Cyanide Poison

The Chemistry of Cyanide

Cyanide is a singular charged anion that consists of one carbon atom and another nitrogen atom triple bonded together. The formula for Cyanide is CN-.

Carbon is nonmetallic and tetravalent, and that makes available four electrons to form covalent chemical bonds. Carbons found in many different compounds, you can find it in the food you eat, the clothes that you wear, and even the gasoline that’s inside your car. Carbon’s the sixth largest found element in the universe.  The Atomic Number of cyanide is 6, the Atomic Mass on average is 12.011. The temperature in which Cyanide starts to melt is at 3823 Kelvin, and the boiling point is at 4098 Kelvin. Carbon has 6 electrons, 4 of it’s electrons are in the valence shell, which is the outer shell of it’s structure.

Nitrogen can form extremely strong bonds because it can form a triple bond with itself, and other elements. Nitrogen is a non-metal element and occurs mostly found in the atmosphere, like in nitrogen gas. Nitrogen can have 3 to 5 valence electrons, just like Carbon these valence electrons are in the outer shell. The atomic number of Nitrogen is 7, and it’s atomic mass on average is 14.0067. The temperature in which Nitrogen melts at is 63.15 Kelvin, and the boiling point of Nitrogen is 77.37 Kelvin.

Cyanide is extremely reactive and forms salts with alkali earth cations, CN is linked together by a covalent bond. Cations are positively charged ions. Cyanide can form various complexes with gold, mercury, cobalt and iron when they are stable, even under acidic conditions. Cyanide can also be found in any group that contains the monovalent compound CN, like Hydrogen Cyanide, Potassium Cyanide, and Sodium Cyanide. The most toxic form of cyanide is free cyanide, Free Cyanide includes an anion itself and hydrogen cyanide, which is HCN, this can occur in a gaseous or aqueous state.

Chemical Formula for Cyanide  

Chemical Formula for hydrogen Cyanide:   

Chemical Formula for Potassium Cyanide:

Chemical Formula for Sodium cyanide:

Reflection

In the book; “The Poisoner’s Handbook,” it showed you how Cyanide was excruciatingly painful poison to die from. On Chapter 3, page 57 it showed that it was a violent death. Cyanide often left bruising, discoloration, and left a very obvious trail of evidence. Most murderers wanted a discrete kill that would mislead the detectives. Some people even have a genetic mutation the keeps them from smelling Cyanide. People would often choose it as a suicide aid because it had a reputation for acting very quickly, as fast as two to five minutes. Even if you do die fast from Cyanide, it is a brutal and agonizing death tp suffer from, marked by convulsions, hyperventilation, vomiting, and then unconsciousness.

I learned that there are many different forms of cyanide. The three most common are Hydrogen Cyanide(HCN), Potassium Cyanide(KCN), and Sodium Cyanide(NaCN). Then with this knowledge that i learned from the book, i decided to construct a model of Hydrogen Cyanide.

If I were to do this project again, I would change and add a couple new things.  First I would Construct all the three different types of Cyanide: HCN, KCN, NaCN. Then I would write about each different Poison and the specifics about each element it contains, and how it works together. Also I would label the different electrons in each element and the different layers in which they remain. But I think this project was very successful and it was very rich in Chemistry, and I learned a substantial amount of information about Cyanide.

Tie Dye Lab For Mrs. Lee

Tie Dye history:
       
          Tie Dye is thought to have begun long around 5,000 years ago in India where they would take clothing that they made, and stamp it using different natural stains. There are even recorded documents that show the cloth used to wrap mummies in around 1,000 B.C. were found in dye form with different patterns. These are not exactly the same ways and techniques used to dye clothing and other fabric now a days, but history has shown that tie dye was not first popular in the 60's with "hippies." Today we take artificial dyes on our cotton shirts, and fold and twist them to curtain shapes, then use those dyes to create different repeated patterns throughout the shirt. But not just India and other European countries first used tie dye, in Africa many villagers took the clothing and would then tie dye it with patterns by using twigs and grass and even beads. tie dyeing is still a popular form of fashion used currently to this day, even advancing. But what a lot of people forget about is the Chemistry behind all this stylish fashion!!!!!




The Science of Tie Dye:

           Fiber reactive dyes that bond to materials like our shirts(cotton),first attach to the cellulose fibers by connecting through a covelant bond. These molecules carry something called chromophore which absorb a variety of spectrum's of light, which allow those spectrum's to reflect. Covalent bonds are possibly one of the most basic yet strongest types of chemical reactions that occur. By presoaking the fabric it raises the PH level of the garment to around 10.5. By doing this we are raising the level of negative hydrogen ions. After the dye bonding with the fabric for about 24 hours, the bonding site on the cellulose are then saturated by dye molecules. 

How Dyes Get Their Color:

            Dyes that are used in everyday thing, like; hair coloring, food coloring, plastic coloring, etc.... Those dyes are aromatic organic compounds, and based on the structure of benzene. Color is not able to be seen by everything, such as some animals and insects. Only humans and some animals have the ability to see what we know as "color." Colors are wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation that can be detected from other wavelengths  Infa-Red and Ultra-Violet rays are different wavelength mixtures of white light, and normal daylight. We only respond to wavelengths that are between 400-700 nm.








Procedure:


* Mix Sodium Carbonate and water into a bucket and let it sit overnight or longer.

*Soak the T-Shirt in the sodium carbonate and water overnight

*Take the shirt out of NaCa and H2O and squeez out excess

*Fold the shirt in half, then spin from the area of the arm pit.

*Dye your shirt with what ever pattern you have chosen for this lab(Spider Pattern)

*Put shirt inside a plastic bag and leave be for 12-24 hours

*Once the dye has soaked for 12-24 hoyurs, rinse out excess dye

*Wash shirt by it's self in warm or hot water

*Put on Shirt




Links: http://www.tie-dye.us/tie-dye-history.htm        http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tie-dye        http://www.dharmatrading.com/techniques/tiedye/fiber-reactive-dye.html      http://www.docott.com/files.141/labs.exams/tie.dye.htm      http://stainsfile.info/StainsFile/dyes/dyecolor.htm

Candy Lab Part 1(intro)

Purpose:

 In this project-based unit, you will investigate the processes of dissolving and crystallizing at the particle level by making hardtack candy. You will then use your learning to
There are 3 main parts to this project. Each part will have a blog post. As you work, we will periodically discuss applicable content.

Terms:

Solvent is a liquid that can dissolve a solute, is a substance that dissolves in a solvent. Solubility is the most of a solute that may be dissolved in a solvent. During the candy making process, after the candy has gotten to the needed heat and is poured out on a pan, it starts to harden begins crystallization. And crystallization is the separation between a solid  and a liquid. Concentration is when you have a substance in a curtain amount of space. Finally molarity, which is the number of moles of solute divided by the number of liters of solution.

Solubility using a solubility curve:

Solubility is the most of a solute that may be dissolved into a solvent

Solubility's importance in candy making:

1. The solvent has to attract to the solute + and -

2. The solvent molecules take apart the solute

3. The solvent molecules are going to carry the ion particles around the solute

Physical and chemical process in making candy:
     Hard Tack Candy is made from a supersaturated solution of sugar water.  Sugar is dissolved in a big kettle of water until no more sugar dissolves at room temperature.  Then, the saturated solution is heated up.  The higher temperature allows for more sugar to be dissolved, so more sugar is put in.  As more and more sugar is put into the kettle, it dissolves, which makes the solution saturated at the new higher temperature.  Now, if the sugar is cooled down very slowly, and no more sugar is added, the sugar will stay dissolved.  As the temperature cools, the sugar dissolved at that higher temperature stays dissolved, and a supersaturated solution is made.

All Sources Sited Here:

http://www.chemistar.com/Chemistry/Unit4Solutions.html, http://wenderly.com/2011/12/20/aunt-marceys-old-fashioned-hard-tack-candy/, http://www.sciencegeek.net/Chemistry/taters/solubility.htm, http://home.nas.net/~dbc/cic_hamilton/dictionary/s.html,  http://ths.talawanda.net/~BrambleN/classroom/Chemistry/Notes/Section%201C/Solubility.htm, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crystallization#Process , http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Solution#Process, http://food.oregonstate.edu/learn/crys.html, http://www.sugarshowcase.com/blog/2012/12/01/hard-tack-candy-stop-burning-your-hands-or-cutting-your-mouth, http://stoveria.blogspot.com/2008/12/sometimes-confections-pain.html

Part 2(Hard tack candy recipe)

Equipment & Materials Provided:

*#10 can

*Long handled spoon

*Bunsen burner

*candy thermometer

*wax paper

*Food coloring

*Corn syrup

*Powdered syrup

Materials Needed:
*3 3/4 sugar cups
*1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
*1 cup water
*1 teaspoon food coloring
Don’t forget: There are *oils* and there are *flavorings*. We have found that you’ll need 2 bottles if you’re using the flavorings and 1 bottle if you’re using the oils in each batch.

Procedure:
In a 3 quart non-stick sauce pan, pour in sugar, light corn syrup and water. Continuously stir liquid over medium heat until sugar has completely dissolved. Let mixture come to a boil, without stirring, and when candy thermometer reaches 260° add food coloring. Once again don’t stir let food coloring mix itself into the liquid by the boiling motion.Watch the candy thermometer, once it reaches 300° immediately remove from heat and allow the boiling to come to a stop.
Take pan outside and add your choice of flavorings (or oil) to the mixture. Stir without inhaling the potent vapors. Quickly pour into 2 greased cake pans, divide liquid equally into the pans. Let cool completely to the touch.
Once candy is cooled, take outside and insert a clean Phillips head screw driver into the center of the pan and give a good whack. Continue until all of the candy is broken to your liking.
Next, grab a gallon plastic bag that zips closed. Pour a heaping (no more) tablespoon of powdered sugar into the bag. Pour both cake pans of broken candy into bag and zip closed. Make sure to leave the tiny pieces out. Gently turn and flip the bag until the candy is covered with powdered sugar. Candy will stay nice and crunchy when stored in a container that is airtight.

During Candy Making:
*At around 200 degrees, I figured it was that high because my recipe called for more sugar than most of the others did
*It took a long time for my solution to start to boil  because for some reason my Bunsen burner wasn't heating up, but when that got fixed then it started to really boil at around 250 degrees
*Steam really started to occur once it started to boil and once the boiling process hit its peak temperature of bout 275
*My solution really stalled for a long time at about 225 degrees and it stayed there for about ten minutes and the Bunsen burner had to be adjusted for it to be heated up
*The highest temperature my solution reached was at 280 degrees Fahrenheit and at the point the solution was removed from the burner and put on to wax paper


       



Part 3(application)

1. Was your process of making candy an example of your currently-held model of solutions and crystallization?

Yes it was, In the beginning we added sugar(solute) to corn syrup(solvent), and it was slowly starting to dissolve, but it is very slow, so once it started to become heated and even boiling the solute was soon completely dissolved. Once my solution had reached its temperature of 280 degrees Fahrenheit and put on to wax paper, the solution crystallized and became of a glass type texture. The reason this happened was because the mass transferred of the solute from the liquid solution to a solid crystallized form.

2. Apply your model to another substance. The application could be a food, ingredient, process, or other substance. Find another example (food or non-food) in the real world and explain.

     

Another example could be when you are making ice cream, in that process you have milk(solvent) and Sugar(solute) in which you would combine them to create a solution. The once all your flavoring and other items have been added to the solution, it's then time to freeze the solution which would then turn into crystallization by freezing.