – NCBI”. Ncbi.nlm.nih.gov. N.p., 2016. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.
4. Teacher’s Pet. Cellular Respiration. 2014. Web. 10 Oct. 2016.

2 Comments

Posted in admin, chemistry in the news

Tagged , , ,

DNA Evidence – Not so airtight after all

Posted on October 10, 2016 by | 2 comments

March 2009. Police departments across Europe have been searching for a serial killer known as the Phantom of Heilbronn. Her DNA had been found at crime scenes all over the subcontinent. Other than the DNA, police had no other clues to her identity. Finally, a break, but not exactly what authorities were looking for. They had found an individual with matching DNA, only it was a man. Stumped as to how their profile was matching to a man – a genetic impossibility – investigators re-examined the evidence. They eventually determined that the Phantom of Heilbronn was just that, a phantom. The DNA belonged to a worker in the factory that manufactured the cotton swabs used by the forensic officers. The swabs had contained minor contamination from the worker, but had been used to collect samples at crime scenes. When analyzing the swabs, investigators found the DNA profile of the worker, instead of that of the culprit.

Every cell with a nucleus contains molecules of DNA, which function as the blueprint of life. Cells read the code in DNA and use it to construct and operate the body of the organism. Humans share 99.9% of their DNA sequence, but there is variation in the code. Modern technology can read an entire DNA sequence and isolate the parts in which there is known to be variation, known as loci. The variation at all loci produces a DNA profile that is as unique to an individual as a fingerprint. Forensic analysts working with police departments then use this to match a suspect’s DNA to that found as evidence at a crime scene.

YouTube Preview Image

How DNA analysis works. Source: The National Forensic Science Technology Center (NFSTC)

Media and popular culture would have you believe that DNA fingerprinting technology is infallible. As the case of the Phantom demonstrates, it most certainly is not. Since with modern technology DNA can be extracted from only a few cells, post-crime contamination during crime scene handling is becoming increasingly problematic. Cells from anywhere or anyone can end up on pieces of vital evidence and be misidentified as the cells of the criminal. Sometimes, as in the case of the phantom, this wastes valuable time and resources. Other times, such as in the controversial Amanda Knox case, it can land the wrong person in jail.

crime_scene_do_not_cross-_tape_3612094774

Crime scenes are at high risk of DNA contamination  Source: Wikimedia commons, By Tex Texin from Blogosphere, Cyberspace – “Crime Scene Do Not Cross” tape, CC BY 2.0

Crime scene contamination, along with other ways DNA evidence can be corrupted, cast doubt on the perceived faultless technique of DNA fingerprinting. Sometimes, even if with a DNA match cannot prove guilt beyond a reasonable doubt.

Megan Wolf

2 Comments

Posted in chemistry in the news

Tagged , , , ,

If Organic Molecules Were Human: NanoPutians

Posted on October 8, 2016 by | 1 comment

Although killer clown sightings are the main topic of discussion these past few weeks, there is one thing aspect in chemistry that is just as weird and creepy (because it is Halloween month): NanoPutians. NanoPutians were first introduced to me in my Chem 218 class and are defined as synthetic organic molecules that resemble human forms which include but are not limited to: athletes, monarchs, bakers, and chefs.

The process begins with the synthesis of a NanoKid which provides the structural backbone for the various forms of NanoPutians. This is carried out in two multistep reactions with the upper portion which includes the head and body and the lower portion which includes the waist and legs synthesized separately as shown (1):

nanoputian-upper-body

nanoputian-lower-body

The upper and the lower portions are then joined via a Pd/Cu catalyzed coupling reaction to yield the NanoKid as shown (1):

nanokid

Microwave radiation, in the presence of a 1,2 or a 1,3 diol, is the methodology for the “head-conversion reaction” of a NanoKid to yield the series of NanoPutians (1). Depending on the reaction conditions, the NanoPutian could resemble that of an athlete (NanoAthlete), a pilgrim (NanoPilgrim), a Green Beret (NanoGreenBeret), a jester (NanoJester), a monarch (NanoMonarch), a Texan (NanoTexan), a scholar (NanoScholar), a baker (NanoBaker), or a chef (NanoChef) as shown (1):

nanokid-conversion-reaction

Furthermore, if you are not satisfied with the diversity, miscellaneous reactions that do not implement a NanoKid backbone can yield NanoToddlers and NanoBalletDancers. A NanoPutian Chain can also be synthesized, with modifications to the synthesis of the upper portion of the NanoPutian to yield an AB polymer configuration, to resemble individual NanoPutians “holding hands” and to symbolize multinanolism and peace on NanoEarth (okay I’ll admit I made that up) as shown (1):

nanoputian-chain

Now you may ask yourself: “Who funds this kind of research?”, “Why would anyone invest their time on this?”, or “What is the significance in learning about NanoPutians to the scientific community?”. Truth be told, there is no known significance (yet), in terms of chemical and practical applications, which may explain the limited research in this area (2). However, the synthesis of NanoPutians contributes a significant role in aspiring the younger generations in science and more specifically, the field of chemistry (2). And sometimes, we tend to forget how important that really is. If scientific advancements are to be made in the future (and one can only predict what the future will look like), the younger generations must be inspired by science and motivated to learn more in order to solve the problems and answer the questions, that we could not, about the world we live in.

-Andrew Siu

Chem 300 Section 109

References

Chanteau, S., Tour, J. Synthesis of Anthropomorphic Molecules: The NanoPutians. Journal of Organic Chemistry 2003, 68, 8750.

NanoPutians. Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NanoPutian (accessed Oct. 8, 2016).

 

 

 

 

 

 

1 Comment

Posted in admin, chemistry in the news, chemistry publishing, frontiers of chemistry

Tagged , ,

Using medicine to reduce the risk of addictive gambling ?

Posted on October 3, 2016 by | 1 comment

Addictive gambling can have severely negative effects on a person’s lives. Because of such addiction, many people suffer from unemployment, financial debts and even families separation. Long time ago, a lot of scientists were really confused about why and how can the general public get so addicted to gambling, in a way similar to drug and many other types of addictions. This question had been solved by the study about pleasure centre, which began in 1954.

2885257820_c72a1a0635_m

(Graph 1: Gambling.  Author: jeniferanne Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer)

“Pleasure center” is a part of our brain that is located below the fronted end of Corpus Callosum (As shown in Graph 2 ). When we feel happy, this area will release a chemical called “dopamine”, which is also a type of neurotransmitters that can stimulate our brains and induce the feelings of pleasure.

interhemispheric_auditory_pathways_fnhum-08-00055-g001(Graph 2: The location of corpus Callosum) Author: Saskia Steinmann, Gregor Leicht and Christoph Mulert Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer.

The classic experiment regarding pleasure centre is “Rats and Rewards”. In 1950, two psychological researchers, whose names are James Olds and Peter Milner, implanted several electrodes into rats’ brains to release small electric pulses, which can stimulate specific areas of the brain. Olds and Milner found out that when they place the electrodes onto the location where below the fronted end of Corpus Callosum (As shown in Graph 2 ), which also known as the pleasure centre in the future, rats would keep pushing the panel without eating and drinking. In the end, these rats died from hunger and thirst. Based on this experiment, other scientists further discovered dopamine and the study of classical learning.

YouTube Preview Image

This type of addictive behaviour, as exhibited by the rats in the above experiment, is very similar to gambling. It can force people to forget about their real lives and maintain their addictive activities.

However, what if we can find a type of medicine that can inhibit the production of dopamine, and to help people quit gambling? In the Centre for Gambling Research at UBC, many researchers and scientists are experimenting to develop a new type of medicine which could regulate the pleasure centre and reduce the amount of dopamine emitted. They are also researching psychological methods to examine and control decision-making. The experimental methods are mainly about giving different groups of test subjects many types of medicine, and their heart rates, hormone levels or other types of physiological signals are measured. Higher heart rates or hormone levels imply higher releasing of dopamine. Base on such reaction, scientists can test about how can a specific of medicine can lower the physiological signals, which can eventually inhibit the pleasurable feelings of addictions. If this research can be achieved, many people in the world who suffer from gambling problems can be saved and also start a brand new life.

–Xiaochen Liang

References:

What’s pleasure center and the famous rat experiment ?

http://www.neuroscientificallychallenged.com/blog/know-your-brain-reward-system

The UBC gambling research

About

Graph 1

Author: jeniferanne Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer

DSC_0022

Graph 2

Author: Saskia Steinmann, Gregor Leicht and Christoph Mulert Source: pictures uploaded by the original photographer.

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Interhemispheric_auditory_pathways_fnhum-08-00055-g001.png

Video:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ruEsLc6IaBk[/youtube] Youtube Uploaded by Kanaal van teaching psychology   Sources: Unknown

 

 

 

 

1 Comment

Posted in chemistry in the news, chemistry publishing

Tagged , , ,

Zika Virus impairs Infant’s brain development

Posted on October 3, 2016 by | 2 comments

What is Zika? Zika is a virus passed by a bite of an infected yellow fever mosquito  (1). Adults infected with Zika virus can develop several symptoms. For instance, headache, rash, fever, red eyes and muscle pain. Indeed, not only adults can be infected by the Zika virus. Pregnant women infected with Zika virus can also pass it down to their fetus.

Joseph Gleeson,a neuroscientist from Rockefeller Univeristy in New York City,  suggested infants infected with Zika virus are very likely to be born with abnormally small heads called microcephaly (4). A group of researchers conducted an experiment to understand how Zika virus caused impairment in cerebral cortical development, an area of the brain associated with the function of thoughts and actions. First, the researchers infected both neural progenitor cells (NPCs) and mature cortical neurons with Zika virus (2). Neural progenitor cells, like stem cells, that are capable of differentiating into neural cells (3). While, cortical neurons are nerve cells found in the largest region of the brain that is responsible for the complex activities, such as thoughts, perceptions, voluntary movements and more (3). The experimental results showed there were more cell deaths in infected NPCs than mature cortical neurons. Thus, the scientists claimed the results provide a plausible pathway showing how fetus’s brain is infected by Zika virus.

Figure 1: The comparison of infant's head size without Zika virus versus with Zika virus

Figure 1: The comparison of infant’s normal head size to an infant infected with Zika virus. Author: Tani Source: Picture uploaded by original photographer

zika-map

Figure 2: The map showing the spread of Zika virus. Author: Lizzie Dearden; Source: Picture uploaded by original photographer

Zika virus has been reported to be an alarming issue in Brazil, Mexico, some areas in the United States and more (1). At this stage, there is no cure or vaccine to treat Zika virus. However, wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants regularly can minimize the chance of getting bitten by a Zika-infected mosquito. In addition, carry insect repellent all the time is another way to avoid getting infected with Zika virus. It is strongly encouraged to consult the doctor for advice if an expectant mother is infected with Zika virus. Lastly, try to avoid traveling to areas reported with active Zika virus transmission.

YouTube Preview Image

References:

1. U.S Department of Health and Human Services. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Zika Virus. https://www.cdc.gov/zika/about/overview.html (accessed on Oct 2nd, 2016).

2.Miner, J.J & Diamond, M.S. Cell Stem Cell: Understanding How Zika Virus Enters and Infects Neural Target Cells. Science Direct. 2016, 18, 559-560.

3. Nature. Neural progenitors. http://www.nature.com/subjects/neural-progenitors (accessed on Oct 2nd, 2016).

4. Society for Science and the Public. Brain Health: Zika can damage the brains of even adults. https://www.sciencenewsforstudents.org/article/zika-can-damage-brains-even-adults (accessed on Oct 2nd, 2016).

Photo source:

1. Copyright information: http://pregnancywellnesstips.com/pregnancy-wellness-symptoms-prevention-treatment-of-zika-virus-during-pregnancy/

2. Copyright information: http://www.independent.co.uk/life-style/health-and-families/health-news/zika-virus-uk-america-europe-symptoms-cure-pregnant-women-microcephaly-a6851126.html

2 Comments

Posted in chemistry in the news, chemistry publishing, frontiers of chemistry

Tagged , ,

Coffee and cancer mortality

Posted on October 2, 2016 by | Leave a comment

Coffee has been a really important component of human diet and has been known the acute effect that maybe harmful on human health. As we know, coffee also contains beneficial compounds such as antioxidants, though the net effect of coffee on human health is also uncertain.

Recently, there is an organization which is called “JACC” in Japan. They assessed to the association of coffee with the all-cause and total cancer mortality. They followed up 110792 subjects aged 40-79 at baseline by conducting a large-scale cohort, aand then grouped them into four categories according their daily coffee intake: consuming less than 1 cup, 1 cup, 2 or 3 cups, and 4 or more cups. They also adjusted the other factors which maybe associated with the cancer mortality and coffee consumption such as smoking status, drinking status, and sleep length. The linear trend in the risk of mortality was assessed by treating the number of cups of coffee intake per day as ordinal variable. Further analysis stratified by baseline age in addition to gender was also conducted.

After they followed up for 16 years, the results showed the mortality was decreasing with the increased coffee consumption in both men and women. However, in women there was a slight risk elevation at the highest coffee consumption level compared with the second level. The result of further analysis, with exclusion of those with past medical history or those died early, th erisk of cancer mortality did not show any association with coffee comsumption in men, but was slightly reduced with increasing coffee consumption in women. The results also indicated the women aged 40-59 at baseline showed a slightly non-significant decreasing trend with the increasing coffee intake. However, the women aged 60-79 showed the risk reduction was only at the 2nd and 3rd level.

Youwen Zhang
Oct 2nd, 2016

Leave a comment

Posted in chemistry in the news

Tagged , , ,

Helium: A Shortage?

Posted on October 1, 2016 by | Leave a comment

At an atomic number of two, helium is known most commonly for floating party balloons and producing hilariously high pitched voices, but the noble gas is not often thought of as a non-renewable resource.

Balloons

Party balloons are possibly the most well known use of helium. Credit to HilkeFromm (link)

Aside from parade balloons, helium gas is used in a variety of practical ways from weather balloons to leak detection. Being inert and non-toxic, helium is also used to pressurize scuba diving and rocket fuel tanks and has applications in welding.

However, the most significant property of helium is its cooling ability. With a boiling point of 4.2K, liquid helium is one of the coldest liquids known to science. Employing a pump, one can further cool liquid helium by reducing pressure and upon reaching 2.17 K, helium becomes a superfluid, allowing for very high thermal conductivity and zero viscosity.

YouTube Preview Image

This property makes helium essential in the creation of superconducting magnets, such as those found in CERN’s Large Hadron Collider, and the in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners.

CERN's Large Hadron Collider. Credit to: Thomas Cizauskas, flickr, October 11, 2014 (link)

CERN’s Large Hadron Collider. Credit to: Thomas Cizauskas, flickr, October 11, 2014 (link)

On Earth, helium is produced underground by the radioactive decay of heavy metals. This process is known as alpha decay and emits a helium nucleus (two neutrons and two protons), which gains two electrons and forms Helium-4. Next to hydrogen, helium is second most abundant element in the universe, but unfortunately it’s quite rare on Earth.

Credit to: Wikimedia Commons, Nov. 3, 2005

The Bohr model of a Helium Atom. Credit to: Wikimedia Commons, Nov. 3, 2005 (link)

This is because helium’s low mass allows it to escape Earth’s atmosphere and into outer space. Because of this, helium is only found trapped underground and is often mined together with deposits of natural gas. With no way of producing more, our access to the precious gas is finite and until recently scientists believed the world would run out with the next 25 to 30 years. The worlds largest supply of helium is in Amarillo, Texas with the Federal Helium Reserve which was stockpiling helium from 1925 until 1996 when the decision was made to sell it. While the scarcity of the gas has many worried, this flooding of the market resulted in helium’s rarity being poorly reflected in its price.

Fortunately, a new, massive deposit of helium was recently discovered in the Tanzanian East African Rift Valley. While this new reservoir brings relief to science and industry, it will only prolong the worlds helium shortage. Helium remains a limited resource, and should be conserved and recycled when possible, or we might find ourselves running out again.

– Kevin O’Connor (revised Oct. 13, 2016)

References:

What is the most abundant element? http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/periodic/faq/what-element-is-most-abundant.shtml (accessed October 1, 2016)

Cryogenics: Low temperatures, high performance. CERN. https://home.cern/about/engineering/cryogenics-low-temperatures-high-performance (accessed October 1, 2016)

Helium. Royal Society of Chemistry. http://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/2/helium (accessed October 1, 2016)

Magill, B. As Shortage Worsens, We Visit the Federal Helium Reserve. http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/health/a8289/as-shortage-worsens-we-visit-the-federal-helium-reserve-14720528/ (accessed October 1, 2016)

Harvey, C. The world is running dangerously low on helium. This discovery reinflates our supply. https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/energy-environment/wp/2016/06/28/the-world-is-running-dangerously-low-on-helium-this-discovery-reinflates-our-supply/?utm_term=.62a6d2408852 (accessed October 1, 2016)

What Happens If We Run Out Of Helium? Dominguez, Trace. Dnews, YouTube.com. 19 July 2016. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eCorxPmmLa8 (accessed October 1, 2016)

Leave a comment

Posted in chemistry in the news

Tagged , ,