Honors Chemistry
Semester 1One of the goals of this debate was to push us farther into using scientific vocabulary and basic chemistry to distinguish between organic and conventional produce.
Chemistry Debate Reflection
My first debate was nerve wrecking but it went well. I enjoyed the diversity in groups. I wasn’t put with people I normally talk to, which put me out of my comfort zone. I liked that we weren’t able to choose whether we were affirmative or negative because that way we were again, put out of our comfort zones and exposed to more information that could possibly even change our minds. For future debates I suggest letting us research freely because I feel that the negative side had more information that would help them and the affirmative had less information to help us. One of the arguments being debated was “Should the government substantially increased subsidies for organic farms?” From the affirmative side, one of the arguments to be more convincing was that organic food is all natural and contains pesticides made from all natural sources. From the negative side, one of the arguments found more convincing was that organic food and food sold by the government contain the same ingredients and even if the government increased the subsidies, there would still be an urge for money due to transportation costs. Personally, I believe that the government should increase subsidies because organic food is costly but beneficial. Though others may argue that the thirst for money will increase because of other costs such as transportation, there is an option in this situation. Nearly every city in the United States has a set of farmers market that sell locally grown food. In Chemistry, our year long essential question is “How can you be an intelligent consumer of scientific information in the media?” Though I haven’t learned all the information I need in two months of school, I know one thing. I know that information should not be collected from a blog nor the first option I see on google. The information may be true, but not completely true. In this debate, an article said that pesticides used on organic foods are okay for your health because they contain natural substances! But, another article was contradictory and said that pesticides used on organic foods are not natural and are very harmful. In my group, I was assigned to be the affirmative closer of the debate. In the beginning, I was beyond nervous of getting a bad grade because to be honest, I did not script my closing argument. I thought that listening to the debate and taking down notes would help, but in reality did not. I did do my job in the team and did close the debate taking an affirmative stand. At first, I didn’t make sense and I was starting to throw information out of nowhere. Towards the end, I started to actually restate my group’s main arguments and answers to the questions. |
Semester 2In this lab, we learned how to create a copper mine. When we made it, we extracted copper from crush ore, which are copper carbon minerals. Then, the copper ions were turned into metal. After we created this, we learned how to clean up industrial waste.
How is copper mined? To mine copper you must first collect malachite ore, which is copper carbon minerals. Then, you cover the malachite ore with sulfuric acid, which brings out the copper ions. You then filter out the sulfuric acid with the malachite rocks, to get a liquid substance which contain copper ions. You then add either iron or zinc to the substance to get copper, since together they are insoluble. When copper is mined, the chemicals must all be discarded properly, if not it can harm the environment as much as e-waste. Why do we mine for copper? Copper is mined for everyday uses. Its is mostly found in most of our essential needs such as wire. Wire is used for many things, most especially electricity wires. Copper is also found in cookware such as our pots and pans, and back in time found in our utensils. In the summer, air conditioning coils are also a copper infused object. Copper is found in bullets as well, which is not an everyday need, but a want that saves and takes away lives. What are some enviormental risks associated with copper mining? Copper is an element which is found in the air, water, and everywhere around. Copper is an essential part for our health, but too much copper, clearly, is dangerous. Copper is also bad for animals if too much of it is consumed. Because copper does not break down in the environment, it stays in the soil. When copper is in the soil, it can interfere with the growth of plants because the soil is consumed with unnecessary elements. |
End of Course
“Forests Around Chernobyl Aren’t Decaying Properly” is an article I read that requires basic knowledge on radiation and half life. In 1986, a nuclear power plant in Chernobyl, a city in Ukraine which was then considered the Soviet Union, exploded causing vast amounts of radiation to be released into the air. This nuclear disaster affected Russia and Belarus, considered the Soviet Union, as well. The concerning thing is that after 28 years, the animals and plants are of the areas affected show indications of radiation poisoning. The birds have smaller brains than those who do not live in the areas affected. The plants and trees seem to grow slower than usual and there are fewer bugs than before. There are organisms “such as microbes, fungi and some types of insects that drive the process of decay—have also suffered from the contamination. These creatures are responsible for an essential component of any ecosystem: recycling organic matter back into the soil.”(Nuwer). Because the article included vocabulary such as radiation, nuclear, poisoning, organisms, organic, and decay. In chemistry, we learned about the nuclear wars with atomic bombs and what exactly nuclear is. We also learned about radiation poisoning and the big effect it has on living species. Towards the end of the year, we learned about half-life and how organisms decay over a period of time. In the article, a study was conducted which reminded me of class where we conducted small experiments to understand a topic better. Because I have all of this knowledge from chemistry class, I was able to understand the text easily.
The whole article is about how the life in Chernobyl is not the same after the nuclear disaster. To be specific, the forest’s plants are not decaying as they are supposed to because of the radiation poisoning that still has effected the place, even after almost 30 years of the power plant’s explosion. I noticed that before taking chemistry, I would have read the article and not have a single clue of what was going on. So many questions would arise such as, “Who cares if a power plants exploded?” and “What in the world is half-life and what does radiation have to do with chemistry?” I would become extremely oblivious.
The habit of mind which I have shown the most growth this year in chemistry is Zest, participating enthusiastically and passionately; invigorating others. When I was sure I understanded something, I would be one of the few who were excited to answer the entrance ticket or figure out a challenge problem as detailed as I could. I remember learning about reactions, especially when and how to balance them. Even though there were times where my Zest was not to its fullest, I still showed zest even at times where I found a problem difficult, such as acid/base reactions.
Works Cited
Nuwer, Rachel. "Forests Around Chernobyl Aren't Decaying Properly."Smithsonian. March 14, 2014. Web. June 9, 2014.
The whole article is about how the life in Chernobyl is not the same after the nuclear disaster. To be specific, the forest’s plants are not decaying as they are supposed to because of the radiation poisoning that still has effected the place, even after almost 30 years of the power plant’s explosion. I noticed that before taking chemistry, I would have read the article and not have a single clue of what was going on. So many questions would arise such as, “Who cares if a power plants exploded?” and “What in the world is half-life and what does radiation have to do with chemistry?” I would become extremely oblivious.
The habit of mind which I have shown the most growth this year in chemistry is Zest, participating enthusiastically and passionately; invigorating others. When I was sure I understanded something, I would be one of the few who were excited to answer the entrance ticket or figure out a challenge problem as detailed as I could. I remember learning about reactions, especially when and how to balance them. Even though there were times where my Zest was not to its fullest, I still showed zest even at times where I found a problem difficult, such as acid/base reactions.
Works Cited
Nuwer, Rachel. "Forests Around Chernobyl Aren't Decaying Properly."Smithsonian. March 14, 2014. Web. June 9, 2014.