The hottest Chemistry Substack posts right now

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Industrialized Bio-Sequestration

A Natural Language • 0 implied HN points • 08 Mar 23
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Topsoil carbon is a major contributor to the rise in atmospheric carbon dioxide.
  2. Fossil fuels directly contribute 12% of atmospheric carbon dioxide, despite a drop in use during economic lockdowns.
  3. Capturing waste output from smokestacks and using it for plant growth can help mitigate carbon emissions.

Links for Fall 2023

Perambulations • 0 implied HN points • 20 Nov 23
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Cats are evolutionarily perfect due to their extreme specialization for hunting.
  2. Data visualization can lead to cognitive errors and should be carefully considered.
  3. Polygenic risk scores have marginal benefits in disease screening and may not be effective for population-wide risk stratification.

Book Review: "The Great Mental Models: Physics, Chemistry and Biology" Vol. 2 - by Farnam Street 4/5

Poczwardowski Notes • 0 implied HN points • 01 Feb 23
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. The second volume of 'The Great Mental Models' explores physics, chemistry, and biology, offering practical and timeless concepts that can improve our thinking.
  2. The second book maintains the high quality aesthetic of the first volume but feels more practical and grounded in the laws of nature.
  3. Exploring concepts from various scientific branches, such as those presented in the book, supports multidisciplinary thinking, helping us solve problems better and avoid repeating mistakes.

isotope

the rohn report • 0 implied HN points • 22 Aug 20
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Isotopes are atoms with different numbers of neutrons, which can affect their stability and behavior.
  2. Different isotopes have varying half-lives and can be used for dating materials, such as carbon-14 for archaeological purposes.
  3. Studying isotopes like uranium has practical applications and helps in understanding Earth's history and the origins of life.
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Cholesterol's Importance to the Cell Membrane

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 27 Dec 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Cholesterol is a crucial component of cell membranes, contributing to about 20% of its mass and helping maintain the membrane's integrity.
  2. Cholesterol helps regulate the fluidity of cell membranes, preventing them from becoming too fluid or too firm, ensuring optimal cell function.
  3. Cholesterol plays a key role in securing important proteins within the cell membrane, aiding in various cellular functions and communication between cells.

Isoprenes

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 20 Dec 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Isoprenes are essential compounds found in every living cell, with various important functions in the human body such as being precursors to cholesterol and coenzyme Q10.
  2. Humans obtain crucial isoprene compounds from their diets, which are not produced by the body, and they are also present in medicinal plants like licorice.
  3. Isoprenes play a vital role in the synthesis of glycoproteins, which are essential for cell communication, and are involved in anchoring proteins to cell membranes for various functions.

Cholesterol's Hydrocarbon Tail

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 09 Nov 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Cholesterol's hydrocarbon tail is non-polar because the electronegativity of hydrogen and carbon are similar, making the electron cloud evenly distributed over both atoms.
  2. Polar molecules like water dissolve in other polar molecules, while non-polar molecules like fats dissolve in other non-polar molecules, creating a division between water-soluble and fat-soluble substances.
  3. Cholesterol is amphipathic, containing both a water-soluble region (hydroxyl group) and a fat-soluble region (steroid ring structure and hydrocarbon tail), making it vital for its function in the body.

Cholesterol's Hydrocarbon Rings

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 09 Nov 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Cholesterol has a region with four hydrocarbon rings, where each carbon is connected to two hydrogens that hang off the edge of the ring.
  2. In hydrocarbon ring structures, double bonds between carbons decrease the number of hydrogens bound to a carbon, affecting its chemical properties.
  3. Cholesterol contains four hydrocarbon rings with various structural features, making the hydrocarbon ring portion fat-soluble and not soluble in water.

Cholesterol's Hydroxyl Group

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 09 Nov 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. The hydroxyl group in cholesterol is important because it is polar, having positive and negative poles, and is water-soluble.
  2. Water is a polar molecule due to its hydroxyl groups, demonstrating how opposite charges attract each other.
  3. Cholesterol is an example of an amphipathic molecule, with a water-soluble polar region and a water-insoluble non-polar region.

Cholesterol's Molecular Formula

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 09 Nov 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. A molecular formula shows which atoms and how many of them are in a molecule, with letters representing elements and numbers indicating quantities.
  2. Atomic symbols are abbreviations for specific types of atoms, like C for carbon and H for hydrogen.
  3. Molecular formulas can provide additional information, like functional groups, to give insights into a molecule's structure and properties.

Atoms and Molecules

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 06 Nov 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Atoms are the basic building blocks of matter, made up of protons, neutrons, and electrons. They form by balancing positive and negative charges.
  2. Covalent bonds are formed when atoms share electrons to fulfill a full outer shell, creating molecules like water.
  3. Ionic bonding occurs when atoms transfer electrons, resulting in charged ions that stick together oppositely to form compounds like table salt.

Cholesterol Chemistry 101

Harnessing the Power of Nutrients • 0 implied HN points • 17 Sep 08
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Cholesterol is composed of a hydrocarbon tail, a ring structure with 4 hydrocarbon rings, and a hydroxyl group. The combination of these regions classifies cholesterol as a sterol, the animal sterol.
  2. Cholesterol is amphipathic because it contains both water-soluble and fat-soluble regions. It travels in the blood via lipoproteins like LDL and HDL.
  3. Cholesterol, although containing a water-soluble region, is not water-soluble enough to dissolve in the blood directly. Instead, it travels in the blood with fats and fat-soluble nutrients.

Chemical warfare against the common cold

The Quack Doctor • 0 implied HN points • 14 Jun 24
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. US Chemical Warfare Service experimented with chlorine for treating respiratory infections, like colds, and saw promising results in the 1920s
  2. Chlorine treatment gained initial popularity post-World War I but faced criticism for lack of control groups and evidence of effectiveness
  3. Commercial products like the 'Kilacold Chlorine Bomb' were promoted for treating various illnesses but eventually dwindled in use due to shifting priorities and lack of scientific support

Glycolymericks

The Science Monologue • 0 implied HN points • 17 Mar 23
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. Enzymes play crucial roles in converting sugar into energy
  2. Hexokinase, Phosphoglucose isomerase, and Phosphofructokinase-1 are key enzymes in the process
  3. The glycolysis pathway involves multiple steps and enzymes to produce ATP

The NextSeq 550 LEDs And More Dye Experiments

ASeq Newsletter • 0 implied HN points • 03 Nov 24
🔬 Science Chemistry
  1. The NextSeq 550 uses affordable components like $30 LEDs and image sensors, making it impressive for its cost-effective design.
  2. Experimenting with the LED pinout and driving them at certain voltage and current allowed for practical testing with a spectrometer.
  3. The author shares measurements taken through the NextSeq 550 optical system, indicating a hands-on approach to understanding its functionality.