Last updated 12-4-07
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Final Exam: CHM107: Written Part

Aqua Soft Web Site

As a consumer, you always have to be on guard for bogus products, and believe me there are thousands of them. Here are some clues that something is wrong:
A. The use of technobabble (technical descriptions that are meaningless and have no basis in real science)
B. Fantastic claims
C. Scare tactics

#1. Visit this site and look over their different Web pages and report 10 examples of "technobabble", 5 examples of "fantastic claims" and 3 examples of "scare tactics."

#2. (Art of Hiding). Here is an ice cream that is pushing its Carb Smart ingredients. With 5 grams of sugar, it's about 1/4 of the normal ice cream bar. So a person would be carb smart but what part of the ingredients isn't too smart?
butter spray

(Art of Hiding). In this product, it appears that there's nothing in it bceause everything is zero. Products can show no fat (0%) if there's less than 0.5 grams per serving. Here the serving size is only 0.25 grams, so there can never be 0.5 grams of fat. That also explains why everything is zero. The actual ingredient is mostly soybean oil. Oils in general are 9 calories per gram. Use the "servings per container and the 0.25 grams per serving to calculate total grams. (#3) Report the total calories. (#4) If soybean oil is 17% saturated fat, how many grams of saturated fat could be in the bottle?
bottled water bottles
 #5. On the show, "B.S," with magicians Penn & Teller, they invented different exotic names for bottled water containers. The waiter presented these bottles to customers. Many bought them and they praised the different tastes. All bottles were filled from the same water from a garden hose at the back of the restaurant. What type of trick was used to get such positive feedback from customers?

An early problem for the early humans was the extreme competition for food. It was hard getting food, keeping food, and not becoming food ourselves.

Also, our competition was bigger, stronger, and faster than us.

#6: How did chemistry solve this problem?

During times of plenty, there is no need to store food or water, but during a shortage, having stored quantities of food and water would be critical. Baskets had it use, but baskets couldn't keep pests out of the food. Baskets also were not waterproof. A container that could hold liquids or solids was needed.

#7: How did chemistry solve this problem?

The problems of killing large game and storing food in a weather and pest proof container were solved; however, the food itself could spoil because of microbes in the food. There needed to be ways of extending the storage life of foods.
#8: Name three ways that chemistry solved the problem of preservation.
#9: (Building Blocks) The diamond, lampblack, buckeyball, and pencil lead are all made from one element. Which one?
Sand paper ruby
 #10: What is the common ingredent in sand paper, rubies, and sapphires?
#11: According to this graphic shown in the Organic tutorial, what elements make up fats?
(Misconception of Air) In 1650 Otto Guericke invented a vacuum pump. To demonstrate the power of air pressure, he pumped the air out of a 10 inch radius sphere made from two halves. There was nothing holding the halves together except air. In one demonstration, Otto used a total of 30 horses which tried to pull the sphere apart but couldn't. (#12) How much air pressure was pressing on the halves of the spheres? (find formula for surface area of sphere and use 15 lbs per square inch for air pressure)
Copper Spheres holds horses
suction marks on child's stomach
 Every once in awhile we hear about a child being injured or drowned by the "suction" from the bottom drain of swimming pool or spa. The recirculation pump is very powerful but the real force that holds down the child is not the pump but air pressure. Also, remember there is no such thing as suction.
Pool pump system
 Consider this spa that has a recirculating pump. The pressure at the drain is both the weight of the water above it plus the weight of the atmosphere above it. In 3 feet of water the weight is 1.3 pounds per square inch (psi) and the atmosphere contributes 15 psi for a total of 16.3 pounds per square inch. If the pool pump is off, then the water pressure in the drain pipe pushes back with 16.3 pounds per square inch of force. So there's no "suction". However, when the pump is on and pushes water away from the drain which leaves a partial vacuum at the drain opening, then the pressure is mostly pushing downwards. If a lid could be put on top of the spa and the air between the lid and the water was pumped out, the air pressure could be reduced and the pressure at the drain would go closeer to 1.3 psi (just the weight of water). A person trapped would then have a chance at pulling free. The scar on the child seems to show a drain with a 10 inch diameter. (#13) What would be the maximum downward force over this size drain if the water is 3 feet deep? (hint: find formula for area of a circle)

We want a multitude of products that are cheap and readily available. The solution was mass production.

#14: What are two negative consequences of mass production?

Fuel is burned to generate energy. As air provides oxygen for the burning, the high temperatures causes nitrogen in the air to combine with the oxygen to form toxic compounds.

#15:  Name two of these toxic compounds that contain oxygen and nitrogen. (tutorial: composition of clean air)
This address is to a site that will let you look at the ground level ozone levels in different states. Click on Arizona.
http://cfpub.epa.gov/airnow/index.cfm?action=airnow.archives&regionid=1

When you get to the this page, click the Pollutant: Ozone. Change the Map Area to Phoenix Change month to July, the year to 2006, and date to 17. Click off the Current Map Type and make sure the 8-hour AQI Loop is checked.

After those are set, click the "Display Maps Below" button

If you scroll down, you will see an animated map. I've also included it here in the next panel below.

 

 

You should see this animation, which shows the ozone levels throughout the day of July 17, 2006.

#16: What time of the day were the ozone levels the highest?

 

#17: Why are they high that time of day?

The heat from the sun strikes the Earth but most of it gets bounced back to space. Without a way to intercept this energy, the Earth would freeze.

#18: Name six greenhouse gases that intercept the heat energy and re-emit it back to Earth. (tutorial: Global Warning)
One apartment owner placed these solar panels on the side of his apartment to provide electricity for lighting. He said these panels produce 75 watts of electricity each. This fluorescent bulb uses 25 watts of electricity.

#19: If the panels charge batteries for 10 hours a day, how long would the batteries run a Xbox (165 watts), a LCD screen (85 watts), and two 25-watt bulbs that night? (assume panels produce 75 watts all 10 hours and the batteries don't waste any energy)

Evaluation of a dietary (nutritional) supplement:

Use Google or some search engine and do a search for "essential sugars".  Be sure to put quotes " " around "essential sugars".
#20: Report how many hits was reported. Notice that many mention "8 essential sugars" and the word glyconutrients.

#21: Go to our government's website for heatlh issues. http://www.nih.gov. Of the seven headings, roll mouse over "INSTITUTES" and choose "27 Institutes and Center that makeup NIH". Scroll down and check out the names of the different institutes. Scroll back to the top and use the search box and type in "essential sugars" (be sure to put quotes around "essential sugars"). How many articles were found in the databases of 27 health institutes?

#22: What does NIH's number of articles on essential sugars tell you about essential sugars?

#23: Go to the website (below) of the multi-billion dollar manufacturer of the "8 essential sugars". You may need to choose "United States" and then click Continue button. Click "Products" at the top of the Mannatech home page. Read section titled "Revolutionary Technology" and notice that after the second sentence is an asterisk "*". Another asterisk is at the bottom of the page. What does it say?
http://www.mannatech.com/

#24: Click on the word "Product Catalog" at the left of the screen. Categories of products will be listed. Click on "Optimal Health." When those products show up, scroll down and find "Ambrotose Complex 100 grams (1/20 of a pound). What is its retail price?

#25: Click on the ">>Read More" link. Read the four paragraphs (first one starts, "Thousands around the world..."). They use the word "saccharides". What are "saccharides"?

#26: Notice the first three paragraphs end with asterisk referring to a disclaimer at the bottom. What does the disclaimer say?

#27: Now click at the top of the screen on the link that says, "Opportunity" Read the "Share the Excitement" paragraph and the "Become an Associate" paragraph. Remember all the hits you got when you did a search for "essential sugars" in Google or a search engine? Why do you think you found so many?

#28: Visit the American Cancer Society's Web page that addresses "glyconutrients".
http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_5_3x_Glyconutrients.asp?sitearea=ETO
What did you learn about glyconutrients and essential sugars from this website?

#29: Finally, what does your research into glyconutrients tell you about consumers in general?

 

The picture is a chopped up computer in Hewlett Packard's recycle plant. Some of the pieces are plastic that will be recycled. Recyled plastic is a great way to reduce landfill waste.

#30: Search the web for "recycled plastic" and send me three pictures of items made from recycled plastic.

Congratulations on getting through the written final. Send your answers to costello107@chemistryland.com
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Since May 8, 2004