Many years ago I had a hard-working student who started by loving the introductory biology course I was teaching. We had started off with the section on unity, which emphasized the similarities in life forms from the point of view of cell structures and basic biochemistry. He had no issues with that. The next part... Continue Reading →
In life forms, in between cells, no other positive ion is more prevalent than potassium (K+) . The easiest way to collect it is from ashes. If you let water pass through a cloth holding ashes, the water will dissolve some of their compounds, especially potassium carbonate and create a yellowish solution. Evaporating the water will... Continue Reading →
Magnesium, the metallic element, is too reactive to be found in its unbound, elemental state. Not only does it react with air, but in the presence of acid, its loose electrons are snatched up by acidic ions and liberate hydrogen gas, leaving behind invisible ions of magnesium in solution. A similar but much slower reaction occurs in... Continue Reading →
