The Handy Chemistry Answer Book
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Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page i About the Authors Ian C. Stewart is a chemist at a petrochemical company. He formerly worked with Nobel Prize-winning chemist Robert H. Grubbs and is the recipient of several fellowships. He lives in Houston, Texas. Justin P. Lomont is a National Science Foundation Graduate Research Fellow whose doc- toral research at the University of California Berkeley focuses on organometallic reaction mechanisms using ultra-fast infrared spectroscopy. He lives in Berkeley, California. Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page ii Also from Visible Ink Press The Handy Anatomy Answer Book The Handy Ocean Answer Book by James Bobick and Naomi Balaban by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. ISBN: 978-1-57859-190-9 Svarney The Handy Answer Book for Kids (and Parents), ISBN: 978-1-57859-063-6 2nd edition The Handy Personal Finance Answer Book by Gina Misiroglu by Paul A. 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Tucci ISBN: 978-1-57859-379-8 ISBN: 978-1-57859-215-9 The Handy Science Answer Book®, 4th edition The Handy Geology Answer Book by The Science and Technology Department by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, James E. Svarney Bobick, and Naomi E. Balaban ISBN: 978-1-57859-156-5 ISBN: 978-1-57859-140-4 The Handy History Answer Book, 3rd edition The Handy Sports Answer Book by David L. Hudson Jr. by Kevin Hillstrom, Laurie Hillstrom, and Roger ISBN: 978-1-57859-372-9 Matuz The Handy Law Answer Book ISBN: 978-1-57859-075-9 by David L. Hudson Jr. The Handy Supreme Court Answer Book ISBN: 978-1-57859-217-3 by David L Hudson, Jr. The Handy Math Answer Book, 2nd edition ISBN: 978-1-57859-196-1 by Patricia Barnes-Svarney and Thomas E. The Handy Weather Answer Book, 2nd edition Svarney by Kevin S. Hile ISBN: 978-1-57859-373-6 ISBN: 978-1-57859-221-0 Please visit the “Handy” series website at www.handyanswers.com. Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page iii THE HANDY CHEMISTRY ANSWER BOOK Ian C. Stewart and Justin P. Lomont Detroit Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page iv THE Copyright © 2014 by Visible Ink Press® This publication is a creative work fully protected by all applicable copyright laws, as well as by misappropriation, trade secret, unfair competition, and HANDY other applicable laws. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief CHEMISTRY passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine, newspaper, or Website. ANSWER All rights to this publication will be vigorously defended. Visible Ink Press® 43311 Joy Rd., #414 BOOK Canton, MI 48187-2075 Visible Ink Press is a registered trademark of Visible Ink Press LLC. Most Visible Ink Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Customized printings, special imprints, messages, and excerpts can be produced to meet your needs. For more information, contact Special Markets Director, Visible Ink Press, www.visibleink.com, or 734-667-3211. Managing Editor: Kevin S. Hile Art Director: Mary Claire Krzewinski Typesetting: Marco Di Vita Proofreaders: Shoshana Hurwitz and Crystal Rosza Indexer: Larry Baker ISBN 978-1-57859-374-3 Cover images: Background image: Shutterstock. All other images: iStock. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Stewart, Ian (Ian Christopher), 1980– The handy chemistry answer book / by Ian Stewart and Justin Lomont. pages cm — (The handy answer book series) ISBN 978-1-57859-374-3 (paperback) 1. Chemistry—Miscellanea. 2. Chemistry—Examinations, questions, etc. I. Lomont, Justin. II. Title. QD39.2.S75 2014 540—dc23 2013020166 Printed in the United States of America 10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1 Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page v Contents ACKNOWLEDGMENTS vii I NTRODUCTION xi HISTORY OF INORGANIC CHEMISTRY … 1 CHEMISTRY … 79 Structure and Bonding … Electricity and ATOMS AND Magnetism … Organometallic Chemistry MOLECULES … 13 Structure of the Atom … Trends in Reactivity ANALYTICAL and the Periodic Table … Properties of Atoms CHEMISTRY … 95 and Electrons in Atoms … Molecules and A Little Math … Measure Twice … Chemical Bonds Electrochemistry … Analytical Chemistry in Our Lives MACROSCOPIC PROPERTIES: THE WORLD BIOCHEMISTRY … 113 WE SEE … 33 Molecules of Life … Genetics … Metabolism Phases of Matter and Intensive Properties … and Other Biochemical Reactions … Brains! Food and Senses PHYSICAL AND CHEMICAL THEORETICAL REACTIONS … 49 CHEMISTRY … 135 Kinetics and Thermodynamics … Acids and Energy Is Everything … Kinetics … Faster Bases … Catalysis and Industrial Chemistry Than a Speeding Wave … Big Freaking Lasers … Other Kinds of Chemical Reactions … Other Spectroscopy … If You Can Imagine It ORGANIC CHEMISTRY … 63 NUCLEAR CHEMISTRY … 151 Structures and Nomenclature … Reactions of Chemistry Inside the Atom … Nuclear Organic Compounds Chemistry at Work v Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page vi POLYMER SUSTAINABLE “GREEN” CHEMISTRY … 163 CHEMISTRY … 233 Polymers Are Chemicals Too! … Polymers in and around You MATERIALS SCIENCE … 247 ENERGY … 177 ASTROCHEMISTRY … 259 Energy Sources … Pollution … Emerging Sources of Energy … Quantifying Power CHEMISTRY IN THE KITCHEN … 271 THE MODERN CHEMISTRY LAB … 191 CHEMISTRY EXPERIMENTS Purification Is Essential … Spectroscopy and YOU CAN DO AT Spectronomy … Other Measurements … HOME … 283 Safety First! THE WORLD AROUND US … 203 Medicine and Drugs … Chemicals in Food … Chemicals in the Natural World … Chemicals in Our World PHYSICAL CONSTANTS 313 CONVERSION FACTORS 315 GLOSSARY 319 H ISTORY OF C HEMISTRY TIMELINE 333 NOBEL PRIZE IN C HEMISTRY WINNERS 337 B IBLIOGRAPHY 361 FURTHER READING 365 I NDEX 369 vi Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page vii Acknowledgements We would first like to thank Roger Jänecke and Kevin Hile at Visible Ink Press for their assistance, patience, and for taking a chance on two young science writers. College students at the University of Michigan and Brandeis University submitted many of the questions in the chapter titled “The World around Us.” Our thanks go out to these people for their creative and inspiring questions: Jon Ahearn, Krishna Bathina, Alex Belkin, Matt Benoit, Emma Betzig, Jeetayu Biswas, Ariana Boltax, Nick Carducci, Gina DiCiuccio, Alice Doong, Christina Lee, Shelby Lee, Greg Lorrain, Jake Lurie, Sotirios Malamis, Aysha Malik, Yawar Malik, Katie Marchetti, Nicholas Medina, Leah Naghi, Humaira Nawer, Logan Powell, Nilesh Raval, Alexandra Rzepecki, Minna Schmidt, Leah Simke, Sindhura Sonnathi, Eva Tulchinsky, Afzal Ullah, Anna Yatskar. Finally, we would like to dedicate this book to the person who initially brought us together, inspired and challenged us with this project and many others, taught us what it really means to learn and to teach, and so much more. This is for you, Brian. vii Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page viii Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page ix Photo Credits All line art illustrations by Kevin S. Hile. Photographs in the “Chemistry Experiments You Can Do at Home” chapter by James Fordyce. All other images courtesy of Shutterstock, with the following exceptions: page 18: Armtuk; page 62: BrokenSphere; pages 67, 79, 129, 156, 186, 193, 222: public domain; pages 106, 141: Wikicommons; page 136: Patrick Edwin Moran; page 163: ; page 252: AlexanderAlUS; page 271: Miia Ranta from Finland. ix Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page x Handy Chemistry 7/8/13 2:44 PM Page xi Introduction What’s inside of a zit? Why does eating turkey make you sleepy? How do glow sticks work? What causes a hangover? Chemistry (and this book!) holds answers to all of these ques- tions. There are many wonderful stories about chemistry and the people behind these discoveries. Whether you have studied chemistry in high school or college, or even do chemistry for a living, we think you will enjoy this book. We certainly enjoyed writing it. As you will see right away, our approach is quite different from a textbook. If you’re curious about the answers to hundreds of interesting questions about all the things in the world that you touch, feel, and taste every day, then you’ve come to the right place. The Handy Chemistry Answer Book uses a simple question-and-answer format to ex- plain the chemistry in our daily lives. There are entire chapters on sustainable chemistry, the chemistry of cooking, and the chemistry of space. Some of these are questions we got from people like you! The questions in the chapter called “The World around Us” were all submitted from college students at the University of Michigan (our alma mater—Go Blue!) and Brandeis University.