Sodium: One of the most reactive metals

In the video series of elements, I am presenting one of the most reactive metal called Sodium (Na). It has one electron in its outermost shell, so it is very reactive. That is why it is stored in mineral oil like Kerosine. It is soft and light.

It reacts with water very quickly and explosively. This is interesting to show students. I used to show my high school students (+2 students in Nepal) how reactive this metal is by dropping a small piece of sodium on water. It generates hydrogen gas, producing orange flame. Students were always excited and interested to see the experiment.

The video in this post explains about fundamentals about Sodium. Enjoy the video and leave your comments on the comment box below.

Molecule of the Week:Lophine

"My solutions emit yellow light."-Lophine

IUPAC Name: 2,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazole

CAS Number: 484-47-9

Molecular Weight: 296.36514 [g/mol]

Molecular Formula: C₂₁H₁₆N₂

Lophine (2,4,5-triphenyl-1H-imidazole) exhibits lemon yellow chemiluminescence in solution and is one of the few long-lasting chemiluminescent molecules.Chemiluminescence (sometimes "chemoluminescence") is the emission of light (luminescence) with limited emission of heat as the result of a chemical reaction.(wikipedia)

It forms dimers that have piezochromic and photochromic properties. It has been proposed as an analytical reagent for trace metal ion detection.

Lophine’s chemiluminescence was discovered by B. Radziszewski in 1877.

Detail chemistry of Lophine can be found at
http://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/summary/summary.cgi?cid=10232

More about molecule of the week @ ACS

Postdoctoral Research Fellowship with Environment Canada

If you are in the field of Environment and planning to graduate soon with PhD, this might be one option after graduation.

What: 1 to 2 year postdoctoral fellowship
Where: Atmospheric Science & Technology Branch of Environment Canada, in Toronto.
Qualifications: Completed a PhD in chemistry, chemical engineering, environmental science or related field, in a recognized program within the last 5 years of the starting date of the PDF.
Assets : Experience in air and water sampling methods for persistent organic pollutants (POPs).
           - Experience in trace analysis of POPs by LC/MS and GC/MS
           - Good oral and written communication skills
Your Job:

The position will involve research and monitoring of emerging/priority substances identified under Environment Canada's Chemicals' Management Plan.These include persistent, toxic and bioaccumulative compounds that are present in air and water. Research will be conducted under the supervision of Drs. Mahiba Shoeib and Tom Harner and will include several related projects and collaborators. The projects will involve adapting/designing new sampling/analytical techniques for investigating emerging chemicals in air and water and for measuring air/water flux. This will yield new information to support policy decisions and chemical regulation efforts in Canada.

Start date: Spring/summer 2009.
Salary: Approx. $40 000  Cdn (note: based on NSERC guidelines)

Interested? Send cover letter and CV electronically (before January 18, 2008) to: Maiba Shoeib - mahiba.shoeib@ec.gc.ca
 

Job cuts in chemical industries

Chemical industries couldn't remain untouched from the present economic recession which has shown its global presence. Global economic meltdown, started from the US last year has impacted chemical company, industries.

DuPont is launching a restructuring program which will eliminate approximately 2,500 jobs in the U.S. and Western Europe—about 4% of DuPont's workforce. DuPont is one of the biggest chemical companies.

Another chemical firm, US based Dow chemical will cut 5000 jobs and close 20 plants. Dow is one of the worlds biggest chemical maker.

There is less demand of chemicals in one of the large consumer of chemicals, China. This shows how the chemical industries are facing economic hard time.