A mole

Below is my understanding of the mole:

1.  It's a unit of measurement for chemical substances.  It's symbol is mol
2.  Mole is actually derived from the German word "molekul", which means molecule.
3.  The weight of one mole of any chemical listed on the periodic table is equal to its atomic mass.  
4.  One mole = 6.02214179×1023

I also discovered the following piece of interesting information:
October 23 is called "Mole Day".  An informal holiday in honor of the unit among North American chemists.  Date is derived from Avogadro's number and it officially starts at 6:02 AM and ends at 6:02 PM.

Avogadro's Hypothesis

This website helped me to understand more clearly how Avogadro's number was discovered and how Avogadro's principle was totally ignored till many years after this death.  How sad that he lived unrecognized.  But it's a good thing that we attach his name to this miraculous number:  6.02 x 10²³       It's the least we can do to show our respect to the man who helped us to make a giant leap in chemistry.

The check buttons to the questions don't seem to be working though.  

Alkali Earth Metal of the Week - Calcium

The symbol for Calcium is Ca and its atomic number is 20.  Calcium is essential for living organisms, particularly in cell physiology.  It is also a major material used in mineralization of bones and shells.

Calcium has many uses:
- in extraction of other metals, such as uranium
- as an alloying agent used in the production of alloys, eg aluminium alloys, magnesium alloys
- in the making of cements and mortars in construction

Calcium is also a mineral essential for life. We've been told that three glasses of milk per daywill help prevent osteoporosis, the weakening of bones. Yet osteoporosis seems to be on the rise.  However, studies have shown that “The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.” ( http://health.learninginfo.org/osteoporosis.htm )


Humans are the only mammals in the world who continue to drink milk after they are weaned off and not only do they continue to drink milk, but they drink another mammal's milk!  Something just doesn't seem right here...

Alchemy

Alchemy is an artful method to turn base metals into gold.  For spiritual seekers, it is a way to attain the ultimate wisdom and may be achieve longevity.  To me, the longevity they are seeking is not simply about prolonging physical existence, it's about finding eternal life.  Alchemy is the spiritual seekers' way to gain as much energy as possible, a way to be connected with the divine source of universal energy both within themselves and externally to attain eternal life/nirvana. 

In practice, this is much harder to achieve than it sounds. In ancient China, to practice alchemy, there was a strict requirement for being virtuous.  The requirements for moral character were much higher than those for intelligence and knowledge. The truth of the universe is vast, deep and pure, it's impossible to tap into this truth with an impure, selfish mind.  Alchemy is therefore not just about turning metal into gold, it's also a spiritual quest to nirvana. 

 

Halogen of the Week - Astatine

Astatine is a radioactive chemical element.  Symbol At and its atomic number is 85. It is the heaviest known halogen.

Heavier isotopes of astatine have medical uses.  It is used in radiation therapy for human tumors.

Astatine is extremely radioactive, it is to be handled with extreme care. Because of its extreme rarity, it is not likely that the general public will be exposed.Astatine is a halogen, and standard precautions apply. It is reactive, sharing similar chemical characteristics with iodine.

Color of minerals

The science behind the color of minerals is very interesting.

Reminds me of a time when I traveled to the Canadian Rockies and passed by Lake Louise.  The color of the lake is emerald/greenish color.  And this other Lake, Peyto Lake has a beautiful turquoise color.  When the lake is still, it looks like a piece of turquoise carpet covering the lake.  It's beautiful.

Apparently the color of the lakes can be attributed to the glacial "rock flour" that are flown into the lakes and it's those suspended rock particles that give these lakes their beautiful colors. 

Colors of foods in my own kitchen

So a list of the foods in my kitchen and categorizing them into the different colors:
1.  red:  carrots, red bean chinese new year sticky rice cake (yummy), tomatoes, apples
2.  green:  cabbage, celery, green pepper, salad mix, edamame
3.  white:  konnyaku slices (traditional Japanese vegetable-based jelly-like health food), white rice, fried tofu, home-made fries
4.  brown:  brown rice
5.  yellow:  cheese, eggs, mango
6.  black:  dried Chinese mushrooms

Looks like I have all the colors in my kitchen, except "blue", but according to "The Full Spectrum Diet", seaweed products are considered blue/indigo food, therefore I have blue food too in my kitchen - dried seaweed and nori. 

Nice, healthy green diet :)