Week Three Assignments

1. The transitional metal of the week is Gold

Gold's chemical symbol is AU it's atomic number is 79.  Gold has 79 protons and electrons.  Its atomic mass is 197 which gives gold 197-79=118 Neutrons.  Gold has six orbitals of energy its atomic structure is (Xe)4f14 5d10 6s1.  It has a melting point of 1,948 degree and boiling point of 5173 degree.  It is one of the least reactive chemical elements that is why we find gold in its elemental form.  Unlike silver and other base metals Gold is insoluble in Nitric Acid which gives rise to the term acid test.  Gold is the most malleable of all metals.  It is also unaffected by air and moisture which makes it a good material for coins, dentures and jewelry.  Gold’s yellow color is due to the density of loosely bound (valence) electrons.  These electrons oscillate at a frequency of color yellow.  Gold is also a symbol of California where the famous gold rush took place in 1848. 

2. Comment on "Neptune’s Medicine Chest"

I find the article informative that someone is searching at the bottom of the ocean to find chemical compounds that not only cure but prevent cancer from happening.  I do, however, have some questions and would like to enquire further about Fenical’s belief that cancer not only can be cured but also prevented simply by taking some not yet discoverable chemical compounds.  

What I have learned about cancer so far is that it is one of the degenerative diseases which also include diseases such as heart diseases, diabetes, arthritis and Parkinson’s disease.  Different from illnesses that are caused by germs and viruses, degenerative diseases are the byproducts of aging which means to cure and prevent them is to cure and prevent aging.  We age simply from living.  Everyday of our lives we breath, move, drink, eat, think and feel.  Each of these activities create waste products of various kinds that poison our cells and tissues and intercellular environment as a whole.  Once these waste products are accumulated to a certain level our organs begin to malfunction and we fall ill to any one of these degenerative diseases.  

It seems to me then that unless we find a way to clean out these toxins or to avoid these toxins from accumulating in the first place it is very difficult to cure or prevent these degenerative diseases from happening.  This is why despite all the advancement in modern science and medecine there is still no miracle drugs for any of these diaereses.  This is not to say that cure cannot be found but if there is such a cure, I believe, it would involve finding ways to reverse the aging process of cells and tissues as a whole instead of focusing on addressing each individual manifestation of aging.

     

3. Comment on one of he website

I really like the first website on green chemistry.  It also links to a very clear introductory essay on what green chemistry is http://advancinggreenchemistry.org/green-chem-101/what-is-gc/#sthash.72cKVofY.dpuf

What I learned from this website and essay is that before green chemistry people generally only try to deal with waste after a product has already been developed and produced.  However the overarching idea of green chemistry is that we should already consider how to deal with waste at the design and the development phase of a product.  

If we do this not only can we better protect our environment but do so at a much lower cost.  This is because if we can identify what chemicals or manufacture processes create chemical toxins that pollute our environment before a product is even produced then we can bypass these chemicals and manufacture processes from the very beginning.  Even though it might cost more in the beginning, green chemistry will save companies and factories money in the end.  To carry out the goal of Green Chemistry, however, requires an "open and multidisciplinary view on product design."

I am very supportive of the idea and also see a parallel between Green Chemistry and preventative medicine.  Our body is like a micro ecological system.  When the system accumulates too much toxic waste we fall ill.  If we only try to deal with these toxic waste after they are created then it will cost us lot of time energy and suffering to deal with them.  However if we can identify which foods, habitats, career paths, activities, habits and even our private thoughts and emotions create toxic waste before we engage in them then we can stay healthy and happy much easier and at a much lower cost to us.

Just like green chemistry the goal of preventative medicine sounds rational and practical and yet to carry it out requires nothing short of an "open and multidisciplinary view” on the design of our own lives.    

Week Two Assignments

1. Element of the Week: Carbon

Carbon is the 6th element on the periodic table.  Carbon's atomic number is 6 which means it has 6 protons and 6 electrons.  It's atomic mass is 12 which gives it 6 neutrons.  Carbon is located at the second period of the periodic table which indicates that it has 2 orbitals of electrons.  It's electronic structure is 1S2 2S2 2P2. It has 2 first orbital electrons and 4 second orbital electrons.  Carbon belongs to the P block which means its P orbitals are being at least partially filled.  It's 5 elements before Neon,a noble gas, which implies that carbon still has 5 empty electron spaces in its P orbitals before it's completely filled.

Carbon is a member of group 14 on the periodic table.  It is nonmetallic and tetravalent making four electrons available to form covalent chemical bonds.  There are several well known allotropes of carbon such as graphite and diamond.  The physical properties of carbon vary widely with the allotropic form.  For example, diamond is highly transparent while graphite is opaque and black. Diamond is the hardest naturally-occurring material known while graphite is soft enough to form a streak on paper (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carbon).

2. Comments on Class Discussion

From the legal perspective, the very idea of corporation is to limit the liability of the person doing business.  However when a person's liability is limited he is more likely to harm others in order to gain an economic advantage for himself.  That is why in cases like this 'piercing the corporate veil' becomes necessary to hold the perpetrators personally responsible.

3. Comments on the web links

All three web links this week are very useful.  The information is very clearly and concisely presented.  I also love the fact that the first two links come from UK so in addition to the chemistry knowledge we also learn what British A level requires for British students.  The last link is from Purdue which brings back good college memories : )

QUIZ

1.
burning wood = chemical change
crushing a rock = physical change
dissolving sugar in water = physical change
rusting of iron = chemical change
2.
milk = mixture
table salt = mixture
sugar = pure
steel = mixture
3.
coffee is homogenous and pure
4.
water boiling is a physical change and the temperature at which it boils is a physical property.

BIO

General

I was born and raised in Taiwan until my family moved to southern California when I was 14. From a very young age I have had a sense of wonder about existence and life in general which led me to study various subjects with enthusiasm but especially philosophy (both western and eastern).  Throughout this journey of learning I have traveled to various schools in different parts of the world and enjoyed learning from many brilliant and very interesting people along the way. (Philosophy in Munich and Taipei, Law in Minneapolis and Charlottesville Virginia, Economics in West Lafayette Indiana and Cambridge England)

TCM

One of these people that I met who have sparked my interest in studying and working in traditional Chinese medicine is Albert Chang.  We met at Cambridge while he was a doctorate student in computer science.  As a person of multiple talents, Albert learned qi gong treatment as a child and would offer free treatments to fellow students and even his supervisor in school.  Even though I have also received his treatments, my initial friendship with him was based more on our lively discussions of zen Buddhism and how it's related to modern science and logic during meal times.

Several years after he received his PhD, Albert opened a qi gong gym in Vancouver where he trains people for long term physical rejuvenation by combining his knowledge in qi gong, Buddhism and modern science.  After each visit to his gym I became more and more excited about how creative and effective his methods are in bringing people back to health until finally I decided to make it my career as well.

To fulfill my wish, Albert's brother Joseph, who is a very successful acupuncturist in San Francisco, was kind enough to take me on as his intern.  Because Joseph has integrated Albert's training method into his more traditional acupuncture treatment, by working in his clinic, I get to experience first hand how different modalities can be effectively combined to better our health.  I feel very blessed with these opportunities and am looking forward to deepen my understanding of various treatment and training methods through working and further studying.