Section 20.9 of the text is titled Electrolysis and we discussed how to relate the electrical charge and quantity of electrolysis. These calculations map up with what was performed on the 2nd day of the Electrochemistry lab.
Section 20.8 was the next part of the lecture discussion covering batteries and fuel cells. You will be responsible for all the lecture material including: Lead-Acid Batteries, Alkaline Batteries, Nickel-Cadmium, Nickel-Metal-Hydride, Lithium-Ion Batteries, and Hydrogen Fuel Cells. Be sure to look over your notes and read Section 20.8
The last section in the electrochemistry unit is Corrosion. Up to this point we discussed various ways to make a spontaneous process even more spontaneous. With corrosion we essentially want to take a process that is spontaneous and try to stop it from happening. Such is the case in the corrosion of iron or the rusting of iron. By utilizing what we know about electrochemical reactions, we can predict which species can prevent the formation of rust.
The 2nd exam will cover content from the Thermochemistry and Electrochemistry units. The content in these two units is vital for many disciplines and many majors require you to take Chem 123 for this content. Be sure to through the homework problems and practice problems in Mastering Chemistry in order to not only obtain the correct answers to these problems, but to know the reasons why we arrive at the correct answers. Right now is the time to start studying for the upcoming exam (actually, you should have already started). I ran across this video clip from the movie "Any Given Sunday," where Al Pacino plays Tony D'Amato, a head football coach of the Miami Sharks. He gives the following motivational speech to his team before their final game. In this speech he discusses the margin of error between winning and losing:
“You find out that life is this game of inches! So’s football. Because the margin for error in either game, football or life, is so small … so small, guys. One half-step too late or too early and you don’t quite make it. One half-second too slow or too fast and you don’t quite catch it ‘cause it’s half a fingertip away. The inches we need are everywhere around us, they’re in every break of the game, every minute, every second.
… On this team we fight for that inch! We tear ourselves and everyone else around us to pieces for that inch! We claw with our fingernails for that inch ‘cause that’s what makes the ******* difference between winning and losing – between living and dying.”
This is the battle that most students face in general chemistry. The topics we discuss in Chem 121 and Chem 122 start adding up inch by inch to come together to tell a fascinating story. In order to understand the material in this class you need to be able to fight for that inch. A line from the speech says "I can't make you do it." I can't make you open your book or complete your homework assignments, but that is what is going to separate the students who succeed in this course from the ones who do not. Those who are willing to fight and claw for that inch. This is true for this course and will be true when you graduate and find yourself in the workforce.
It's hard to imagine that we are actually in week #8 of the quarter. As everything begins to wind down, I've looked for an idea for a project that will tie many of the concepts learned in general chemistry together. I finally came up with the Solar Cell project as it ties in with Chapter 12 of the text and the transition metal and electrochemistry units in the text. Chapter 12 is titled "Modern Materials" and it touches on many new technologies that are shaping the way we function in our everyday lives. This content will lead us to understand the principles behind the solar cells you will construct in the lab.
Inspiration Quotes:
“A gem cannot be polished without friction, nor man perfected without trials.”
-Chinese Proverb
“Concern for man and his fate must form the chief interest of all technical endeavors… Never forget that in the midst of your diagrams and equations.”
-Albert Einstein
Songs Played Before Class:
Jay-Z - History
Kenny Chesney - We Went Out Last Night
Cali Swag District-Teach Me How To Dougie
Montgomery Gentry - Something To Be Proud Of
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