Week Seven

Selenium

Se

Atomic Number: 34
Atomic Weight: 78.96

I chose selenium because it seems everyone else chose Silicon. I have often heard of selenium being added to certain supplements and often been curious about exactly what it is.

Selenium can evidently, according to one source, produce electricity directly from sun light.
It is a semiconductor that is used to convert a/c to d/c current.

Elemental selenium is relatively nontoxic and is considered to be an essential trace element.
As with several of the elements I have learned about throughout this class, its seems that Se is another naturally occurring element that is essential to human health in small doses. Most people can obtain enough of this trace mineral from a balanced diet. Selenium is sometimes prescribed as a supplement for people suffering from certain health conditions.

 Alchemy – science, magic, art – or all three?

The answer is yes, yes, yes!
This brings to mind an Alan Watts lecture about flood light vs. spot light consciousness.
One way of viewing the world is looking at the individual bits and pieces while the mystical awareness is looking at the much larger picture.

Though the Western scientific paradigm would claim to be the authority here, in reality, it is just one filter thru which one can view the world. One that happens to be useful for dissecting a labeling the world if that is what you intend.

Much like the alchemical changes that leprosy can produce in animal cells, the workings of the universe can be cut apart and labeled but the magic behind what makes it all go is still a mystery. 

To go back to the musings of Alan Watts, Do you it, or does it do you? If we could figure the whole universe out and unravel the mystery and magic, it would be rather like making love to a plastic doll. And who wants to do that?

Avogadro's Hypothesis

 Which of the following is not a characteristic of an hypothesis? 

  it lets us make predictions that can be experimentally tested

 Consider the following combining gas volumes:  Chlorine 50 mL   Oxygen 25 mL
What formula is suggested by the combining ratio of these gases?

Cl₂O

 Which of the following statements is true?

  According to Dalton the formula for ammonia would be NH

 Molecular Medicine

This is a truly fascinating idea. Remote control bio particles that can zoom through our blood stream, in and out of cells. Science is such a double edged sword though, so we must be careful. This technology will probably be developed first by the C.I.A. for military purposes then trickle down to corporations and finally medical technology for individual benefit. Like Avogado's hypothesis who knows how long this valuable technology will sit idle before reaching it's full potential to human kind.

As a side note, I recently heard a report on current HIV treatments. Researchers are trying to find exactly where the virus hides. Perhaps this nano technology could be used to hunt and kill the virus in the human body once discovered. That will be a great day!

 

Atomic weight=226

I once went to a place called radium hot springs. Kind of thought it might have been a bad idea but nobody else seemed worried while bathing in it's waters.
So let's take a look, is it safe to bath in radium?

One of the first things I read directly from webelements.com stated:

Inhalation, injection, or body exposure to radium can cause cancer and other body disorders. It is and alkaline earth metal that is white but tarnishes black upon exposure to air, luminesces, decomposes in water,  and emits radioactive radon.

Upon further investigation it seems that only small amounts of radon, which is a decay product of radium, exists in the water. It seems that it is indeed safe.

Mixtures of radium salts and appropriate phosphors were widely used for clock dials and gauges before the risks of radium exposure were understood.

Radium is a naturally occurring element. It is the product of decaying uranium and thorium and is commonly found in all rock, soil and water.

Number of Energy Levels: 7 First Energy Level: 2 Second Energy Level: 8 Third Energy Level: 18 Fourth Energy Level: 32 Fifth Energy Level: 18 Sixth Energy Level: 8 Seventh Energy Level: 2

Taking an inventory of my fridge and pantry.
I have at least purchased decent array of vegetables, fruits and grains.
Green- Brussels sprouts, Kale
Orange- Oranges, carrots
Red- Apples and beets
Brown rice, tri-colored quinoa
The question is... how often do they go bad at the back of my fridge? I do make a concerted effort to eat a variety of vegetables but there is always room for improvement.

As mentioned during class, dietary changes are one of the hardest things to do but they don't cost anything and it is a way of taking our lives in our own hands. After reading book mentioned below, I really started to get the link between phytnutrients and food colors. As for how these relate to the chakras themselves, think I would need to do further investigation but for the time being it does seems like good dietary advise to diversify.

Here is a link to an NPR interview with the author of, "Eating on the wild side".

http://www.npr.org/blogs/thesalt/2013/07/10/195592468/Eating-On-The-Wild-Side-A-Field-Guide-To-Nutritious-Food

Which Noble gas is this?

I first learned of this gas back in the late 80's, when warnings were given to test and see if this gas was seeping out of your basement. The sensationalist news reports of the day made all manner of claims about cancer risk and encouraged you test your home for it's presence.

Anyone remember this?

Radon gas is it's name. But is it really bad for you? Let's find out!

Directly from the EPA website...

Radon is a cancer-causing, radioactive gas.

Radon can be found all over the U.S.

Radon gas is a natural by-product of the break down of uranium that is occurring in the soil, rock and water.

The Surgeon General has warned that radon is the second leading cause of lung cancer in the United States today. Wow! This is a startling statistic and quite a surprise!

Interesting to think of radioactive gas around us all the time. Consider the idea of evolution and genetic mutation, could radon gas be driver of mutation that prompted our emergence from the primordial soup?

Green Chemistry/Green Economy

We vote everyday with our money. What we eat, how far we drive and what we do for recreation.
I think we need to organize as people with the use of technology and take the power back.
Where do corporations get their money and power any way.
I believe there is a lot more we can be doing in regards to manufacturing and consumption patters.

Just heard an amazing radio program on KALW called, Your Call. The topic was a book, "Consumed" was the title." How can we feed 9 billion people on a finite planet?", was the shows name. What is the purpose of this Green revolution if we will just produce more and more people, pushing ourselves ever closer to brink of cataclysm.
An unpopular idea I know but perhaps we do need some sort of population management agency, but who will arrange the chess pieces?

Hello my name is Chromium.(Cr)
My atomic number is 24.

Interestingly Chromium in small amounts is necessary to healthy body functioning. Chromium is naturally occurring  and can commonly be found in many fruits, grains and vegetables.
Perhaps the most common association we have with Chromium is it's use as a protective and decorative coating in the home or on various vehicles.

 Chromium as a catalyst, is added to glass to produce an emerald green color. Chromium compounds are important as pigments, mordants, and oxidizing agents.

Chromium is also an ingredient in stainless steel.