|
|
|
» Browse Science and Environment Term Papers
Uranium
Number of Words: 267 / Number of Pages: 1
... have the technology to mine it at a cheap cost.
Chapter 2
Mining
When uranium is extracted, pitchblende is broken up and mixed with
sulfuric and nitric acids. It then dissolves into uranyl sulfate. With the
addition of sodium hydroxide, uranium is precipitated as sodium diuranate
which is known as the yellow oxide of uranium. To get uranium from
carnotite, the ore must be finely ground and treated with a hot solution of
caustic and potash to dissolve out the uranium, radium, and vanadium. And
after the sandy matrix is washed away, the solution is treated with
sulfuric acid and barium chloride ...
|
|
Nuclear Power
Number of Words: 356 / Number of Pages: 2
... enough energy to generate
electricity. (World Book vol. 14, 586)
Nuclear power plants generate only about eleven percent of the world’s
electricity. There are around 316 nuclear power plants in the world
that create 213,000 megawatts of electricity. (INFOPEDIA)
Radioactive, or nuclear, waste is the by-product of nuclear fission.
Fission occurs when atoms’ nucleus’ split and cause a nuclear reaction.
(General Information) When a free neutron splits a nucleus, energy is
released along with free neutrons, fission fragments that give off beta
rays, and gamma rays. A fre ...
|
|
Water Transitions
Number of Words: 687 / Number of Pages: 3
... seawater can fluctuate. Normally, the salinity is thirty-four to
thirty-seven parts per thousand (ppt.), but on a particularly rainy morning,
the salinity may decrease to something as low as thirty-two ppt. (Stuller
29).
The mixing of freshwater and sea water forms a third type of water,
known as brackish water. Brackish water can be found in a variety of
mixing zones such as river deltas, freshwater title marshes, estuaries,
fjords, and in the middle of the ocean (Stuller 30). To begin with,
freshwater traveling towards the sea carries suspended particles. As the
particles make contact wi ...
|
|
Fertilizers
Number of Words: 580 / Number of Pages: 3
... the government built many factories to absorb nitrogen gas from the air and to use them in explosives. Soon after the war, these factories were used to absorb nitrogen gas and to be used as a fertilizer. This method was inexpensive and farmers were now actually making a profit. By 1985, farmers used approximately eleven million tons of nitrogen a year. This is eight times more than what farmers used in 1950.
The most widely used fertilizer is pure ammonia. It is kept in liquid form under pressure in steel tanks. Three solid nitrogen are ammonium sulfate, ammonium nitrate, and ammonium phosphate ...
|
|
Avalanches
Number of Words: 990 / Number of Pages: 4
... below it. Any kind of temperature change, fresh snowfall, the weight of a person, all can cause the slab to break free from the lower layer. The formation of a slab is possible in many ways. One way is for the snow to develop a crust and then there be more snowfall. Since snow doesn’t bond to the crust it becomes a potential for an avalanche zone. Another way is for surface hoar to develop, or large ice crystal on the snow. This is usually caused by condensation on the snow surface. This will also have poor bonding characteristics, and cause for a potential slide. The crystal itself is also very stab ...
|
|
Acid Rain
Number of Words: 505 / Number of Pages: 2
... may react with other chemicals in
the air. When sulfur dioxide combines with water, the result is sulfuric acid.
When nitrogen oxide gas combines with water, the result is also another acid.
When the clouds releases rain or other precipitation, the acid goes with it.
This is called acid rain.
The level of acid is measured in pH levels. The pH scale begins at 0
and ends with 14. A reading lower than 7 is called acidic, and a reading higher
than 7 is called basic. Seven is neutral. Normal rain is slightly acidic with a
pH level of about 6.5. Rain with a pH of 5.5 is then times more acidic than
nor ...
|
|
Acid Rain
Number of Words: 365 / Number of Pages: 2
... will dissolve alkaline rocks and soil, or will neutralize the alkalinity.
2) Acid rain will increase the acidicy of already acidic rocks and soil, such as granite, or the soil which results from corroded granite.
Acidic chemicals, and alkaline chemicals react to each other by reducing the alkalinity or acidicy of each other. Which ever has the strongest pH level, usually will neutralize or reduce the pH of the other, but after the reaction is complete, both substances have undoubtably changed, their pH moved closer to neutral ( pH 7 ).
This knowledge led to the use of Salting.
Salting ( drop ...
|
|
Changing Undesirable Behaviors
Number of Words: 615 / Number of Pages: 3
... was determined that the subject would almost always attempt to escape from the house when it was given the opportunity during the first four days. As the days progressed, it's total number of escapes decreased. This could be attributed to the fact that every time it found it's way outside, it was immediately picked up and returned to it's proper location. This is a perfect example of using the untraining technique of "negative reinforcement". Even thought the intent was to protect the cat from the harsh threats that awaited it in the real world, it was effective in reducing the number of escapes. ...
|
|
Revolutionary QM212
Number of Words: 547 / Number of Pages: 2
... antibody which
binds to metal ions. After physically inserting the genetic code in to E.
coli. bacteria, the researchers had a large batch of a new compound which
they named QM212. When copper was added to this new batch, it binded with
the metal-ion binding sight, decreasing the fluorescent emissions.
Applications:
The human immune system already uses similar antibodies for similar
tasks. Natural antibodies conform to the shape of foreign bodies and bind
to the outer surface. They then release enzymes to break down the
substance. In the experiment, c opper acted as the foreign ...
|
|
Alchemy
Number of Words: 3742 / Number of Pages: 14
... and it was thought that there resided within in the individualities of the various metals, that in it their various substances were incorporated. This black powder was mystically identified with the underworld form of the god Osiris, and consequently was credited with magical properties. Thus there grew up in Egypt the belief that magical powers existed in fluxes and alloys. Probably such a belief existed throughout Europe in connection with the bronze-working castes of its several races. Its was probably in the Byzantium of the fourth century, however, that alchemical science received embryonic form. ...
|
|
|
