Physical Science

Gadolinium is a rare earth metal and a member of the lanthanide family. The lanthanides are soft silvery metals, whose name means “hidden”. They are very much alike and hard to distinguish from each other. They are members of the…
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Overview of the chemical element Magnesium The element Magnesium is the seventh most common element on earth. It is also found dissolved in seawater. It was first discovered in 1775and was either named after an old city in Asia Minor,…
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Hydrogen is a fascinating chemical element.  In addition to being the most common element in the Universe, hydrogen is found in water and most organic molecules.  Because the light of the Sun is generated by nuclear fusion of hydrogen, it…
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The characteristics of an atom is pretty simple, once a handle on the size of the atom is in perspective. The size is small, so small that the human mind can not get a visualize of it, we can “see”…
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A physical change is a modification that is induced in a substance which does not change the substance’s chemical makeup.  Thus, the term physical change is in direct contrast with the term chemical change.  We see the effects of physical…
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Carbon: many people know what it is, but only a few know what it does.  Organic chemists are most familiar with the element and the magnitude of its usefulness.  However, one does not have to have a Ph.D in Organic…
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Chemical and biological detection, analysis, and synthesis capabilities are of increasing importance for applications that include environmental analysis and remediation, process monitoring, emissions monitoring and control, medical tests, forensics and detection of chemical and biological weapons.  Many of these applications…
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It’s no secret that cigarettes have harmful health affects and that cigarette smoke contains tons of dangerous chemicals. There are a lot of different types of chemicals inside tobacco smoke, over four thousand different types of chemicals. Some of the…
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Hydrogen cyanide is one of  hundreds of chemicals found in the smoke of cigarettes.  This particular chemical is both harmful to the smoker and to those who may inhale the second hand smoke that is present in the air.  Hydrogen…
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Telephone someone on the other side of the world and you will often notice little delays – less than a second long – in the conversation. It’s not surprising. Whatever you say is being sent far off out into space,…
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