Turkey Troubles: Don’t Blame the Turkey, Blame the Tryptophan!

With Thanksgiving coming up soon, turkey is often on people’s mind, well maybe not vegetarian’s minds, but the sleepy feeling from Thanksgiving still resonates as a common characteristic. But is it really the turkey?

Yes and no. Turkey contains something called L-tryptophan, an amino acid that creates a feeling of sleepiness. It is used to produce vitamin b and niacin. One website also added that “Tryptophan also can be metabolized into serotonin and melatonin, neurotransmitters that exert a calming effect and regulates sleep.” Despite these known effects, the L-tryptophan in turkey does not make you drowsy. In order for L-tryptophan to make you sleepy, it has to be taken on an empty stomach, without any other amino acids or proteins present. t Thanksgiving, there is often other food on the table, and turkey contains a lot of protein, a sure sign that turkey is no the cause of the sleepiness. Based off one article, “It’s worth noting that other foods contain as much or more tryptophan than turkey (0.333 g of tryptophan per 100 gram edible portion), including chicken (0.292 g of tryptophan per 100 gram edible portion), pork, and cheese. As with turkey, other amino acids are present in these foods besides tryptophan, so they don’t make you sleepy.” L-tryptophan is carbohydrate rich, and leads to serotonin synthesis, which creates a sleepy feeling. The process is that carbohydrates jump start the pancreas to make insulin, and other amino acids enter muscle cells. Serotonin is then synthesized.

With the holidays coming up, the object is to feel happy when stuffed with lots of good food including turkey, and not avoiding it to make the memories last based off some myth. Now that the truth is out, and the turkey does not actually induce sleep, rather the overstuffing of food into one’s body, everyone can have a happy, and healthy, Thanksgiving! Happy Turkey Day!

Links:

http://chemistry.about.com/od/holidaysseasons/a/tiredturkey.htm

So ta ta for now and I hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

Not Nice Spice vs. Timely Tranquilizer

Hot, hot, hot! That’s why most people don’t like spice! Not that I love spicy foods, but I can take my fair share. But when enough is enough, there never seems to be anything to put out the fire in my mouth. Water doesn’t help, but one drink readily available for most can stop the fiercest of fiery mouths. That drink is milk.

In certain foods like peppers, there is capsaicin. This also appears in spices like oregano, cinnamon, and cilantro. It is completely odorless, and, according to one article, “A solution that contains only 10 parts per million produces a persistent burning sensation when placed on the tongue.” You can taste it better when there is less of it. The burning flavor comes form a long hydrocarbon tail. It can bind strongly with lipotein receptors. Its fatty tail allows it to move easily through lipid-rich membranes, making the taste fiercer.  Based off what the website said, the compounds have different structures that are very similar. This is the reasoning behind where the burning sensation is. For some peppers, it may be in the mouth, while others in the throat.   The reason for associating the burning sensation for being hot? “The capsaicin key opens a door in the cell membrane that allows calcium ions to flood into the cell. That ultimately triggers a pain signal that is transmitted to the next cell.”  The same thing happens when cells are exposed to heat. That means that  chili and heat burns are similar at the molecular, cellular, and sensory levels.

That still doesn’t explain why water doesn’t help. Capsaicin is insoluble in cold water, but freely soluble in alcohol and vegetable oils. Small amounts alcohol won’t help though, so milk is a better remedy.  “Milk contains casein, a lipophilic (fat-loving) substance that surrounds and washes away the fatty capsaicin molecules in much the same way that soap washes away grease.” But even after you know you can eat spicy foods and still be able to cool yourself down, don’t eat too much! Too much of a good thing is not good at all, and capsaicin is the same!  Capsaicin prevents nerve cells from communicating because it blocks the production of certain neurotransmitters and can even destroy cells! In the past, capsaicin has even been used as a weapon. “The Mayans burned chiles to create a stinging smoke screen, and threw gourds filled with pepper extract in battle.” Today, it is commonly used in pepper spray. It can also be used to relieve pain, after exposure and tolerance to it builds. Some people, if they regularly eat spicy foods, can enjoy it, as endorphins are released after you are comfortable with the taste, making it a pleasant experience.

While I don’t eat spicy foods often, I do love salsa and other spicy things, as long as it isn’t too much in one serving! While I may not get a rush from eating spicy foods, I do enjoy the mouth on fire feeling for a few seconds (and then I just get thirsty!). At least now I know I should drink milk, instead of drinking water!

Links:

http://antoine.frostburg.edu/chem/senese/101/features/capsaicin.shtml

So ta ta for now and I hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

Bubble-licious!

When you were little, you probably had a lot of fun with bubbles. You probably got the most prized to some kind of game or as party fever. But whatever the reason, kids everywhere love bubbles and I am no different. So maybe I don’t put them in my bathtub or always blow them outside whenever I get the chance, but I am very entertained by bubbles. So I figured, why not do a blog post about bubbles!

A bubble is a thin film of soapy water. Bubbles are not just filled with air but they can also be filled with carbon dioxide or other gases. Bubbles have three layers. One layer of water is put between two other layers of soap molecules. According to one article, “Each soap molecule is oriented so that its polar (hydrophilic) head faces the water, while its hydrophobic hydrocarbon tail extends away from the water layer. No matter what shape a bubble has initially, it will try to become a sphere. The sphere is the shape that minimizes the surface area of the structure, which makes it the shape that requires the least energy to achieve.” 

But what happens when two bubbles meet?

Instead of trying to remain spheres,  the two bubbles will try  to become smaller so that their surface area lessens. If the two bubbles are the same size then the quote on quote wall that separates them will be flat. However if the bubbles are different sizes, then a smaller bubble will go into the larger bubble. Eventually, if you combine a bunch of bubbles, the cells will form the shape of a hexagon.

There are many different types of soap that you can use to make bubbles, but probably the best kind of soap would be detergents. “Detergents form bubbles in much the same way as soap, but detergents will form bubbles even in tap water, which contains ions that could prevent soap bubble formation. Soap contains a carboxylate group that reacts with calcium and magnesium ions, while detergents lack that functional group. Glycerin, C3H5(OH)3, extends the life of a bubble by forming weaking hydrogen bonds with water, slowing down its evaporation.” Never thought your childhood pastime contained so much chemistry, huh?

I love bubbles, and I know that you are never too old to play with bubbles. So if you are ever bored, grab some old bubbles or detergent and run outside. Go have fun!

Links: http://chemistry.about.com/od/bubbles/a/bubblescience.htm

So ta ta for now and I hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

 

Pretty Poison

I love stained glass.  It is so beautiful when  it the sunlight beans through, showing bright rays of multicolored light. I recently heard that stained glass used to be brighter and also poisonous. This is because they used chemicals that weren’t safe for the workers. The majority of the colors were ones used in a flame test lab I did during class, like strontium. One I remember that was used in stained glass was arsenic, though I could  be mistaken. Despite the fact that there aren’t as many chemicals in stained glass, there are still other threats as well.

One big threat is lead poisoning. According to the American Journal of Industrialized Medicine, people who work with stained glass for a living are at twice the risk for lead exposure than a hobbyist or someone with stained glass fixtures in the home. One website writes, “Most cases of lead poisoning are triggered by the ingestion of lead, or the inhalation of lead fumes or dust. Fumes are caused by soldering with lead, and the higher the temperature, the more fumes are released. Dust is created by the dismantling of old frames, where wood and plaster that had absorbed lead through years of contact are cut apart. The lead-containing sawdust becomes airborne, where it can easily be inhaled.” Due to this risk, you might want to learn more about the symptoms and how to prevent getting sick from stained glass.

Some symptoms of lead poisoning are severe abdominal pain, as well as headaches, constipation, irritability and decreased appetite. These symptoms can become worse as the concentration of lead in the bloodstream builds up over time. This lead can build up when there is repeated exposure of stained glass.

Prevention of lead poisoning is of utmost importance. One way to limit lead poisoning is to limit the exposure. You should also ventilate  areas with stained glass or when working on it. Also, wash all skin before touching your mouth or face. Also, you should wash surfaces with damp rags, as many times lead poisoning is caused by dust. Another thing that can help prevent lead poisoning is to wash clothes worn will working with it.

Learning about lead poisoning in stained glass is important, because many churches in temples as well as other very fancy places often contain stained glass. In addition, when it comes to your health, being prepared is never a bad thing.

Links:

http://www.ehow.com/about_6321370_stained-glass-lead-poisoning.html

So ta ta for now and I hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

The Terminator Returns?

I was on Yahoo! the other day and I was going through those thumbnails at the top, you know, the ones with the important news? I came across this one post that I clicked on, and it talked about a polymer that can, get this, HEAL ITSELF! So I just had to find out more!

Created in Spain, this polymer can be sliced in half, left on a table for two hours at room temperature, and reheal itself up to 97%! There is still scarring, but, no matter how hard you try, it will not rip at that spot.

According to one article,  “Self-healing polymers mend themselves by reforming broken cross-linking bonds. However, the cross-linking healing mechanism usually requires an external stimulus.” Most of the time, the triggers are energy inputs like heat or pH. “Self-healing polymers that can spontaneously achieve quantitative healing in the absence of a catalyst have never been reported before, until now.” Other attempts have been made before, like Ibon Odriozola of Spain. However,  it was not appealing enough to market to the public. During the video above, the Terminator is cut in half and then left in two pieces atop each other for 2 hours in room temperature. The material? An industrially familiar, permanently cross-linked poly(urea–urethane) elastomeric network.

Many chemists believe this elastomer can be used to “… improve the security and duration of many plastic parts, for example in cars, houses, electrical components and biomaterials.”

I believe this is just the start to developing long lasting items. With this technology, we can develop more realistic things found in nature. Developing new products such as for use in the human body would be amazing. If we were to refine this, fake skin could be modeled out of it! And from there! Oh, the places we’ll go!

Links:

http://news.yahoo.com/blogs/this-could-be-big-abc-news/terminator-plastic-polymer-heal-itself-014827978.html?vp=1

http://phys.org/news/2013-09-self-healing-polymer-spontaneously-independently.html

http://www.rsc.org/chemistryworld/2013/09/polymer-regenerates-elastomer-heals-independently

So ta ta for now and I hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

So many choices…of water?

I drink bottles water all the time! I’m always on the go and I usually grab the water bottle that’s closest or cheapest. Recently, I read an article that told me what water I should drink when. Excuse me? Since when is there a “right and wrong” to water? Since the need for competition in the world of water. There are so many different brands: Poland spring, Fiji, waa-tah!, and more! There are also the generic brands from CVS and Shoprtie, not to mention flavored water, vitamin water, water addins, and sparkling water. Although the article was reasonably short, there were many interesting points within it.

The  article contained quotes from Martin Riese, who recently created a water menu for Ray’s & Stark Bar in Los Angeles. “Water is not just water,” says Riese. He means that there are so many different things in water today, it is never just water. In the article, he gave his opinion on different brands of water and when to drink them.

For after a workout, Riese suggests a brand fro. Germany called Gerolsteiner.  He states it contains a lot of minerals and has carbon dioxide, which is used for refreshing bubbles, meaning that it is used only for enjoyment. Another foreign brand, Riese wrote,  “Badoit from France is easy to drink because it has very tiny bubbles and a good amount of minerals to keep you energized at throughout the day. Plus, the magnesium content helps you relax and concentrate.” For this brand, he believes is best used at a desk. Also from Europe, Vichy Catalan from Spain  is the best water in place of a cocktail. It “…has a unique taste thanks to the total dissolved solids, or TDS, which means it has a high mineral content…” says Riese. He also suggest adding it to another cocktail for a more complex taste. When eating broccoli or another vegetable, it is best to drink Iskilde from Denmark, as it has “earthy notes”. However,  with a salad with vinaigrette, Riese feels 9th is better for cutting the acidity. The last advice Riese gave to us was what to keep by the bed. This should be a familiar name, as he recommends Fiji water for its minerals. Riese also said a cold glass will help the stomach react better to caffeine. 

Wow! I did not realize just how many different types of water there were! In addition,  who knew how many different effects there were of different kinds of water! To read the full article, clink the link below.

Links:

http://shopping.yahoo.com/news/the-right-bottle-for-the-right-occasion–top-5-picks-from-a-water-sommelier-160605260.html

So ta ta for now and I hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

Hormonal Shoppers?

While surfing the web one afternoon, I came across a video about how to shop. It mostly talked about when the best time to shop was and when to shop in regard to how hungry you are.  At the very end, however, was something I did not expect, that you get a hormonal rush after you make a bargain.  In other words, when you are felling happy after saving money, it’s really your hormones going crazy. After looking it up, I could find little about that exact case study, but managed to find information about girls, more specifically, how our periods turn us into the best customer for stores: impulse buyers.

I do not know anyone who enjoys their period. I mean like as a whole. It would be bad if we couldn’t reproduce, but most aspects are not fun. Anyway, PMS, or premenstrual symptoms, come about a week or two before the actual menstruation begins. During this time period, women often have mood swings, are stressed out, and their bodies go crazy. Our immune systems are down, stress is high, and everything is upped a level: oil production, hair growth, etc. During this time, women, with their wild mood swings, are bound to feel down. A favorite female pastime is, you guessed it, shopping! However, we don’t just want to get something cute or cool accessories, we want to get something that flatters us. Many women, when they are upset, or anyone for that matter, often buy materialistic objects so they feel satisfied, when they really are not. Scientists state that during their most fertile days, approximately the two weeks before their period, many dress up nicer. This is from an animal instinct, as an animal’s goal is to survive, and to pass down his or her genes, must be impressive in order to attract a suitable mate. In order to dress nice, many women want to add to their closets. However, during a study, many (the number was not specified on the website) said that after spending more than they wanted to, they often wished they hadn’t spent the money and try to return it when possible.

I did not know about this, despite that our hormones go insane. I knew basic information about what hormones can do, but never thought about the influence it could have on something as regular as shopping. I’ll definitely watch out the next time I suddenly want to go shopping!

To avoid these impulsive habits, try not to shop in that 14 day period. For more information, check out the links below, or pick up a copy of Sheconomics, as recommended by one of the websites.

Links:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7971578.stm (The really good site with lots of information and books)
http://screen.yahoo.com/daily-shot-with-ali-wentworth/four-words-discount-110000298.html (my inspiration for this post)

So ta ta for now and hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

Cooking Up Some Chemistry!

Chemistry is seen in every aspect of our lives, from fashion to fire, but I haven’t mentioned substantial food, unless you consider pop rocks to be nutritional. When you heat something, say chopped red cabbage, the heat breaks down the colored pigment, changing the pigment from an acid to an alkaline, which causes the color change. If you increase the acidity through the addition of vinegar, some of the color will return. Some vegetables, like asparagus, become brighter when placed in boiling hot water. The water “pops” the air bubbles in the surface cells, making it brighter. The longer you cook it, however, the less appetizing it becomes. If overcooked, asparagus can become shrunken and dark green, due to the release of acid.

Bananas and other fruits give off gas that helps ripen them faster. This is why, when you buy green bananas, they quickly turn yellow if kept in an enclosed bag. Once they are ripe, release some of the gas, so the stay at their peak ripeness as long as possible.

Although I knew about the bananas with their super quick ripening gas, I didn’t know that other fruit had similar gases that did that. Now I know why my fruit ripens so quickly! I also previously knew about asparagus, but I didn’t know the science behind it. However, this idea of the acidity makes sense. The majority of the cooking article was really interesting, especially since I love eating fruits and vegetables! The full article has a link down below!

Link:
http://www.sciencedaily.com/videos/2009/0112-chemistry_of_cooking.com

So ta ta for now and hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

Crackle, Crackle POP!

Next week is spirit week, and some people do crazy things. Some people wear school colors
in their hair, go above and beyond expectations, and,
of course, try to look the best. One fashionable way to stand out is to wear statement clothing. But you can also dress up your nails!

One type of nail polish in particular used to be a huge craze labeled “Crackle”. These nail polishes, applied over a first base coat of any color. After it is dry, you would apply the crackle, which literally crackles on your nails only a few seconds after applying. Depending on how thick your crackle coat is, the times for a pattern to paper varies. A top coat can then be applied.

Crackle is a clever tool for nails. It forms a broken pattern over the nails, similar to those scratch pads that are originally black but scratch off to be rainbow underneath. However, crackle is created through using alcohol to break the nail polish down faster and unevenly. The crackle forms a film over the original nail polish, but shrinks and dissolves as it dries, creating small lines in between the nail polish. This trend is really a nail polish test gone wrong, just as it says on thebeautybrains.com In the article, it goes into more detail, especially with specific ingredients. The link is below.

I didn’t really consider crackle as something with a chemical reaction, but, realizing it has to dissolve something to get that effect, I learned more about the effect that alcohol can have on certain substances. While the trend has died down, people still use it, and it is so cool that I can go up to them and tell them that a) their wearing chemistry and b) how they are wearing it. Just knowing something that is so intertwined with our culture is amazing. It broadens my knowledge and I have opened my eyes to just how much our world reflects chemistry.
Link:
http://thebeautybrains.com/2011/06/02/how-does-chinaglaze-crackle-nail-polish-work/#kJA5XVVtTVuldUl.99

So ta ta for now and hope to see your chemical reaction soon!

Coloring Chemistry?

We recently did a lab in chemistry class were we looked at metal salts and figured out what color they were. Looking into it, I found something equally as awesome. That’s right: chemistry labels for crayons! For each Crayola color, there is a chemical equation for it that sticks right on over the color’s wrapper. It matches the wrapper color, so it looks like it is not even there!

 How cool is that?

It is actually quite hot. Why? Because these chemical formulas are not actually in the crayon, they just create the same color when they are burned. These chemicals burn a certain color due to the electrons. The electrons in the metal salt start off at different energy levels. When they are heated up,  they move around faster and more randomly. In one article, the writer put it this way. The flame “supplies thermal energy to the atoms and molecules of the substance, promoting electrons from a ground (lower) energy state to an excited (higher) energy state.” In simpler terms, heat transfers energy to atoms, which cause the electrons within the atom to go from little energy to a lot of energy. Another great explanation that easily explains the colors is also found on the site. ” In simplest terms, when the wavelength is long, the energy is small, and conversely, short wavelengths mean higher energies. Applied to photons emitted during electronic transitions, an electron dropping back to ground level from a very high excited energy state can give off a photon of relatively short wavelength such as blue or even ultraviolet light. Similarly, a small difference in transition energy levels could give rise only to the emission of a relatively long-wavelength photon, such as red light.” In other words,

Long wavelengths = small energy = big difference in energy = blue or ultraviolet light.

Small wavelengths = big energy = small change in energy = red light.

There is much more information with much more detail on the site, and I would highly recommend reading it. The link is the last one below.

There is so much to learn, and I did not truly understand the whole idea as energy as a wavelength. Now I understand that the size of the wavelength determines the properties, and that it can tell you a lot about a substance from looking at it. By applying heat to a certain substance, you can learn more about the different colors, and about what makes that happen!

Links:

http://www.geekologie.com/2010/08/crayola-chemistry-the-chemical.php

http://www.accessscience.com/studycenter.aspx?main=17&questionID=4738

***BONUS: an awesome YouTube song about colors! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pWlukTTVavg Enjoy!***

So Ta Ta for now and hope to see your chemical reaction soon!