Week 8 Assignments - Molecular Weight

Alkali Earth Metal of the Week:

I chose Magnesium - chemical symbol Mg, atomic weight 12. Magnesium is commonly found throughout the universe, in the Earth's crust and oceans, and it is the 11th most abundant element by mass in the human body; its ions being essential to all living cells and important to biological processes of ATP, DNA, and RNA.

Magnesium is important in numerous biological processes in the human body, and is especially necessary for good heart health and in particular in the prevention of heart disease and heart attack. Part of the action in the body is to stabilize abnormal nerve and blood vessel activity, and insufficient amounts in the body can lead to increased blood pressure and the aforementioned heart attack - in addition to kidney stones. Magnesium has been found to be helpful in the treatment of PMS, and is also commonly used in laxatives and antacids. 65% of the magnesium in the body is found in the teeth and bones, and together with calcium helps to prevent osteoporosis.

Magnesium is also highly flammable, but mostly in its powdered or shaved state - not so much in mass or bulk. When ignited, it produces a bright white light, which was known as flash powder in the early days of photography; it is still used today in marine flares and fireworks.

In its metal state, it is similar to aluminum, in that it is light and strong - it is used commonly in automotive and truck components and has also been used in aerospace applications, notably by the Germans in WWI and II in their aircraft. Although there is some concern about these applications d/t the flammable nature of magnesium, modern science is learning ways to get around this because of current fuel economy concerns.

Magnesium is also used extensively in the electronics industry because it is light, and has good mechanical and electrical properties - and it is commonly found in mobile phones, laptops, and cameras.

Avogadro's Hypothesis:

I was also not able to get my computer to actually check my answers on this website, so I will just relate my understanding of a hypothesis in general and hope I am somewhere near accurate.

The hypothesis is the basis for all research of any kind - but in particular in medical or scientific research it is an idea, or a suspicion, which is then proven to be either true or false, via the scientific method. True and clean research starts out with a hypothesis - a baseline or foundation - upon which the subsequent research sits and which will hopefully be proven out by the scientific method. The scientific method is a systematic testing process, conducted in chronological and methodical procession, and which is supposed to eliminate false information and ultimately prove the hypothesis to be correct. It seems to me that Avogadro's hypothesis follows these guidelines and was indeed correct, but was limited by the amount of information available to be tested at the time, and so it has since been revised and refined to current day standards.

What exactly is a mole?

I have only a foggy idea at this point - it is some unit of measurement of molecules and pertains to elements. The website was not much help to me; it was written in mathspeak, which I don't get or understand. Hopefully, I won't be asked at gunpoint ever in my life to give a credible answer to this question - otherwise, adios April.