I have to write a pretend speech while assuming I am an oxygen atom that began the year in an 02 molecule, then spent time in a water molecule, then time in a hydroxide ion and in carbonic acid. What chemical reaction would I experience and which other molecules might I meet on the way?
2006-09-04 04:59:49 · 6 answers · asked by brighton 3 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
My twin brother and I had a special bond. We shared everything equally, even two of our electrons. Being fascinated by the world of science we decided to hang around in a lab and watch all the nice experiments the students were performing. We were quite good friends with the Nitrogen twins, though they were a bit shallow;they thought they were better than us just because they are lighter! Anyway there were other heavier than us like carbon dioxide who claimed that one day we would meet again; back then I laughed at the idea but little did I know how right it was.
One day as we were going about in the lab one of the students was doing a peculiar experiment. My twin brother and me decided to go near the inverted test tube to take a look... we peaked inside and saw lots of beautiful twin girls. We were very shy in the beginning... it was the first time we were meeting pure hydrogen and in the past we might have bumped into a hydrogen molecule or two but nothing ever happened. This time it was different... there was a flame between us-it's all that student's fault- and from then on things got out of control.
It was my first combustion... I had to say goodbye to my brother and got engaged to two hydrogen atoms. During the combustion ceremony we exchanged electrons and the student announced us "water". It was quite a fulfing experience. I was happy sharing 2 electrons with the hydrogen atoms especially since I could keep the electrons of the hydrogen atoms closer to me...
There were quite a lot of other couples like that around and soon we started bonding. It was not anything serious like with my two hydrogen partners. After all I had covalent bonds with tham and only H-bonds with the others. None-the-less it was enough to force us to leave from the gaseous state and enter the liquid phase. At first I was thrilled about our little society of waters-we were in a small droplet back then with lots of others like us.
However we soon ended up in the beaker the student had been using. The sodium ion told us how it used to have an extra electron until the student dropped it in the beaker with the water. Water molecules were just too attracted to it and reacted violently with it forming Hydrogen molecules and hydroxide ions. He was quite sarcastic to my two partners; once they stole electrons from it to escape from a water molecule and now they were back where they started, sharing their electrons with an oxygen atom in a water molecule...
I was a bit disturbed by the sodium's comments. I didn't want to lose any of my hydrogens. Little did I know that one of them was already attracted to another oxygen atom in another water molecule. Their hydrogen bond was so stong that she decide to leave me. The lawyer called it "dissociation" but all I know are the cruel words she said: "I am sick and tired of your electronegativity you atomist. I thought we were sharing but you wanted all the electrons for yourself. Well you can keep them! I am going away with him because he is wiling to share one of his lone pairs with me..." So there I was with only one hydrogen, charged negatively.
I was feeling pretty down. But I noticed that now cations were attracted much more to me... even hydrogens from other water molecules were drawn to me... I kind of enjoyed my freedom for a bit, associating in a lot of frivolous interactions with cations and water molecules, until I met an old acquaintance... carbon dioxide had dissolved in the solution... it was just chemistry between us... carbon couldn't resist my negative charge and succumbed to my nucleophilic attack. From then on I was covalently bond to the carbon and exchanging from time to time hydrogen partners.
You see, we the hydrogencarbonates tend sometimes lose a hydrogen and become carbonates or even take up two hydrogens ions and become carbonic acid. However I am always with one hydrogen maximum at a time...
Some say that we are not a very stable union and can decompose back to carbon dioxide and water. I don't want to even think about that. .
2006-09-04 06:14:15 · answer #1 · answered by bellerophon 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
You started in the atmosphere. Then you met a methane molecule which you oxidized and became water (some of your friends ended up in CO2 instead). Then you got condensed with a bunch of friends in a water drop and fell into a lake, where you were very lucky to get dissociated into OH- (most of your friends just stayed water).
How you came into a carbonic acid, I'm not sure. Maybe you got re-associated into water and were sucked up by a grape plant and incorporated into sugar by the help of a nice chlorophyll molecule, then oxidized into ethanol by the means of whatever enzyme the yeast cell uses for that (try wikipedia: fermentation) and finally some bacteria made vinegar of you. But maybe you can find a simpler way.
2006-09-04 05:15:29 · answer #2 · answered by helene_thygesen 4 · 1⤊ 0⤋
A Madison newspaper ran an advert for a food market, i think of it became Cub meals. they had Ore-Ida crinkle 'cuts' on sale.... basically it did not say cuts. there became an N contained in the direction of the word. i think of it even made Leno.
2016-11-24 21:13:34 · answer #3 · answered by ? 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This sequence might help you.
2H2 + O2 = 2H2O
H20 == H+ + OH-
CaCO3 + 2H2O = Ca(OH)2 + H2O + CO2
H2O + CO2 = H2CO3
Cheers.
2006-09-04 05:33:07 · answer #4 · answered by Emeka NEO 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Damn, I see why you didn't get a good response.
2006-09-04 05:01:29 · answer #5 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋
what a weird thing to need to know...
2006-09-04 05:04:03 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 1⤋