THE 'GET THROUGH'

After almost two years of online learning, we finally started with our practical work. It all felt a bit different at the beginning since the mind had become habitual to virtual learning. But then it didn't take us long enough to enter our 'laboratory zone'. 

The practical courses in the master's level are much different from those in the undergrad. We have to do all the calculations and check proportions of solutions required for every experiment and prepare them accordingly. Unlike the ones in undergrad where we would get all the ready made solutions. Whatever you have learnt till now, everything comes into the picture. Checking out the references, a few discussions, applying math, errors followed by rectification, and then finally you land up with your ideal solution and begin the experiment.

Its kind of cool since you get to use a lot of your brain. Also the fundamental concepts behind the experiments are strengthened due to this activity. Moreover, you don't waste the solution since you know how much of your time has gone into making it.

In a laboratory there are lab assistants who look after everything that is needed in the lab, from cleaning, maintenance to preparing regents and monitoring working of instruments. In Marathi, these people are often addressed as 'Mamas'. Once it so happened that we ran out of the iodine solution which was needed for a particular experiment. When I went to mama and asked him, he opened a small diary in which preparation method of each solution was written in short forms. In an easy to remember way. We followed that procedure, prepared the solution and continued with our experiment. I was amazed. 

I realized that there is a lab behind our lab which is responsible for the smooth functioning of everything. This lab could be anywhere: back office employees in the corporate, back stage artists, workers, bowlers who aren't the actual players but help cricketers practice. The list goes on and on.

As a student I have often seen and myself participated in fights and debates between Physics and Chemistry students as to which subject is more superior . There is this very famous argument among Organic and Analytical Chemistry people about superiority of the subject. This is also evident among various branches of Engineering, types of doctors, architects, designers and many more. 

These demarcations were made so that we could study our subjects with ease. May be now we have become so used to the boundaries that we have forgotten that all these fields were born out of the same womb of Scientific Technology or of 'Necessity' to be more precise. We all are interdependent in this little world we have created, be it to solve the existing problems or to create new ones to solve 😄 . May be one day we will realize the importance of contributing and working together, Until that fine day, let's just Get through.

©Neha Kanase

Image source: iStock

Happy Mole( 6.022*10^23) Day!  But where did the number come from?

1. Mole: the SI unit for amount of a substance. Mole is also the name for a small burrowing mammal.

The mole concept is one of the most fundamental concepts in Chemistry. Every year October 23rd is celebrated as the Mole day from 6.02 am to 6.02 pm since the date makes the number 10/23. 

Just like a set of 12 is a dozen, a set of 100 is a century, similarly, 1 mole is a set of 6.022*10^23. For the sake of convenience, Carbon-12 is considered as a standard for calculating this number. Earlier oxygen-16 was taken as the standard, but since the mass of Carbon-12 is exactly 12.000gm, a whole number unlike oxygen which is 15.994, carbon-12 is chosen. The calculations are much easier with carbon 12. Moreover the number of protons and neutrons is same in Carbon-12, 6 each.

2. one mole of everything contains same particles just like one dozen and one century 

So one mole is the amount of a substance that contains as many number of particles as there are atoms present in exactly 12 gm of Carbon. 12gm of Carbon is nothing but 1 mole of Carbon-12. But how many atoms are present in 12 gm of Carbon? 

For example, if a big block is made up of tiny blocks and you want to find the number of tiny blocks in it, you divide the area of the big block with the area of a single tiny block. Similarly for calculating the number of atoms in carbon 12 we need to divide 12 gm of carbon with the mass of one atom of carbon-12. The mass of 1 atom of carbon is  1/12th the mass of 12 atomic units of carbon and masses of all other atoms are calculated relative to this standard. 1 atomic mass unit=1.6605*10^-24gm. So when 12 is multiplied with 1.6605*10^-24, we get the mass of 1 atom of carbon which is 1.992684*10^-23. This was experimentally proved using a mass spectrometer. It is an instrument that ionizes the sample into fragments. The mass and charge on these fragment is then analyzed. 

12gm of carbon divided by 1.992648*10^-23 gm gives us the number 6.022*10^23 atoms which is the Avogadro constant named after the scientist Amadeo Avogadro.

In short, for carbon, mass of 1 mole=12gm, mass of 1 atom in that 1 mole =1.992684*10^-23gm and number of such atoms in 12gm of carbon=6.022*10^23.

But you know what the interesting part is? one mole remains the same even when the substance is changed. Whether you take Oxygen, nitrogen, Iron, Zinc, Copper, Helium anything, the number of atoms in 1 mole of all these remain the same. That is why it is a constant. 

For example mass of 1 mole of oxygen is 15.994gm. The mass of 1 atom in it is 2.66*10^-23. So the number of atoms is the ratio of these 2 quantities i.e. 6.022*10^23. 

1 mole of any substance contains the same number of particles. But back then, during the times of Avogadro, there weren't any mass spectrometers. Many techniques were used to calculate this number including the random motion of suspended particle( Brownian motion). Avogadro was famous because of his law, equal volumes of all gases at the same temperature and pressure contain equal number of molecules. The accurate determination of the Avogadro number was possible only after Robert Mullikan calculated the charge on an electron. The charge on one mole of electrons was known at that time 96485C/mole which is the Faraday constant named after Michael Faraday. The charge on a single electron was found to be 1.602*10^-19C. If you divide these two quantities, you get the Avogadro's number, which is 6,022*10^23 particles in 1 mole of electrons. 

Just to get an idea of how big this number is, 602213670000000000000000

Although its is a huge number, but the size of the particles is very very tiny. Just to take our imagination at a bigger level: One mole of each one of us contains the same number of particles!!!

©Neha Kanase

References

1. How Was Avogadro's Number Determined? - Scientific American

2. NCERT Class IX Chemistry textbook part 1

3. Image 1: labtopiainc.com

4. Image 2: Lumen learning

When I applied Physics while playing table tennis.... 

(Part 1)

Table tennis or the ping pong

I often go to play table tennis with one of my friends. It is quite an enriching sport. There are two tables at the place we go to play. One of them is a new one with a very smooth and glossy surface while the other is an older one and has a rough surface. We usually prefer to play on the new one. But once, it so happened that we had to play on the old one with a rough surface. We realized that we were able to play better. The speed of the ball was more on the rough surface. I wondered why this happened. The immediate thought that came to my mind was that it could be due to friction. The effect of friction is more on a rough surface than the smoother one. Also when we played on the smooth surface the ball, after hitting the surface would bounce back immediately due to lesser contact time between the ball and the table surface. But in case of the rough surface, since it contains more surface irregularities than the smooth surface, the coefficient of friction increases and hence the contact time. Although the contact time in case of table tennis is just a fraction of second, this fraction is more in a rough surface than the smooth one. 

When I tried to search more about it, I came across some research articles explaining the relation between coefficient of friction and sliding speed of the ball. It seems that both these quantities are directly proportional to each other.

But according to some of the observations it is also found that people are able to play much better on a smooth surface. There are many other applications of physics in table tennis which I will discuss in detail in my upcoming blogs. Nevertheless, do let me know your insights on this one in the comments section.

I feel very refreshed after playing a match of table tennis. It is a sport that requires concentration and focus.  Apart from the fitness benefits, the best part about any sport is that it creates an undying positive attitude and confidence within us, the attitude of never giving up, come what may!

©Neha kanase

References:

1. CN102989133A - Rough-surface table tennis - Google Patents

2. Increase-in-friction-force-with-sliding-speed.pdf (researchgate.net)

3. AP Physics Final Project-Physics of Table Tennis - Bing video

4. Image : Table tennis by Tyler Bailey on Dribble

 FROM CARBONYL TO ALKENE,

 FROM WORLD WAR I TO 1979 NOBEL.....

1.Sir George Wittig

The Wittig reaction also known as the Wittig olefination is regarded among the revolutionary reactions in organic chemistry. In this blog I will give a brief account on this reaction, the way it works, the industrial application and, of course, the inspiring journey of its inventor.

Olefination is the process of formation of olefins. Olefin is another name for alkenes. In organic chemistry there are groups of atoms like carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen etc. which give characteristic properties to the organic molecules. These are called the functional groups. For example, consider Alkanes- the simplest of organic compounds consisting only of carbon and hydrogen atoms( hydrocarbons) held together with a single bond (A bond between atoms of a molecule could be simply understood as the force that holds them together). A single bond is made up of one electron pair shared between 2 atoms. Now in these alkanes, if one more bond is added between the atoms, it forms a double bond. Such doubly bonded compounds are alkenes. If an -OH group consisting of 1 hydrogen and 1 oxygen atom is added, then the properties of original alkane change and it becomes an alcohol. If a C=O group is added, it becomes a ketone and if a -CHO group is added at the terminal position of the molecule, then, it is an aldehyde. All these functional groups-alkenes, alcohols, ketones, aldehydes have properties different than the original alkanes or hydrocarbons. Its just like the concept of secondary colors. If you have red color and you add yellow to it, it becomes orange. Orange is different from red. yet it contains the red color.

2. alkene

3. aldehyde

5. alcohol

4. ketone

In this reaction the C=O present in the aldehydes and ketones discussed above, gets replaced by a C=C to form an alkene. The interesting part is that this new C=C is formed exactly at the same position where the initial C=O was present. It happens through the Phosphorous ylide which is the Wittig reagent. 

6. Formation of phosphorous ylides from phosphonium salts

7. Triphenyl phosphorous ylide

8. Trimethyl phosphorous ylide

9. A Bar magnet

The Phosphonium salts are converted to the Phosphorous ylides as shown in Fig 6. The phosphorous ylide is a dipolar molecule. The phosphorous atom has a positive charge and carbon has a negative charge. Just like the north and south poles of a bar magnet. The overall molecule is neutral.

10. Mechanism of Wittig Olefination

When it comes to learning anything new, it is very important to understand the basics. A Pianist cannot play the symphony without knowing the octaves. Similarly, if we want to study the mechanism of any organic reaction it is mandatory to know the basic components that make the reaction happen. Two such components are the nucleophile and the electrophile. A nucleophile is a molecule that has more number of electrons than the electrophile and is capable of donating its electrons to the electrophile. It could be either negatively charged or neutral. On the other hand, the electrophile is electron deficient. Hence, it is attacked by the electron rich nucleophile. In the above reaction the electron rich CH2 group of the Wittig reagent attacks on the carbon of C=O( called as carbonyl). This carbon is electron deficient since it is next to O atom which is highly electronegative and hence pulls the carbon electron density towards itself making the carbon electron deficient. In the next step, the Wittig reagent has attached to the carbonyl and the oxygen has now acquired a negative charge due to shift of one of the bonded electron pair of C=O towards itself. This structure is called Betaine. Again in the next step the negatively charged oxygen attacks the positively charged phosphorous and leads to the formation of oxaphosphetane.

11. Betaine analogy

12. Oxaphosphetane analogy

Betaine and oxaphosphetane could be imagined as the three and four pieces of a puzzle joined together respectively. 

13. Mechanism by George Wittig

Above is the original mechanism of the Wittig reaction from the lecture given by George Wittig when he received the Nobel Prize in chemistry for the discovery of this reaction. This reaction opened up the possibilities for industrial synthesis of vitamins, steroids, Hormones and other important compounds. Vitamin A was among the first compounds to be synthesized industrially using this reaction which is crucial in preventing visual problems and pre mature deaths. Beta Carotene another dietary supplement is also synthesized. According to the current research many Pharmaceutically important compounds like Sanshools, Aryl acrylic acid derivatives and Spilanthes are being synthesized using this reaction.

14. Vitamin A and Beta Carotene

Just like this reaction, the life of Sir George Wittig is very interesting. He was born in Berlin, Germany and had started his career in chemistry at Tubingen. But due to the onset of the World war I, he had to join the Army. After the war was over, it was very difficult for him to start with chemistry all over again. But due to his determination and Professors and colleagues like Karl Ziegler, Karl Fries, Hermann Staudinger, Wilhelm Schlenk, Herbert C Brown, he was able to overcome the tough times. He also published his book 'Stereochemie'. He also formed a research group along with his younger colleagues and encouraged students who returned from World war II  to pursue their Scientific careers because of his own experience from the 1st World War.

Below is an extra note for Chemistry students and Researchers. Others can directly jump to the next paragraph.

His research work initially began by studying ring strain for aromatic compounds. He began with the question as to how the ring strain acts if the presence of phenyl groups on the 2 adjacent carbons of the ring weakens the C-C bond and leads to the formation of a diradical(diyl). From the stability of diradicals and the use of phenyl lithium for the modification of p- Bromo anisole they could prove the exchange of halide with electropositive metal of phenyl lithium, calling this Umpolung or reversal of polarity. The reaction of mono halobenzene with phenyl lithium lead to the formation of o- lithio biphenyl instead of biphenyl due to the formation of dehydrobenzene intermediate. Phenyl lithium had actually opened up many areas of research. Later tetra methyl ammonium chloride was reacted with phenyl or methyl lithium to give trimethyl ammonium methylide. These were called nitrogen ylides. But later it was found that phosphonium salts could be converted to phosphorous ylides more readily than ammonium salts to nitrogen ylides due to the ability of phosphorous to expand its electron shell to decet which offers resonance stability of ylide and ylene forms. phosphorous ylides reacted readily than nitrogen ylides. This is what led to the Wittig reaction. He was awarded the Nobel Prize In Chemistry along with Herbert C Brown. I have shared the link of the lecture in the references. If you want to read about his research in detail, then, please go through it. 

According to George Wittig, it was a journey from diyl to ylide which finally ended at his idyll that is his interest in fine arts. Apart from chemical research he was also interested in mountaineering and playing the piano. He was very particular about the way in which the experiments were carried out and the purity of the reagents used. He made sure that he was always present when an important experiment was started, saying that 'four eyes see more than two'. 

He said during his Noble Prize lecture:

In chemical research as far as a new territory is concerned, the results may sometimes be quite different: they may be disappointing or delightful. Chemical research and mountaineering have much in common. If the goal or the summit is to be reached, both initiative and determination as well as perseverance are required. But after the hard work, it is a great joy to be at the goal or the peak with its splendid panorama.

©Neha kanase

References:

1. Georg Wittig - Nobel Lecture: From Diyls to Ylides to My Idyll (nobelprize.org)

2. Georg Wittig - Nobel Lecture (nobelprize.org)

3. Georg Wittig | Encyclopedia.com

4. Georg_Wittig (chemeurope.com)

5. Advanced Organic Chemistry by Carey and Sundberg

6. Organic Chemistry by J Clayden, N Greeves, S. Warren and P. Wothers

7. Image 1: Wikipedia

8. Image 2: Illustrated glossary of Organic Chemistry

9. Image 3: Wikimedia commons

10. Image 4: Wikimedia commons

11.Image 5: Wikimedia commons

12. Image 6: Nobel lecture by George Wittig at nobelprize.org

13. Image 7: Illustrated glossary of Organic Chemistry UCLA

14. Image 8: Advanced Organic chemistry by Carey and Sundberg

15. Image 9: Science Kit store.com

16. Image 10: Master organic chemistry

17. Image 11: webcomicms.net

18. Image 12: autism illustrations

19. Image 13: Nobel lecture by George Wittig at nobelprize.org

20: Image 14: Research gate

QUANTUM STATISTICS

Enrico Fermi( left) and Paul Dirac. Both these scientists independently worked on the Fermi Dirac statistics. The particles which obey this statistics are called Fermions. This statistics follows the Pauli's exclusion principle.

Satyendra Nath Bose( right) who recognized an alternative arrangement of particle distribution called the Bose Einstein statistics. These particles were named  Bosons after him. His theory was later extended by Albert Einstein.

There are two very interesting concepts in Quantum Statistics namely, the Bose Einstein and the Fermi Dirac statistics. These are two popular theories that deal with probability distribution or the possible ways in which identical particles( similar looking particles) present in a given quantum system are distributed in a given quantum state of that system. For simplification let us call it as the energy state of the system.

To make it a little more simple let us consider an analogy. Suppose we have a box filled with chocolates. All the chocolates look similar to each other. So here, the box is our system and the chocolates are the collection of identical particles in this system. Now, inside the box there are tiny compartments such that only one chocolate can be placed in each compartment. These compartments are the energy states. This type of arrangement of particles is called the Fermi Dirac statistics. The particles which obey this statistics are the fermions. It is in accordance with the Pauli's exclusion principle which states that no two fermions can occupy the same quantum state in a given quantum system.( that is in our box system two chocolates cannot be present in the same compartment).

Now, in another situation consider the same box, but this time we have a collection of identical chocolates that are smaller in size, are cooled and kept very close to each other. Now in the same compartment, it is possible to fit more number of chocolates. This is similar to what happens in Bose Einstein statistics. These particles are called bosons and are different from the fermions. It is observed that at low temperature bosons condense together due to which more number of particles can occupy a given energy state.( more than one chocolate in a given compartment). The condensed form of particles is called the 'Bose Einstein condensate'.

While teaching this topic in an online class of Physical Chemistry, my Professor narrated a very interesting incident related to the two scientists who developed these statistical theories. Although there isn't any actual evidence about this incident, yet it is an interesting way of remembering the concept. Hence I am sharing it here.

It so happened that Enrico Fermi and Satyendra Nath Bose together had gone to attend a conference. While leaving for the conference Fermi realized that there were two cars waiting outside. When he questioned Bose about this, Bose said that one car was for Fermi and the other one was for Bose and his students. Listening to this Fermi said "Why are you travelling in a different car? "wont you be coming with me?" He demanded. To which Bose calmly replied" I have arranged this car for you. Only one person will sit in it just like your statistics in which a single particle is present in a given energy state. I will go in the other car along with my students since my statistics says that there could be more that one particle in a given energy state.

Although it appears as a simple gesture but this story had me thinking a lot. Isn't this true? How easily one can be at ease with their own opinions without disrespecting the point of view of the other person. Yet we spend our lives in proving our point to others. And go to extremes if someone refuses to agree.

There could be hundred people in a group with hundred different opinions. So what? It is never a question of whether you agree or disagree with a particular school of thought or an idea or a concept. As stated in the book Autobiography of a Yogi, 'The only scientific attitude one can have is whether it is true or not'. 

Do these ideas, facts and opinions take us to the truth we all are seeking? Do they in any way help remove or reduce the obstacles that we face in our day to day lives? After all that is the sole purpose. Be it building a new car, reforming a National policy, learning a difficult concept or making the vaccine for the covid virus, what we seek is the trueness of our results. Whether these opinions contribute to the trueness of these results is what we should be concerned about.

And if at all the opinions do not match, then, there is always a second car waiting in the parking. ultimately, both these cars reach the conference hall just like the theories proposed by both the great scientists sitting in these cars led to the basis of what we call the Quantum Statistics.

©Neha kanase

Sources:

1. Bose–Einstein statistics - Wikipedia

2. Fermi–Dirac statistics - Wikipedia

3. Image 1: enrico fermi and paul dirac photo together - Bing images

4. Image 2: satyendranath bose and albert einstein photo together - Bing images

 

THE INTRODUCTION

I admired science long before I actually knew what science is. For me, it was like a story, and stories were something I enjoyed narrating and listening to. I remember studying lessons like Our Environment, Seasons, Plants and Animals, Our Body and many more in the second grade. The stories of the ‘Early man’ who discovered fire by rubbing two stones against each other followed by the invention of the ‘wheel’ fascinated me the most. After listening to my teacher talk about ‘what are things made of?’ I would pick up every object in the house and ask my mom whether it was plastic, steel or glass.

 

Later in the seventh grade, when I was introduced to more profound concepts of science like the structure of atom and the periodic table, I started imagining the movement of atoms in the matter around me with electrons revolving around their nuclei. I actually wanted to see an electron jump out of its orbit and meet another one and form a bond with it.

During the same time I had an opportunity to visit IUCAA Pune through my school. That's when I saw Sir Jayanat Naralikar for the first time. These were the Saturday science talks started by IUCAA for school kids and since it was the first Saturday, Sir Naralikar himself was present to give the talk. He was talking about asteroids that hit the Earth. I did not understand much, but I felt elated in his presence. He is simple and composed yet the vibrant force that drives IUCAA. After the session, we all crowded in the lobby of Chandrashekhar auditorium to say good bye to him. After which we visited the science park.

Years passed by and I came to college. 11^th and 12^th grade was the time when I was introduced to actual practical course work. Studies and laboratory experiments were all fun filled at the beginning but later I started taking them as a burden. I forgot the curiosity element within me and started studying just for the sake of finishing it.

This attitude came to an end in my graduation and post graduation, where the joy for learning, understanding and the thirst for knowledge was rekindled. Activities such as Intercollegiate debates, discussions, group studies, presentations, science workshops enhanced the experience of studying. Being a chemistry student, observing, analyzing and synthesizing became habitual practices. Reagents, compounds and glass wares became companions. 

Science is not fully the definition we learn or the stream students choose after their 10^th. Neither is it a discipline that is solely meant for the study of scientists and researchers. It is the force within each one of us that drives us- to know, to understand, to solve, to apply and to wonder about this creation. It is the process and outcome of a rational, logical and a reasoning mind.

Everything on this planet has its own scientific mechanism with which it works which in turn is tuned with the mechanism of the cosmos.

This is what my blog is about- stories of science. It’s about the world of science, reading which you will feel like a gentle breeze go past amidst a sometimes crowded and hectic day. 

I present to you my blog: SCIENCE THE ONE IN ALL.

©Neha kanase

Image sources:

1. google images, cavemenworld.com

2. google images, Byju's.com

3. google images, iucaa scipop

4. google images, Linkedin.com