Category Chemistry

Who created the Frankenstein’s monster?

           In the 18th and 19th centuries, science fictions with an element of horror became quite popular with the masses. An Englishman named Horace Walpole first introduced horror as a permanent feature in most of his writings during the 1760s. Since then many writers started writing such stories including science fictions with amazing success. The Frankenstein’s monster is one such example that attained worldwide popularity.

           The story of Frankenstein was published in 1818 which had a scientific flavour with imagination. It is about the creation of a monster that ultimately destroys its creator. With its elaborate narrations of mystery, horror, outrage, madness and spirit of revenge – this character maintains the trend first started by Walpole. The basic idea behind the creation of the monster was to show the power of science – how a dead person becomes alive and the subsequent consequences of it. The trait induced in Frankenstein makes it a reactive and suffering creature that wavers between good and evil.

           But do you know who the creator of Frankenstein – the monster was? She was Shelly Mary Wollstonecraft, the daughter of William Godwin and second wife of the famous poet P.B.Shelly. She was born on 30 August 1797 in London. She spent much of her life editing her husband’s works after his death. Among the novels she wrote, the most famous was Life and Adventure of Castruccio.

           However, in spite of her many notable works, her name is mainly attached to the creature she portrayed in Frankenstein. This novel was transformed into feature films in many versions all over the world.

           Mary Shelly died on 1 February 1851 at the age of 54. 

What is a Hydrogen Bomb?

          Soon after the development of the atom bomb in 1945 scientists started developing a more powerful bomb. As a result, they managed to develop another highly destructive bomb called the ‘hydrogen bomb’. The first hydrogen bomb was tested in 1952 by the American scientist Edward Teller and his team. It was a 10 megaton bomb, about 700 times more powerful than the atom bomb dropped in Hiroshima.

          The hydrogen bomb makes use of the phenomenon of ‘nuclear fusion’. In the fusion process, four hydrogen nuclei combine at extremely high temperature to form one helium nucleus. In the fusion reaction tremendous amount of heat energy is liberated. Similar reactions take place in the sun and other stars due to which, they have been producing continuously enormous amounts of heat and light energy. 

  

       The shell of the hydrogen bomb is made of a strong alloy. Two isotopes of hydrogen (deuterium and tritium) are kept inside this cover. One atom bomb is also enclosed in the same shell to initiate the fusion reaction. When the hydrogen bomb is to be exploded, the atom bomb is made to explode first. It produces a temperature of millions of degrees. At this temperature, deuterium and tritium combine together to form a helium nucleus and produce huge quantity of heat. This reaction is completed in one millionth of a second. In fusion, not only the helium nuclei are formed but neutrons are also produced. These neutrons carry out the fission reaction in uranium by which heat is continuously produced to carry out fusion reaction. That is why this bomb is more powerful. For peaceful uses, they can be modified so that the radio activity produced is minimal.

          So far hydrogen bombs have been developed by USA, Russia (former USSR), UK, France and China. Erstwhile USSR tested a hydrogen bomb in 1962 whose power was equivalent to 62 megaton TNT. 

How are valleys formed?

          The wide, broad plains or uneven tracts with gradual slopes between the mountains are called valleys. They are found in the mountains all over the world. Srinagar is one of the beautiful valleys in our country. Do you know how valleys are formed?

          Most of the valleys were formed by rivers. When streams originate on hill top, their water flows down the side of the hill. Because of the steepness of the slope, the river flows very fast and the force of water eats into the hillsides, forming a narrow V-shaped bed. With the passage of time, it becomes U-shaped when the water from other sides joins it and its breadth goes on increasing. Eventually the banks of the river become flat and the floor of the river widens. The area almost becomes like a plain. This is how a valley is formed. It takes thousands of years for its formation.

          Some valleys have been formed by glaciers. Glaciers are slow moving rivers of ice. The ice grinds deeply into the ground and at the same time smoothens out any ridges in its path. The glacier picks up all the rocks and other projections that come in its path, breaks them up and redeposits them smoothly over the ground. This makes the ground smooth and a U-shaped valley comes into existence.

          Sometimes the river changes its direction and thus the river bed becomes dry. The valley formed in this manner is called a dry valley.

          Sometimes when land sinks between two fractures in the earth’s crust, a valley is formed. These valleys are called ‘rift valleys’. The most famous valley of this type is the Great Rift Valley, which extends to more than 5000 km from Syria to East Africa. Narmada, a famous river of India, also flows through a rift valley.

          All the ancient civilizations started in the valleys only.

 

What is LPG?

         The term LPG stands for liquefied petroleum gas. LPG is commonly used for domestic cooking purposes. It is supplied in gas cylinders that need to be replaced when their fuel contents are consumed. The supply in gas cylinders contains a mixture of liquefied butane and iso-butane under pressure. The mixture remains a liquid under pressure but the highly volatile liquid fuel in the cylinder evaporates when pressure is released. The gaseous mixture starts going into the burner of attached stove or oven. Here it is ignited and the blue flame is used for different purposes.

         LPG is used as a cooking fuel. This is also used in water heaters, space heaters and furnaces. This gas is also used to heat incubators and brooders, to sterilize milking utensils and other equipments, dry fruits and vegetables and prevent frost damage.

         Moreover, LPG is highly combustible and forms an explosive mixture with air, therefore, any leakage followed by its mixing with air can cause a severe explosion just by the ignition of one match stick. In order to make gas leakage easily detectable some strong smelling substance is added to LPG. Before igniting the match stick we should be sure that there is no such smell near the gas cylinder or in the kitchen.

 

How are the Pearls formed?

  Pure pearls are very precious. You will be surprised to know that only a small sea-creature, oyster makes them. An oyster can crawl on the ground also. The biggest tragedy with this little creature is that fish of the sea or the bigger members of its own family eat it away. When the oyster comes to the sea-shore to save its life, man eats it. In order to protect itself, it forms a hard shell around its body with a unique substance called ‘nacre’ or mother of Pearl. Pearls are made within this hard cover.

             The discovery of pearls is an interesting story. Some four thousand years ago, a Chinese was suffering from hunger. To satiate his hunger he opened some oysters to eat. Inside one oyster he found one small round shining ball. The shinning ball-like thing was later on called pearl.

              Whenever, by chance, a sand particle goes inside the shell of an oyster and rubs against the animal’s tender body in order to soothe this irritation, it starts depositing layers upon layers of the shell material on this particle. These layers are made up of calcium carbonate. After sometime the formation of the pearl inside the shell is completed. The pearl so formed is round, white and shining. This is called pure pearl. However, the pearls are not essentially white only. Their colours may be black, white, rose, pale blue, yellow, and green, mauve also.

                Man has now developed some techniques of making artificial pearls. Under these techniques sand particles are introduced inside the shell. After two or three years, when the shell is taken out of water, a pearl is found inside it. These pearls are called cultured pearls. Japan has perfected the technique of making beautiful cultured pearls. Since pure natural pearls are very costly, generally we purchase pearls developed by these artificial techniques. On the 7th May, 1934, a pearl was found in Philippines measuring 23 cm with a diameter of 13 cm. This pearl weighed about 6.37 kg. This pearl was called Pearl of Laozi. 

What is Plastic Surgery?

              Plastic surgery is a branch of surgery devoted to restoration, repair and correction of malformations of tissues. It concerns not only return to normal appearance but also the restoration of function. The field of plastic surgery has several sub-divisions such as cosmetic surgery, management of congenital defects, burns, wounds and other acquired defects.

             Cosmetic surgery deals with improving the appearance of tissues or organs such as the nose, face, eyes or breasts. The most common types of cosmetic surgery are face lift to remove wrinkles from the face and neck and a rhinoplasty to change the shape of the nose.

             Plastic surgeons treat physical defects that exist since birth (congenital defects) or are caused by injury or disease. Often the body part that is defective or damaged does not work as it should. In such cases, the surgeon does reconstructive plastic surgery. This often requires grafting. In grafting skin muscle, bone or cartilage is transplanted from a healthy part of the body to the hurt or damaged part. Sometimes reconstructive surgery involves reattaching several limbs, rebuilding damaged tissues, restoring damaged blood vessels and nerves. Plastic surgeons are available almost in all the hospitals.

             Plastic surgery has been practiced for hundreds of years in China and India. Chinese and Indian doctors were reshaping noses and lips long ago.