Palladium

Science post (Woohoo!)! As you'll read in today's fun fact, palladium is a champion at trapping hydrogen gas. It's major downfall is cost, which is why we are still dependent on oil and haven't seen more hydrogen fuel cell cars around just yet. But palladium's affinity for trapping hydrogen in its crystal lattice (read: structure) has stimulated research into other possible metals that can be used for storage.

(Google Images)

So how exactly does a hydrogen fuel cell work? While I claim to be nothing more than an internet searching "expert," the fuel cell uses hydrogen as its primary fuel and requires oxygen as an oxidant (read: facilitates a reaction). In between the hydrogen and oxygen is an electrolyte substance where a chemical reaction can take place. The energy produced in the reaction can be used to power a car (see below) or other engine. What is most important about a hydrogen fuel cell is that it releases water instead of carbon dioxide, a much more eco-friendly or green energy producing process.

(Google Images)

So your next question, where does palladium come into play? Palladium has the ability to store hydrogen by trapping the gas molecules in its chemical structure. This is needed, especially if we want to see it in cars, as it provides a more stable and safer way to have a hydrogen tank without the fear of explosion (At this point you should be thinking Hindenburg blimp disaster). But as mentioned earlier, palladium is EXPENSIVE so scientists are currently trying to find a solution by looking at hydrogen storage in other metals. But like all experiments, good things take time, so we have yet to see mass production of hydrogen fuel cell cars.


Fun Fact: Palladium is an ideal catalytic converter because it can absorb 900 times its volume in hydrogen gas without any external pressure. (If I could choose, I would want to absorb 900 times my volume in dark chocolate, but hey to each their own.)

Rhodium

Rhodium...rhodium...brhodium?? I thought I would take some time on my blog to show you something that could make any heart break from homesickness. You never know how much you'll miss the antics from a silly looking pound pup until you're away from him for extended periods of time. I was reminded of my dear sweet Brodie Bear today in a picture text message of him styling his new collar and thought I would make my case for the renaming of rhodium to brodium.

The answer to your question is "yes, he is sitting on a park bench."

So are you convinced yet? This dog was one science experiment waiting to happen (at least in terms of genetics, he totally contradicts the blue eye-brown eye predictions :) ).


Common Occurrences: Like ruthenium, rhodium is also found in costume jewelry, except it provides a silver sheen. Rhodium is also commonly found in catalytic converters in automobiles.

Fun Fact: The price of rhodium is dependent on the price of platinum, as rhodium is an impurity found in platinum mining.

Ruthenium

This week is NUTS (kind of like the Michigan and Skidmore squirrels). I have been in camp all day and then have limited time to do a lot of work, so I apologize if the blog posts are boring or nonexistent this week...

To get an idea of what I've been up to, check out this video. It's a pretty cool program. While there is no project based learning for chemistry at U of M, I am learning a lot about rivers and watersheds in the ecology unit.

P.S. Have you checked out my "comment" section? They are now called "scientific inquiries." Awesome, right?


Common Occurrences: Like most other metals, ruthenium is a component in metal alloys. But you can also find ruthenium plating on costume jewelry that has a darker metallic sheen.

Fun Fact: You could probably guess that Germanium is named after Germany and Francium after France, but did you know that Ruthenium is named after the former country Ruthenia? Ruthenia included parts of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus (google it!).

EDIT: So I was mistaken. U of M actually has a project based inquiry camp for chemistry earlier in the summer. Clearly, we can tell I just moved here. And as a little birdy that posted a scientific inquiry mentioned, there is chemistry in the ecology unit (today, they used pH meters...surprise!). My bad.
  

Technetium

Clearly I have an innate preference for colleges with crazy squirrels (OR maybe all colleges have crazy squirrels). If anyone has ever seen the movie Ice Age, the first thing that probably comes to mind is that crazy squirrel. That idea for the squirrel's antics was modeled from the Skidmore squirrels (NO JOKE - the animator has ties to Skidmore).

(Google Images)

To give you an idea about the Skidmore squirrels, I once saw a chef running out of the dining hall after a squirrel who had stolen a cookie. I know of people that got attacked by squirrels and one that was even bitten. I think the craziest part of my Skidmore squirrel experience was being afraid of the garbage cans near the academic buildings where squirrels would pop out before your hand had separated from the piece of trash.

As for Michigan, the grey squirrels have an orange hue, which makes me think that they've been drinking toxic waste water from the graduate science buildings. Like the Skidmore squirrels, these little rodents are bold. This morning, one squared up the guy in front of me who was holding a muffin, as if he was large enough to attack and take the man down. It was nuts (HA...nuts...squirrels). My fear of squirrels has been reinforced by the Michigan squirrels. Time to call the exterminator or make some squirrel stew ;)
  

Fun Fact: Technetium was the first synthesized element (although technetium does exist in nature, it is only a minute amount). Its discovery was predicted by the father of the periodic table, Dimitri Mendeleev, who left a space in the table below manganese and named the place holder eka-manganese.

Molybdenum

So I've been to Detroit more than a couple times now, but I don't think I've shared many pictures, so here are some! (This is also known as a post where I have done nothing exciting recently besides cry over Andy Schleck losing the Tour). Please don't think that all of Detroit is derelict - there is something that I find intriguing about old abandoned buildings, the beauty that was once there...

This picture ACTUALLY represents the good happening in Detroit. This is old Cass Technical High School, which has been replaced by a state of the art building right next door.

I can only imagine how beautiful the Depot was in its heyday. Now, the cost to save it has far surpassed the cost to tear it down. But it remains because the fight to keep the building has turned into a court case.

I'm not sure how readable this is but it says "Save the Depot."

An old neighborhood near the Depot.

Common Occurrences: Like most metals, molybdenum is found in stell alloys. It is also a component of tools and multi-purpose grease.

Fun Fact: You've heard of brown cows and milk cows but have you heard of the "moly cow?" In the medical world, the "moly cow" refers to the use of molybdenum to generate radioactive technetium that is used for medical imaging.

Niobium

How crazy is it that niobium is found in jewelry and it's art fair in Ann Arbor? Art fair is this GIANT festival that stretches through downtown and has anything artsy you could imagine. The craziest thing I have seen? It would have to be a 6 foot bronze bunny complete with bronze carrot - wish I had taken a picture to show you!

Anyway, enjoy this video of anodizing niobium for earrings. I'll admit it's pretty dry but the process is actually kind of cool. I'm pondering it for a future chemistry lab - provided that the materials and hazards are high school friendly :)

 

Common Occurrences: Niobium is a component of rocket nozzles, as it is resistant to corrosion at high temperatures. Niobium is also found in jewelry and coins, as it can be anodized into different colors. And if you've ever had an MRI, you can thank niobium, which is found in the wire that produces the magnetic field necessary for imaging.

Fun Fact: Niobium is named after Niobe, a figure in Greek mythology, who was the daughter of Tantalus, a son of Zeus (coincidentally, tantalum, named after Tantalus, sits right below niobium on the periodic table). According to myth, Niobe had 14 children but in bragging to Leto (a nymph) about the "Niobids," Leto sent her children Artemis and Apollo (who were gods) to kill Niobe's children. Lesson: don't brag about your kids to a nymph (also don't refer to your children as Niobids).

Zirconium

With this unbearable heat wave (current temperature is 99, feels like 112, so says The Weather Channel), I found out that the wonderous upper peninsula of Michigan is experiencing much more tolerable weather (it's currently 83 in Ishpeming).

Why do you care about the weather in the UP? For starters, it's my current obsession (the UP, not the weather). I am absolutely convinced that it is Lake Placid spread out over a giant piece of land. Like LP the UP has ski jumps (woo!!) and values my most favorite sports: nordic skiing and hockey (although I also love biking, which is a whole different story for today with Le Tour de France). It also has a tie to Canada (LPer's love/hate the Quebecois) and has beautiful hiking and plenty of fresh water to swim in (gotta love those great lakes).

My hunt from my air conditioned apartment today has been finding high-need schools in the UP. After my mandatory year at U of M, I am totally going North to where I belong (my home away from home). Get me some flannel and Sorel's because here I come! (P.S. I already own both so I guess this takes away from the expression :/ )


Fun Fact: You've probably heard about cubic zirconia used for jewelry, but did you know that zirconium is material for ceramic knife blades and its powder is in fireworks?