14-billion-years-later noted:

How Do Batteries Work?

I had a request from an anon, so here goes. The first thing we need to know about batteries is that in essence what they’re doing is converting stored chemical energy into electrical energy. They do this by a series of reduction-oxidation reactions (redox). The first step involves the positively charged anode (anodes attract negatively charged ions called anions), at the anode electrons are moved from the electrolyte into the anode where they generate a voltage (which is a potential difference between energies at 2 points) and electromotive force. This is the oxidation step of the reaction. The electrolyte then converts into another compound or simply changes oxidation state. The electrons meanwhile go about their business and do whatever work they have to do before flowing into the cathode of the battery. At the cathode the corresponding reduction reaction occurs, quite separately to the oxidation component. Here electrons flow from the cathode into the second electrolyte which undergoes another chemical change. To complete the circuit some exchange of ions has to occur to make sure the flow continues, this is usually mediated by a salt bridge which connects the two electrolytes. Hope that helps!

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(via likeaphysicist)

Can I get the Au one please? hadron94:

A chemist’s christmas! 

118 glass ornaments with each element etched on :)

Springer updated the website of Chemistry Central.  “Chemistry Central publishes high-quality peer-reviewed open access research in chemistry.”  Thanks to Heather for the tweet.

Science publishes landmark article, “Detection of Pristine Gas Two Billion Years After the Big Bang.”

After The Aftermath

Astronomers have found two clouds of gas that formed in the first few minutes after the Big Bang that created our universe, a new study reveals.

This discovery is the first time these gas clouds have been detected and adds more support to what is already the most widely accepted theory of how our universe came to be, astronomers said.

The primordial gas clouds were found to contain only the lightest elements — hydrogen and helium — that were created in the Big Bang. A few hundred million years later, clumps of these gas clouds condensed to form the first stars, which created and dispersed heavier elements throughout the universe.

The new observations appear to match the theoretical predictions about the chemical makeup of the early universe, said study leader Michele Fumagalli, a graduate student at the University of California, Santa Cruz (UCSC).

“It’s actually a very nice confirmation of the theory, because the theory predicts that in the first few minutes after the Big Bang, things like hydrogen and helium were produced and no metals. So, this is the first time that we have a very strong observation and evidence that indeed this theory is correct. It’s good news for cosmology.”

Full article: Primordial Gas Clouds Reveal Glimpse of Big Bang’s Aftermath

(via myheadisweak)

Single-Molecule Car. “Scientists in the Netherlands have introduced a molecule-sized car. Legroom might be an issue. Its wheels are comprised of a few atoms each; its motor, a mere jolt of electricity. Scientists in the Netherlands have introduced the world’s smallest car — and it’s only a single molecule long.”  Thanks Chris for the heads-up on the article.