Science

Atoms unite to form molecules by means of available electrons. Bonds can form by electron transfer or by electron sharing. Many chemical bonds are intermediate between those two. Elements combine...

Silicone is a water-resistant and chemically durable material used in a wide variety of applications. The basis of silicone's utility lies in its chemical structure and the way it is created.

Life as we know it is carbon-based. A carbon skeleton is the chain of carbon atoms that forms the "backbone," or foundation, of any organic molecule. Because of carbon's unique ability to form...

Atoms are made of protons, neutrons and electrons. There are approximately 90 different varieties of atoms called elements. These elements combine with each other to form millions of different...

Glucose is a type of simple sugar needed for energy by the red blood cells and the brain. The molecule helps construct and break down vitamins, sugars and proteins in the body. It is found in...

Atoms are neutral because they have a number of protons in their nuclei equal to their number of orbital electrons. They become charged on gaining or losing one or more electrons.

In highly ionic compounds, considerable electronegativity difference allows actual electron transfer between atoms. In sodium chloride, an atom of sodium donates an electron, and an atom of...

Atoms contain protons, electrons and neutrons. Protons have a positive charge, while electrons have a negative charge. Because all atoms have a neutral charge, the number of electrons in any given...

Glucose, or blood sugar, has the chemical formula C6H1206. It is a carbohydrate, important in human metabolism. No single element can be used by the body to create energy; glucose combines...

Atoms are the elemental building blocks of molecules. Chemistry involves the study of atoms, molecules and their interactions. Chemists use a kind of shorthand notation to write chemical...

Atoms, once thought to be the smallest building blocks of nature, are in fact made of smaller particles. Most often these particles are in balance, and as such the atom is stable and lasts nearly...

Atoms and ions are the minute and basic particles of all matter. Chemical reactions based upon the composition and interactions of different atoms are responsible for building the parameters of...

Atoms and molecules are the basic building blocks of matter. Differentiating molecules from atoms is essential to understanding your physical environment that is based upon chemical reactions.

In the atomic world, heat can be equated with energy. Some elements give off energy very well--they are good conductors. Others are very poor at giving off energy--they are good insulators. Since...

A number of different ozonator manufacturers have marketed the use of ozone to destroy mold infestations. There is argument as to how effective ozone is at this, but there is no doubt ozone gas is...

When water freezes, it still remains H20, but the hydrogen and oxygen atoms align with the atoms in other water particles to form a structure instead of floating free. Sometimes these structures...

In an atom, valance electrons can be found in the outermost electron shell. They are the main point of interaction between one atom and another, and are very important for the formation of molecules.

An atom is the smallest possible unit of an element. Atoms combine to form molecules, and when split (a process called fission), they can provide nuclear energy -- or a nuclear explosion. Inside...

Earth has given us many resources that allow us to survive. We make use of renewable (like sun and air) and nonrenewable (like minerals) resources. Water is one of the main resources we use and...

Theorized in the 1920s by Satyendra Nath Bose and Albert Einstein, the Bose-Einstein condensate (BEC) is an exotic form of matter. Atoms of certain elements, cooled to extremely low temperatures,...

As a result of his experiments combining oxygen and carbon, John Dalton observed the ratio of carbon to oxygen always remained constant in each compound. To explain why atoms combined in fixed...

Balancing chemical equations seems like a daunting process at first glance, but it's really just simple algebra, only this time it's actually describing how something works in the real world....

Benzoic acid is one of the most important compounds used in the manufacturing of artificial flavorings and preservatives. It is also used to synthesize a large number of other chemicals, including...

An alloy is a combination of substances in which there is one or more metal elements. Many alloys combine two different kinds of metals but this is by no means the only type. There are also many...

Atoms have a nucleus made up of protons and neutrons, and orbiting particles called electrons. Protons have a positive charge, neutrons have no charge and electrons have a negative charge. The...

One aspect of chemistry examines the interactions of elements and molecules in formulas. Calculating formula mass only requires simple addition of masses. Most of the mistakes made when...

While certain varies of quartz can be very beautiful, the crystals in a "quartz watch" have nothing to do with aesthetics. Because of a physical phenomenon called the "piezoelectric effect," the...

Chemistry is an exciting field that introduces students to atoms and sub-atomic particles that make up living and non-living structures. Knowing the basics of chemistry gives the student a...

Chemical heat packs can be used to apply heat to specific areas on the body to help with pain and injury recovery. They are most popular in sporting events where athletes suffer from various...

Metals, such as iron and steel, naturally contain microscopic magnets inside their structure, but these do not attract to anything because all of these atomic magnets point in different directions...

Knowing how to balance a chemical reaction is a fundamental part of chemistry. The first law of thermodynamics says that energy cannot be created or destroyed. Yet when you first look at some...

The atom was pictured in many different ways until its true properties were illustrated in modern physics. The quest for understanding the composition of matter led to such a discovery and...

In physics and chemistry, an atom is a unit of matter that is irreducible by normal chemical means. Molecules can be reduced by chemical means, but atoms can't. Atoms have a positively charged...

Atoms are the building blocks of matter. These tiny particles, themselves made up of even smaller particles, make up every element in the universe, and each element has atoms that are distinct...

Glycerin, known chemically as glycerol, is an alcohol-related substance resembling a thick or gelatinous liquid with a sweet taste. It is derived from propane, a common component of fossil fuels...

In order to understand how air particles move, it is first necessary to understand what air is made of and how it acts. While the exact composition of air differs at any given place and time, the...

The makeup of an element is determined by its atomic structure. The arrangement of protons, neutrons and electrons inside an atom determines how it interacts with other atoms, shaping the...

Atoms are the foundations for molecules. The atoms within a compound decide its reactions and interaction with the environment. Atoms are arranged by charge, size and electrons in the periodic...

A chemical formula shows the number and types of elements in a compound. It is a representation of a substance using symbols for its constituent elements. Such representations use one or two...

Chemical bonding can be split into two broad categories: those that form molecules and those that don't. Covalent and ionic bonds form molecules. Metallic bonding forms a lattice, but not...

The cells in our bodies require certain elemental molecules to function, reproduce and repair themselves. Sometimes these molecules are energy structures such as the ATP molecule that are pulled...

While simple sugar structures are common and necessary for many types of life, including humans and plants, complex sugars like sucrose are rarer and do not form as easily. Sucrose is one of the...

It is widely accepted knowledge that the universe, upon its creation, and even now, is mainly composed of hydrogen. This light gas is so common, yet few people know how important it is to our...

Hydrogen is the most abundant element in the universe. The main component of most stars, hydrogen makes up more than 90 percent of the universe's mass. Despite this, hydrogen is the smallest and...

The atoms of all elements are composed of two fundamental parts: the nucleus and the electron cloud. The hydrogen atom follows this basic setup, but there are some differences between hydrogen and...

Energy is in the form of potential or kinetic. Potential energy is the form that is stored and not in use. For instance, a compressed spring that is ready to be released has potential energy....

Used most often for prescription eyeglasses, color changing or "photochromic" glass goes from clear to darkly tinted when exposed to ultraviolet (UV) radiation. This allows the wearer to protect...

Hydrogenation is the process of adding hydrogen atoms to carbon atoms. It is most often used in food production to turn oils containing unsaturated fats into those containing saturated fats. Food...

Propane is a gas derived from fossil fuel and is used for cooking and heating. Analysis shows it is made completely of carbon and hydrogen; its basic formula is C3H8.

Citric acid is a weak organic acid with the molecular formula C6H8O7, which means a molecule of the acid contains six carbon atoms, eight hydrogen atoms, and seven oxygen atoms. When it is...