The Weekly Beaker
Volume 13, Number 27
May 20th, 2009
Chemistry Picnic
Brats, Burgers, and Big Woods!
Don't Forget to Sign Up by Thursday, May 21 (Tomorrow)
Hey, it’s time to think about spring, barbecue, waterfalls, hiking, potato salad, frisbee, and brats! The chemistry picnic will be on Friday afternoon, May 29, at Nerstrand Big Woods State Park (the usual spot). The picnic will start about 5:00 p.m. Please sign up for the picnic by Thursday, May 21, and include your student ID#, your grilling preference (carnivore or herbivore), and whether or not you need transportation. The sign-up sheet is across from Dani Kohen’s office, posted on the window of the Mudd 169 computer room. The chemistry faculty and staff will also supply food and treats, and the RING is in charge of entertainment. A bus is scheduled to leave from First Street, near the Nevada Street intersection, at 4:30 p.m. (after Honors Convocation) to transport any of you who don't want to drive or prefer to save fossil fuels using communal transportation. The bus will return to campus somewhere between 7:30 and 8:00 p.m. We especially welcome new chemistry majors!
Seminar Announcement
Friday, May 22, 2009
3:30 p.m.
Olin 04
Daniel J. Cziczo
Pacific Northwest National Laboratory
Which Aerosol Particles End Up Inside Clouds?
It is now highly certain that anthropogenic activities have caused a warming of the Earth’s atmosphere. The addition of small aerosol particles has offset, to some extent, the warming attributed to greenhouse gases via the so-called ‘direct effect’. Aerosol particles can also act as sites of condensation and lead to the formation of clouds and this is termed an ‘indirect effect’. Some specific particles, known as ice nuclei (IN), are highly efficient at the nucleation of water ice and thus the formation of ice and mixed-phase clouds. Whereas the vast majority of atmospheric particles require temperatures of 233 K and lower and saturations near that of liquid water, IN can form ice within a few degrees below the equilibrium freezing point of liquid water and at saturations near that of water ice. Studies using ‘ice chambers’ which mimic cloud formation conditions in the laboratory and at remote field sites have recently allowed for analyses to determine the composition of IN and the role played by anthropogenic components. Lead, one such anthropogenic component that can have a significant impact on both precipitation and the Earth’s radiative balance through perturbations to ice formation, will be discussed.
Journal Club Meets This Week
Journal Club meets this Thursday at noon in Mudd 171 to discuss a paper relating to this week’s seminar. Go to the following for information about what to read beforehand: http://apps.carleton.edu/curricular/chem/events/?category=171005&no_search=1.
World’s Toughest Reaction Balancing Problem
One Student Succeeds So Far....
I am pleased to announce that David Selassie successfully balanced the world’s toughest reaction last week with the help of some mathematics. David created a set of linear equations that described the atom and charge balance needed then solved them by linear algebra. It was a very elegant solution. For David’s correct solution he will get to choose an item of glassware from my collection. However, it is also possible to solve this by brute force using the half-reaction method you have learned. Because I promised to award the first three correct solutions, I'm still willing to give out two additional prizes. Click here to see the reaction again along with some hints on how to work the half-reaction method. Good Luck!
Steve Drew
Calling all rising seniors!
There will be a comps informational meeting at 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, May 27, in Olin 04. At that time we’ll discuss the comps options coming up for next year in addition to various deadlines you should be keeping in mind as you plan your senior year. We will also be inviting some current seniors to come and discuss their comps experiences. If you cannot attend this meeting, please stop by or contact me directly. It is especially important that you contact me if one of the following is true: 1) you would like to complete your comps in Fall/Winter; 2) you will be off-campus in the Fall.
Steve Drew, Comps Coordinator 2009-2010