Week 6 Assignments: Electrochemistry and Alchemy

Halogen of the Week:

When looking up what a halogen is exactly, I found one interesting tidbit about all of them - they are the only group on the periodic table which contains elements in all three states of matter (solid, liquid, gas).

That said, I chose to read a little bit more about Iodine, symbol I and atomic number 53. Iodine is the second least reactive of the halogens, and the second most electropositive halogen. As a solid it is dark purple/dark brown, and as a gas it is violet/pink.

Iodine is rare in the solar system and the Earth's crust, although it is found in some minerals and soil; and it is concentrated in seawater and is found in high amounts in kelp. Trace amounts are required to sustain life by all animals and some plants and it is the heaviest element known to be necessary to living organisms.

Iodine is used in medicine, as a disinfectant - povidone iodine in particular is found commonly in hospitals for surgical procedures - photography, and as a dye (due to its staining property) in various technical applications, to detect starch which indicates stuff that is a bit too technical for me. Its staining property is useful in counterfeit banknote detection pens, which is an application that I do understand.
Iodine is also an ingredient of the home production of methamphetamines...

According to Wikipedia, its main role in animal biology is as a constituent of several thyroid hormones...the thyroid gland actively absorbs iodide from the blood to make and release these hormones, which is then regulated by TSH from the pituitary gland. Thyroid hormones regulate basal metabolic rate; 70% of the body's iodine is found in mammary glands, the eyes, gastric mucosa, the cervix, and in salivary glands. Iodine deficiency leads to hypothyroidism, and mental retardation.


Alchemy - science, magic, art, or all three?

I find it really fascinating to be discussing such a metaphysical and spiritual concept in the context of a basic science course - and yet upon reflection it doesn't really seem all that strange at all. Chemistry is the way in which elements exist and combine and create energy and the building blocks and processes which drive our physical world - and our minds and spiritual/emotional selves serve the same purpose in our personal physical and soul journeys; alchemy seems to be a very eloquent way to understand the ways in which these very scientific processes intersect in a very real way.

There seems to have been a concerted effort in the past on the part of the Western scientific community to separate out the mystical and spiritual aspects of science - which has resulted in a cold and sterile perspective, IMO. I guess that is one of the reasons that I love TCM, because Eastern medical and scientific thought does less of this, and integrates the whole mind/body perspective, which I believe is a more holistic way to approach health and the world at large.

At any rate, I do believe that alchemy is indeed all three; science, magic, (and really, how dull would our world be without the element of magic???) and art.