Date: Mon, 06 Oct 1997 20:04:19 -0700
From: Jory Gessow <gessow@well.com>
To: pinhole@exploratorium.edu
Subject: basic chemistry questions from new teacher
Monday, October 6, 1997
Hello Pinholers,
I am a new Science Teacher and a newcomer to this discussion
group. I found out some weeks into the semester that I will be teaching
Life Science as well as Earth Science. I have a number of rather basic
questions that I realize I could probably find answers to elsewhere but
I'm hoping for quick answers here. I apologize if these questions are
too basic.
1) What are these substances and what exactly are they used for. I've
seen them asked for in Labs or merely found them on my chemical shelf and
am curious:
- Bromothymol Blue
- Methylene Blue - (I know it's a stain for looking at cells
under a microscope, but how does it work)
- Limewater Solution
- liquid blueing
-phenol red
- Bristol's Media
2) I'm assuming HCL is hydrochloric acid, (right?). If I have a 3 Normal
solution and want to get to 1 Normal solution to I dilute it 1 part to 3
parts water? What exactly does 1 Normal mean?
3) I have a 1% solution of Bromothymol Blue on my shelf. Does that mean
1 gram of powder for 100 mls of water?
4) On a more general note, do all elements have to transition through a
liquid phase on their way to becoming a gas from a solid, (a student's
question)
Thanks in advance,
Jory Gessow
Middle School Science Teacher
Tehiyah Day School, El Cerrito
gessow@well.com