HIN1 Virus !!!!

ScArY H1N1 !!! ATTACK HumaN OMG………

On June 11, 2009, the World Health Organization (WHO) raised the worldwide alert level to Phase 6 in response to the ongoing global spread of the novel influenza A (H1N1) virus. More than 70 countries are now reporting cases of human infection with novel H1N1 flu.

What is H1N1 virus???
This virus was originally referred to “swine flu” because laboratory testing showed that many of the genes in this new virus were very similar to influenza viruses that normally occur in pigs in North America. But this new virus is very different from what normally circulates in North American pigs. It has two genes from flu viruses that normally circulate in pigs in Europe and Asia and avian genes and human genes. H1N1 virus is contagious and is spreading from human to human.

Signs and symptoms of this virus…

The symptoms of H1N1 virus in people are similar to the symptoms of seasonal flu and include fever, cough, sore throat, stuffy nose, body aches, headache, chills and fatigue. A significant number of people who have been infected with this virus also have reported diarrhea and vomiting. This virus also results of severe illnesses and death.

How does H1N1 virus spread ???

Spread of H1N1 virus is thought to be happening in the same way that seasonal flu spreads. Viruses are spread mainly from person to person through coughing or sneezing by people with influenza. Sometimes people may become infected by touching something with flu viruses on it and then touching their mouth or nose.

Protect yourself from getting sick !!!

There is no vaccine available right now to protect against novel H1N1 virus. There are everyday actions that can help prevent the spread of germs that cause respiratory illnesses like influenza.

What should I do if I get sick?

If you live in areas where people have been identified with H1N1 and become ill with influenza-like symptoms, including fever, body aches, stuffy nose, sore throat, nausea, or vomiting or diarrhea, you should stay home and avoid contact with other people. Staying at home means that you should not leave your home except to seek medical care. This means avoiding normal activities, including work, school, travel, shopping, social events, and public gatherings. Your health care provider will determine whether flu testing or treatment is needed

Acid Rain !!!!

In this modern day, there is a constant conflict between the industrial society and the environment. Acid rain is the result of human activities that causes the build up of acid that occurs as wet deposition in rain, snow or fog and as dry deposition on solid particles. One of the main forms of acid deposition is through the transformation of sulphur dioxide and nitrogen oxides into dry or moist secondary pollutants such as sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄), ammonium nitrate (NH₄NO₃) and nitric acid (HNO₃). The oxidation of SO₂ forms sulphur trioxide that will form sulphuric acid (H₂SO₄) on contact with water, including any in the atmosphere.  The reaction of N₂ and O₂ will form nitrogen oxides. NO is formed during combustions, especially in car engines and electric power plants. It forms NO₂ and HNO₃ in the air in the process that creates smog. At night, NO_x is then converted to N₂O₅, which hydrolyzes to HNO₃ in the presence of water. The strong acids such as H₂SO₄ and HNO₃ are a main concern as it dramatically affects the ph of rain.
These acidic particle and vapours occur as the pollutants are transported in the atmosphere over a wide distance. Acidic particles and vapours are deposited via two processes which are wet and dry deposition. Wet deposition is acid rain, the process by which acids with a pH normally below 5.6 are removed from the atmosphere in rain, snow, sleet or hail. Dry deposition takes place when particles such as fly ash, sulphates, nitrates, and gases, are deposited on, or absorbed onto, surfaces. The gases can then be converted into acids when they contact water.

Acid rain affects the environment in many ways. Certain shellfish and fishes die at pH values between 4.5 and 5.0 and at pH 5, most fish eggs cannot hatch. This loss of fish is a major concern that has been around for awhile. Forests have also been affected as the acid rain removes nutrients and releases toxic substances from the soil. Even if the soil is buffered, acidic fog and clouds can remove essential nutrients from the surface of leafs.  Aluminosilicates that make up most soils are extremely insoluble in water. The Al³⁺ ion is bonded to OH^- and O^2- ions in complex structures. The continual contact with the H₃O⁺ in acid rain causes these ions to react with bound Al³⁺ and dissolve. This ion is toxic to fish and will also carry away ions that serve as nutrients for plants and animals. Besides that, acid rain also dissolves calcium carbonate in marble and limestone of buildings and monuments. However, these same properties are responsible for saving lakes bounded by limestone-rich soil. It keeps the lake at a relatively stable pH, where it remains mildly basic.


ACID RAIN VIDEO....

What Makes Your Heart Melts ???

What makes your heart melts? For me, the answer is ICE CREAM~!

Isn't it so tempting and seducing? XD

Well, I believe that every kid loves ice cream, me too! Even until now, I still love ice cream. If you ask me, what's so great about ice cream? I would say the creamy texture and the chilling sensation of it, that melts my heart everytime I eat an ice cream! =P

Don't eat me~ Sob sob~

If I ask you, 'What's an ice cream?'. What will you answer? Think about it. Haha. Before I wrote this post, I most probably will say that ice cream is a type of sweet food keep in refrigerator or the big blue ice box =P If you only know how to eat like me, then you should really continue reading and click the advertisement at the right side =X

What's in ice cream?

Ice cream is basically composed from milk, cream, sweeteners (syrup or sugar), flavorings, emulsifiers, stabilizers, milk solids, and milk fat.

Milk fat is the ingredient that gives ice cream it's unique richness, creamy and smooth texture. For your information, the higher the content of milk fat, the smoother the texture of ice cream. Despite the high calorie content of milk fat, many premium brands ice cream have as much as 16% of this component.

So, don't complain next time when you eat a bad texture ice cream, perhaps it contains less milk fat =D

Why ice cream freezes into chilling cream instead of hard solid ice?

Before the freezing process, 20-50% of ice cream is air whipped into the mix, forming tiny air bubbles between the ice cream mix. Ice cream is a colloid (a type of emulsion). In ice cream, molecules of fat are suspended in a water-sugar-ice structure along with air bubbles. The presence of air means that ice cream is also technically a foam. A colloid is stable, so one substance does not settle out of the other.

The picture below shows the formation of colloidal structure of ice cream.

This colloidal structure also gives ice cream the ability to be scooped and chewed with ease =D

Another picture of ice cream to give you strength to continue reading =P

Ice crystal in ice cream and it's freezing point?

Ice crystal is another major component of ice cream that begin to form when the mixture is cooled after whipping. It plays an important role to keep the cooling and chilling sensation of ice cream. Ice cream mix won't freeze at 0°C due to the sugar concentration in it. It has to be cooled to even lower temperatures before any crystals form.

This is known as 'freezing point depression' or 'colligative theory'. As water form ice crystal, the sugar concentration in the solution increases, depressing the freezing point further (refer to the picture below). In fact, although ice cream is typically served at temperature of -16°C, only 72% of the water component is frozen. The rest remains as a very concentrated sugar solution.

After reading so much about ice cream...

Are you hungry?

Can you resist the mouth-watering ice cream?

Well, seriously I can't!

It's time for a cup of ice cream =D

HONEY - a sweet and viscous liquid produced by insects knowns as BeeS

Honey! This term reminds me of a sweet, sticky and thick liquid produced by fearful insects that sting painfully called bees.

Honey has many uses in daily life. Traditionally, it is believed to cure sore throats by mixing honey with lemon. It can be used to aid stomachaches and some eye problems. Recent researches have proven that honey can obstruct the growth of oral bacteria. It is able to coat the human throat and reduce throat irritation. Honey is also used to treat gastric or peptic stomach ulcers.

Because of the antimicrobial properties present in honeys, honeys can be used to treat wounds and infections. The antimicrobial properties refer to the antibacterial, antifungal and antiviral properties of honey. Honey also allows blood to perform better circulation around the body and helps others cells, tissues and organs in the body to receive oxygen. The receive of oxygen is crucial for the brain to function properly. This makes honey an antioxidant.

Honey can be used to treat burns and postoperative wounds. Honey is also proven to be low in calories and contains a lot of sugar and minerals. Because honey contains very low calories, it is suitable to be used as a sweetener for diabetic patients, heart disease patients and overweight people.

Scientists are still bemused about why honey provides many benefits for humans, but day after day, we are discovering more. Thanks, HONEY!!

Now, let's enumerate about WHAT IS HONEY!! Honey is a carbohydrate, belonging under the group of sugar and starch. Honey is made mostly of water and comprises two invert sugars, dextrose and levulose. Dextrose is glucose or sometimes called grape sugar, whereas levulose is fructose called occasionally fruit sugar.

Why the terms dextrose and levulose?? These terms originate from the use of the two prefixes, dexter and levis. Dexter which means right and levis which means left. Dexter turns the polarised light to the right and the latter turns it to the left.

These two invert sugars are simple sugars. Simple or natural sugars are sugars that can be readily absorbed into the bloodstream without involving salivary, gastric or intestinal secretions. But, sugar cane and other artificial sugars must first be converted into simple sugars before they can be assimilated into the bloodstream.

Besides dextrose and levulose, honey contains some proteins, many enzymes, vitamins, colouring matter, mineral elements like sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, copper, and phosphorus and aromatic volatile oils.

However, researchers of honey are still arguing about the disputed vitamin content in honeys. Hoyle, who works for Lister Institute in London, Hawk, Smith and Bergheim claim that honey lacks vitamins. But, Dutcher, another scientist, claims that there is a very small, negligible amount of vitamin in honey. Then, Faber thinks that there could be no antiscorbutic vitamin (a vitamin that cures and prevents scurvy) in honey.

French scientists A. L. Clement, L. Inches, and Laborde found minute water-soluble vitamins, Vitamin B and C and fat-soluble vitamins, Vitamin A. Honey is soluble in water and becomes vinous (become or related to wines) when fermented. What is bemusing is whether honey is an animal product or a vegetable product? QUITE A DILEMMA for vegans and vegetarians.
Honey produced by bees is from the sugar type, white sugar. White sugar is a sugar in which all vegetable constituents are destroyed. So, honey is an animal product (from bees). Too bAD, vegans and vegetarians !!

Levulose is a more important sugar compared to dextrose. Sugar cane's sweetness is half as sweet as the sweetness of dextrose. And, more shocking is that levulose is two times sweeter than dextrose. Dahlia bulbs, some chicories, and the Jerusalem artichoke are rich in levulose of about 12-15 of percentage.

Levulose has a delightful flavour, easily absorbed or assimilated and highly soluble. It creates the good potential energy for human beings because it is a good glycogen (animal starch)producer. Glycogen is stored in the liver and muscles and converted to dextrose and is oxidised to supply energy for body cells. Because levulose absorbs slowly, it is suitable to be used by hyperglycaemia patients and does not cause rise in blood sugar levels.

The pie chart below will show the percentage composition of honey. CHECK it out!!


According to the pie chart above, honey contains about 80% of carbohydrates. It has monosaccharides, fructose (38.2%) and glucose (31%). Honey also contains about 9% of disaccharides, sucrose, maltose, turanose and kojibiose. There are about 4.2% of oligosaccharides (short-chain carbohydrates) which includes erlose, theanderose, and panose. These saccharides are present in nectars and honeydews and are formed from the incomplete breakdown from higher saccharides.

Honey also have 18 free amino acids and the most abundant of the 18 is proline. Honey also contains invertase, which converts sucrose to fructose and sucrose to glucose (disaccharide-->monosaccharide). Honey also have amylase, glucose oxidase, catalase and acid phosphorylase.

Amylase can break down polysaccharide starch into smaller polysaccharides and disaccharides. Glucose oxidase converts glucose to gluconolactone. This, in turn, produces gluconic acid and hydrogen peroxide.

Catalase will, then, break down the hydrogen peroxide into water and oxygen. Acid phosphorylase rids inorganic phosphates from organic phosphates.

To cut a long story short, honey is an essential substance and brings a lot of benefits and helps human beings in many, different ways. We may not know it today, but someday, yes.

Recycle please!!!

REDUCE, REUSE AND RECYCLE !!!

Today is wednesday and guess what...Tonight have "pasar malam" aka night market. Every wednesday, there's night market at Taman Connaught, a housing area I'm living in during my school days.

So, what does night market have to do with recycle?
Well, this is about plastic bags. Here at the night market, every hawker stalls and little stalls uses plastic bags.Can you imagine how many plastic bags are used in a night for the purposes of packing your food, vegetables, fruits and even clothes and accessories. Plastic bags are unable to decay in the earth.

Please save mother earth by reducing the usage of plastic bags.
Just like what I did today, I brought a recycle bag to night market to keep the things i bought from the night market, so that I don't need to use the plastic bags they provide.
This is what jusco doing too, use a recycle bag to replace plastic and paper bags.

more news on Jusco's recycling plan.Dear all, please make it a habit by using a recycle bag as a response to the slogan "save mother earth" by recycling.

What Helps Keep Our Teeth Clean???

We all brush our teeth daily. But do you all know the important of brushing your teeth with toothpaste??? 

Toothpaste is a paste or gel dentifrice used with toothbrush. Toothpaste and a correct brushing action work to remove plaque, a sticky, harmful film of bacteria that grows on your teeth that causes caries, gum disease, and eventual tooth loss if not controlled. Toothpaste contains fluoride, which makes the entire tooth structure more resistant to decay and promotes remineralisation, which aids in repairing early decay before the damage can even be seen. Special ingredients in the dentifrice help to clean and polish the teeth and remove stains over time and toothpaste also help freshen breath and leave your mouth with a clean feeling.

Do we really concern about the ingredient of the toothpaste that we use in our daily life??? Do we??? Next time when you go to brush your teeth, take a good look at the label on the toothpaste. If you're like most people, you know your toothpaste contains fluoride. But take a good long look at the inactive ingredients. While you may find one active ingredient, you may find a dozen or more inactive ingredients on your toothpaste.

We all know the active ingredient in toothpaste typically its sodium fluoride. But sodium fluoride makes up less than one percent of toothpaste ingredients. What's the other 99% of toothpaste made up of? If most of what goes into toothpaste is labelled as inactive ingredients, why are these chemicals there? And what exactly are you putting in your mouth? The answers may surprise you.

Active Ingredients
Active ingredients are the chemically active portion of a product that works to relieve your symptoms. In toothpaste the active ingredients are what help to protect and strengthen your teeth. However, different toothpastes contain different functions, and thus may have differing active ingredients. For example, while ordinary toothpaste may only contain sodium fluoride as an active ingredient, tartar control toothpaste may also contain triclosan as an anti-gingivitis agent.

Sodium Flouride
A typical percentage of sodium fluoride found in toothpaste is 24%. Sodium fluoride is thought to strengthen teeth through the formation of flouroapatite, a component of tooth enamel. Besides toothpaste, sodium fluoride was used in the production of ceramics and rat poison. Hah???

Triclosan
Triclosan is an antibacterial and antifungal organic compound found in many antibacterial soaps, deodorants, acne medications, and other antibacterial applications. Some studies have shown that the popular Microban treatment you can find embedded into any number of hard surfaces contains Triclosan.
Inactive Ingredients
Okay, now we see what's the other 99% of stuff you put in your mouth when brushing your teeth?

Hydrated Silica
This is the abrasive used to polish and scrub the surface of your teeth in gel toothpastes. If you dry out hydrated silica you get the common silica gel found inside pepperoni packages and electronics. Silica gel absorbs water, so it is placed in little packets (coincidentally labelled, "Do Not Eat") inside packages of electronics and other items susceptible to damage from high humidity or water condensation. The water absorbing ability of silica gel also makes it a perfect ingredient for cat litter.

Sorbitol
After water, this is one of the top ingredients in children's toothpastes and is one of the main ingredients in adult toothpastes as well. So why is sorbitol more prevalent in children's toothpaste? Sorbitol is a form of most children's favourite ingredient sugar. Also known as glucitol, sorbitol is formed by reducing glucose into a form called sugar alcohol that retains 60% of sugar's sweetness with one-third the calories.
Sorbitol's use in toothpaste is three-fold. As a sweetener, it makes gives toothpaste a pleasant taste. It's also humectants, helping toothpaste stay moist. As an emulsifier, sorbitol works to keep the ingredients in toothpaste from "shifting". Ever notice that you don't have to shake a tube of toothpaste to mix it up? An emulsifier keeps the ingredients mixed up. Sorbitol was the ingredient that prompted this article. I noticed it was the main ingredient in light pancake syrup just shortly after noticing in children's toothpaste listed sorbitol as a primary ingredient. So children's is brushing their teeth with pancake syrup? Sorbitol is also used in sugar free mints, diet drinks, light pancake syrup (obviously) and as a skin softener in some soaps.

Glycerine
Another sugar alcohol used as a sweetener and humectants, glycerine makes toothpaste sweeter and smoother. It's found in a variety of products including cough syrup, shaving cream, and hair care products. In other forms glycerine is used to manufacture margarine and nitro-glycerine.

PVM/MA Copolymer
PVM/MA copolymer is a water fixative found in hairspray that does a wonderful job of making triclosan stick to your oral tissues longer. In other words, it helps triclosan stay on your teeth and gums where it can kill bacteria, rather than getting rinsed away.

Sodium Laurel Sulfate
You can find this detergent in just about any soap or shampoo (or toothpaste) that creates lots of suds. When you brush your teeth and the foam starts to appear, you can thank sodium laurel sulfate (SLS). Some studies link SLS to mouth ulcers.

PEG-12 (Dimethicone Copolyol)
This is a water-soluble polyether-modified silicone commonly used in hair conditioners.

Tetrasodium pyrophosphate
Used as a buffering and thickening agent in a variety of foods including marshmallows, pudding, chicken nuggets, and soy-based meat alternatives. It's a mildly toxic clear compound that acts as a tartar control compound by removing calcium and magnesium from teeth. It is occasionally found in household detergents to remove these minerals from clothing as well.

Cocamidopropyl Betaine
This is a special kind of detergent that acts as an acid or a base. It is non-irritating cleanser used in shampoos and its anti-static properties are used in conditioners. In its pure form it is a pale yellow liquid.

Propylene Glycol
Other humectants used to keep toothpaste from drying out, propylene glycol is the main ingredient in many shampoos, deodorants and hair dye. It's also used in smoke machines to make fake smoke and as an ingredient in deicing fluid for airplanes.

Cellulose Gum
This chemically inert thickener is used to help maintain toothpaste texture.

Titanium Dioxide
Typically used to colour your toothpaste a brilliant white, titanium dioxide is also used provide opacity. It can also be found in sunscreens, paint, plastics and pills.

CarrageenanThis is another thickener and stabilizer used in toothpaste. Carrageenan has the unique ability to thin out under stress and then bounce back when the stress is no longer applied. In other words, they help make toothpaste easy to squeeze out of the tube, but help it stiffen back up on the toothbrush. This ingredient comes from seaweed and is used in dozens of applications from air-freshener gels to processed meats and ice cream.

FD&C Blue Number 1
This synthetic dye is made from coal tar and is used to colour toothpaste, soap, shampoo and food. It's estimated that the average American consumes 16 mg of this dye a day.

Obviously not all toothpaste manufacturers’ use the exact same ingredients, but these are the main ingredients used in most toothpastes and a surprising number of other personal hygiene products. So whether you are using Colgate, Crest, Aquafresh, Rembrandt or whatever your favourite toothpaste happens to be, take a look at the inactive ingredients and check out exactly you're putting in your mouth the results may surprise you.

How Does Soap and Detergents Work???

We use soap and detergents frequently in our daily life. We use them to wash our hands & body and to clean our clothes without knowing how this thing does really work...

Soaps and detergents are very similar in their chemical properties. However, there is a significant difference between them, which soaps are produced from natural products, and detergents are synthetic, or man-made.

Detergents and soaps are used for cleaning because pure water can't remove oily, organic soiling. Soap cleans by acting as an emulsifier. Basically, soap allows oil and water to mix so that oily grime can be removed during rinsing. Detergents were developed in response to the shortage of the animal and vegetable fats used to make soap during World War I and World War II. Detergents are primarily surfactants, which could be produced easily from petrochemicals. Surfactants lower the surface tension of water, essentially making it 'wetter' so that it is less likely to stick to itself and more likely to interact with oil and grease. 

Modern detergents contain more than surfactants. Cleaning products may also contain enzymes to degrade protein-based stains, bleaches to de-colour stains and add power to cleaning agents, and blue dyes to counter yellowing. Like soaps, detergents have hydrophobic or water-hating molecular chains and hydrophilic or water-loving components. The hydrophobic hydrocarbons are repelled by water, but are attracted to oil and grease. The hydrophilic end of the same molecule means that one end of the molecule will be attracted to water, while the other side is binding to oil. Neither detergents nor soap accomplish anything except binding to the soil until some mechanical energy or agitation is added into the equation. Swishing the soapy water around allows the soap or detergent to pull the grime away from clothes or dishes and into the larger pool of rinse water. Rinsing washes the detergent and soil away. Warm or hot water melts fats and oils so that it is easier for the soap or detergent to dissolve the soil and pull it away into the rinse water. Detergents are similar to soap, but they are less likely to form films (soap scum) and are not as affected by the presence of minerals in water (hard water). 

 Modern detergents may be made from petrochemicals or from oleochemicals derived from plants and animals. Alkalis and oxidizing agents are also chemicals found in the detergents. 

Petrochemicals/Oleochemicals

These fats and oils are hydrocarbon chains which are attracted to the oily and greasy grime.

Oxidizers

Sulfur trioxide, ethylene oxide, and sulfuric acid are among the molecules used to produce the hydrophilic component of surfactants. Oxidizers provide an energy source for chemical reactions. These highly reactive compounds also act as bleaches.

Alkalis

Sodium and potassium hydroxide are used in detergents even as they are used in soap making. They provide positively charged ions to promote chemical reactions.

Types of detergent 

Synthetic detergents have similar molecular structures and properties as soap. Although the cleansing action is similar, the detergents do not react as readily with hard water ions of calcium and magnesium. Detergent molecular structures consist of a long hydrocarbon chain and a water soluble ionic group. Most detergents have a negative ionic group and are called anionic detergents. The majority are alky sulfates. Others are "surfactants" (from surface active agents) which are generally known as alkyl benzene sulfonates.

 

Anionic Detergents

Cationic Detergents
Another class of detergents have a positive ionic charge and are called "cationic" detergents. In addition to being good cleansing agents, they also possess germicidal properties which make them useful in hospitals. Most of these detergents are derivatives of ammonia.
A cationic detergent is most likely to be found in a shampoo or clothes "rinse". The purpose is to neutralize the static electrical charges from residual anionic (negative ions) detergent molecules. Since the negative charges repel each other, the positive cationic detergent neutralizes this charge.
It even works because the ammonium (+1) nitrogen is buried under the methyl groups as can be seen in the space filling model.



Neutral or non-ionic detergents

Nonionic detergents are used in dish washing liquids. Since the detergent does not have any ionic groups, it does not react with hard water ions. In addition, nonionic detergents foam less than ionic detergents. The detergent molecules must have some polar parts to provide the necessary water solubility.

On the above graphic, the polar part of the molecule consists of three alcohol groups and an ester group. The non-polar part is the usual long hydrocarbon chain.

Bile Salts - Intestinal Natural Detergents

Bile acids are produced in the liver and secreted in the intestine via the gall bladder. Bile acids are oxidation products of cholesterol. First the cholesterol is converted to the trihydroxy derivative containing three alcohol groups. The end of the alkane chain at C # 17 is converted into an acid, and finally the amino acid, glycine is bonded through an amide bond. The acid group on the glycine is converted to a salt. The bile salt is called sodiumglycoholate. Another salt can be made with a chemical called taurine.

The main function of bile salts is to act as a soap or detergent in the digestive processes. The major action of a bile salt is to emulsify fats and oils into smaller droplets. The various enzymes can then break down the fats and oils.

Soap

Soaps are sodium or potassium fatty acids salts, produced from the hydrolysis of fats in a chemical reaction called saponification. Each soap molecule has a long hydrocarbon chain, sometimes called its 'tail', with a carboxylate 'head'. In water, the sodium or potassium ions float free, leaving a negatively-charged head. 

Soap is an excellent cleanser because of its ability to act as an emulsifying agent. An emulsifier is capable of dispersing one liquid into another immiscible liquid. This means that while oil (which attracts dirt) doesn't naturally mix with water, soap can suspend oil/dirt in such a way that it can be removed.

The organic part of a natural soap is a negatively-charged, polar molecule. Its hydrophilic (water-loving) carboxylate group (-CO2) interacts with water molecules via ion-dipole interactions and hydrogen bonding. The hydrophobic (water-fearing) part of a soap molecule, its long, nonpolar hydrocarbon chain, does not interact with water molecules. The hydrocarbon chains are attracted to each other by dispersion forces and cluster together, forming structures called micelles. In these micelles, the carboxylate groups form a negatively-charged spherical surface, with the hydrocarbon chains inside the sphere. Because they are negatively charged, soap micelles repel each other and remain dispersed in water.



Grease and oil are nonpolar and insoluble in water. When soap and soiling oils are mixed, the nonpolar hydrocarbon portion of the micelles break up the nonpolar oil molecules. A different type of micelle then forms, with nonpolar soiling molecules in the center. Thus, grease and oil and the 'dirt' attached to them are caught inside the micelle and can be rinsed away. 

Although soaps are excellent cleansers, they do have disadvantages. As salts of weak acids, they are converted by mineral acids into free fatty acids:

CH3(CH2)16CO2-Na+ + HCl ----> CH3(CH2)16CO2H + Na+ + Cl-

These fatty acids are less soluble than the sodium or potassium salts and form a precipitate or soap scum. Because of this, soaps are ineffective in acidic water. Also, soaps form insoluble salts in hard water, such as water containing magnesium, calcium, or iron. 

2 CH3(CH2)16CO2-Na+ + Mg2+ ----> [CH3(CH2)16CO2-]2Mg2+ + 2 Na+

The insoluble salts form bathtub rings, leave films that reduce hair luster, and gray/roughen textiles after repeated washings. Synthetic detergents, however, may be soluble in both acidic and alkaline solutions and don't form insoluble precipitate in hard water. 

Do You All Know What Is In Coffee???

Coffee makes our morning fresh and energetic. The reason? Caffeine...
Caffeine is a central nervous system stimulant. It's one of the most popular drugs in the world, consumed by up to 90% of people in the world in one form or another, but mostly in beverages.
It is a naturally occurring substance found in plants like cocoa beans, tea leaves, and kola nuts.


Caffeine is a stimulant of the central nervous system (CNS), the cardiac muscle -increases heart rate, and respiratory system -relaxes air passages permitting improved breathing, and allows some muscles to contract more easily. It acts as a diuretic it increases the rate of bodily urine excretion, and delays fatigue -having the effect of warding off drowsiness and restoring alertness. Caffeine is probably the most popular drug in use because of these reasons. The effects that we might notice after consuming a large cup of coffee are hands getting cold, muscles tensing up, feeling of excitement and increased heart beat.

Effects of Caffeine

Caffeine absorption occurs in the body very quickly. It enters the bloodstream through the stomach and small intestine, and its effects are felt as soon as 15 minutes after consumption. It is completely absorbed within 45 minutes of ingestion. Caffeine does not accumulate in the bloodstream no is it stored in the body, but it does persist but only about ½ is eliminated in the urine within 6 hours.

Caffeine sensitivity refers to the amount of caffeine that will produce negative side effects in a particular person. Regular caffeine consumption reduces sensitivity to caffeine, and a higher intake is needed for the same effects. So caffeine is considered to be an addictive drug.






When we try to reduce caffeine intake, the body then becomes oversensitive to a chemical in the brain (adenosine) relevant to the sleep process, causing blood pressure to dropdramatically, producing an excess of blood in the head area (not necessarily on the brain), and leading to a headache often lasting several days. Other withdrawal symptoms reported are fatigue and muscle pain, irritability, inability to work, nervousness, restlessness, and feeling sleepy, and in extreme cases, nausea and vomiting. 

Why Do Onions Make Us Cry???

Do you all guys wonder why this thing does happen and how? I don really cook at home, but sometimes I do help my mom to cut some cooking stuff. Especially onion, which I don like to cut because it makes me cry... Does this thing happen to you all guys too...? I mean crying while cutting onions...
When you slice through an onion, you also cut through the onion cells. When the cells are cut, enzymes which are normally inside the cell are released. One of these enzymes, alliinase (from the onion), then reacts with a sulphur-containing compound known as ‘Prensco', that is also released by cutting the cells. This reaction results in the formation of 1-propenylsulphenic acid, which is further converted by the LF-synthase enzyme to propanethial S-oxide gas. This gas is also known as the Lachrymatory Factor (‘crying factor'), which also explains the name of the enzyme LF-synthase (meaning Lachrymatory Factor synthesising enzyme)

This gas is instable and can react with water which results in, among others, sulphuric acid. When this happens in the eye, the eyes start to neutralise the acid by producing large amounts of water, and thus make us cry.


Many people start rubbing the eyes, which often works contra-productive if you just cut onions, as most likely your hands are covered with onion juice. Rubbing thus will make the irritation worse.


How to chop onions without tears???

As a general rule, move your head as far away from the onion as you can, so the gas will mostly disperse before it reaches your eyes.

Keeping the onion wet, or cutting under water is very effective, as the gas immediately reacts with the water around the onion and never reaches the eyes.

Glasses and goggles also prevent the gas to penetrate the eyes to some degree, goggles being the most effective (although not practical).

Cooling the onion may also help, as the enzyme activity is much slower at low temperatures. Cooking destroys the enzyme.

Cigarettes!!!!

The Affects of Smoking on Human Body

Smokes don’t think about the chemical in the cigarettes. They only think about how cigarettes help them cope with the stress of daily life, how cigarettes calm them down when they we're angry, help them relax at the end of a long day, comfort them when they were sad or lonely. But do they know that there are harmful chemical in cigarettes???

When the chemicals in cigarettes are inhaled, they put our bodies into a state of physical stress by sending literally thousands of poisons, toxic metals and carcinogens coursing through our bloodstream with every puff we take. And those chemicals affect everything from blood pressure and pulse rate to the health of our organs and immune system. Most of the lung cancer related deaths are due to smoking. We do know that air tainted with cigarette smoke is dangerous for anyone who breathes it whether they are smoker or not.

Let's we look at some of the harmful chemicals in cigarettes and how does they affect our health.

The main ingredient in a cigarette is tobacco. Tobacco is a harmful substance. Chemicals and preservatives are added to the tobacco and filled into the cigarette. According to a recent study there are more than 3000 chemicals in the cigarette smoke. Worldwide smoking by teens has increased rapidly.


Carcinogens
A carcinogen is defined as any substance that can cause or aggravate cancer. Approximately 60 of the chemicals in cigarettes are known to cause cancer.

TSNAs
Tobacco-specific N-nitrosamines (TSNAs) are known to be some of the most potent carcinogens present in smokeless tobacco, snuff and tobacco smoke.

Benzene

Benzene can be found in pesticides and gasoline. It is present in high levels in cigarette smoke and accounts for half of all human exposure to this hazardous chemical.

 

Pesticides
Pesticides are used on our lawns and gardens, and inhaled into our lungs via cigarette smoke.

 

Formaldehyde

Formaldehyde is a chemical used to preserve dead bodies, and is responsible for some of the nose, throat and eye irritation smokers experience when breathing in cigarette smoke.

Toxic Metals
Toxic / heavy metals are metals and metal compounds that have the potential to harm our health when absorbed or inhaled. In very small amounts, some of these metals support life, but when taken in large amounts, can become toxic.

 Arsenic
Commonly used in rat poison, arsenic finds its way into cigarette smoke through some of the pesticides that are used in tobacco farming.

Cadmium
Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal that is used in batteries. Smokers typically have twice as much cadmium in their bodies as non-smokers.

Poisons
Poison is defined as any substance that, when introduced to a living organism, causes severe physical distress or death. Science has discovered approximately 200 poisonous gases in cigarette smoke.


Ammonia

Ammonia compounds are commonly used in cleaning products and fertilizers. Ammonia is also used to boost the impact of nicotine in manufactured cigarettes.

Carbon Monoxide
Carbon monoxide is present in car exhaust and is lethal in very large amounts. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide.

Hydrogen Cyanide
Hydrogen cyanide was used to kill people in the gas chambers in Nazi Germany during World War II. It can be found in cigarette smoke.

Nicotine




Nicotine is a poison used in pesticides and is the addictive element in cigarettes.

This is only a partial list. Recent breaks in the wall of secrecy have revealed that cigarettes are only about 40% tobacco, and 60% other junk. So smokes please stop smoking, because it is very bad for health.
People are dying every year because of cigarettes...