Open Arcane Synthesis

We had a wonderful birthday celebration with the family this weekend! I took the opportunity to bake in a Chinese style, using sticky rice/glutinous rice—a type of rice that can be shaped in ways we Westerners are not used to. I bought it from a specialty store... When I chatted with my Chinese boyfriend, we agreed that he will be the one visiting me in Sweden for the first time. He said he will buy his own ticket, and we also agreed that I will prepare a lot of Chinese food for him. I’ve already started practicing. I am a pescatarian, but I promised not to try to change him—in fact, I will cook chicken dishes for him (using a Chinese cookbook). I noticed that he really appreciates that. And this weekend was a great opportunity to at least practice making sweets. Here are five sweet dishes, most of them made with “mochi rice” (the Japanese term).

Hi darlings!I’m going to switch blogging platform, because the one I’m on now has become too expensive. I’ve been chatting a lot with A.I., and we concluded that my new blog should be called “Mythic Forge.” But after searching for that name, I saw that many companies use these words, especially in the gaming industry. I don’t want to be associated with World of Warcraft and the like, so I chose another name instead → Open Arcane Synthesis. The platform change will happen in 3 months (maximum 4), and then this blog will disappear. I’ll get back to you with what the new link will be. I can’t say more than that right now.... I hope you’ll stay with me forever as my readers <3 We have so much to discover together... I’ll be doing tours around Sweden and neighboring countries, and I’ll show chemical experiments with pop music in the background. Afterwards, the volume is turned up a lot and people dance!! So → The entertainment industry :)

To die from Tramadol or Fentanyl. English version.Today we are going to talk about the tragic accident, when it was reported in the newspaper in February 2023 in Sweden, that a 14-year-old girl died after drinking alcohol, because she was on medication. These opioid painkillers are given when less potent pain relievers do not provide sufficient relief. Opioids exist both in natural form (extracted from the juice of unripe poppy seeds (the capsule), opium sap) and in synthetic form. Morphine is one of the most common natural alkaloids (chemical substances which affects the nervous system). These are alkaline, usually have one or more nitrogen atoms, N, and can therefore accept protons, because there is at least one lone pair of electrons in the molecular structure. A model of the reaction is; R3N + H^+ → R3NH^+ where a positive, and in this case, acidic ion has been accepted. And the alkaloid morphine, C17H19NO3, has a nitrogen atom and is therefore a weak base. It is a complex and pentacyclic (penta=5) molecule, and it has 5 connected rings that are joined together.

There's a book, I wonder if there's a movie too → otoko, male, so → a male geisha. :)Valeriana.Välkommen till att läsa om alternativ medicin (eller, jag kan bara hoppas, ännu en hjärnorgasm?). Valeriana innehåller många olika kemiska föreningar som samverkar och ger personen lugn och ro. Valeriansyra/pentansyra, C4H9COOH, är en utav dem. Det är en karboxylsyra där skelettet är 5 st. kolatomer långt. Denna förekommer inte i en cirkulär variant, då hela karboxylgruppen, -COOH, måste också få plats. För en cyklisk variation så ska skelettet helst vara minst 6 kolatomer långt. Karboxylgruppen är en funktionell grupp (sammanhängande atomer som ger en molekyl dess egenskaper) som kommer till nytta när t.ex. amider eller estrar ska bildas. Först har man någon amin, t.ex. metylamin, (CH3NH2), eller dimetylamin, ((CH3)2NH), och båda kan bilda en amid i nästa steg när vätena på kvävet, N, reagerar med en t.ex. karboxylsyra. Man brukar beteckna resten ”R”, och reaktionen är: R-COOH + (CH3)2NH -->  R-CON(CH3)2 + H2O.

A very random problem #1. Canopy impregnation. English version.Welcome back to another dimension. My mother had problems with some canopy impregnation that accidentally got on the boat windows, and she wanted to get tips from me on how to get rid of this. To begin with, she wanted to make the boat canopy resistant to general wear and tear and mould. Chemicals in such a liquid that is sprayed on contain e.g. epoxy (the glue-like, surface coating). This can polymerize, that is, join many monomer molecules. For example, we have the methods condensation, addition or alkene polymerization (less common) for the purpose. The main difference between the first 2 is that during the condensation reaction (densification), many by-products are formed such as hydrogen chloride, HCl. The process that involves different monomers in the beginning takes place intermolecularly, i.e. that different molecules are bound (compare with intramolecular; bonds within the same molecule).

Phantom of the opera, part 1 of 2. Atomic models. Math 3c. English version.Hello! I’m waiting on a course to start (physics), so meanwhile I wrote this for us; About Phantom. The arts/story and the special effects on stage. This story is about a musical genius that has a partially deformed face, and which haunts an opera house. He also becomes obsessed with a talented, young singer. The novel was published year 1910 by a french author, Leroux. We can start talking about different atomic models. I was actually criticized for using the Niels Bohr model on my blog, with the comment that that one is used in the eighth and ninth grade in elementary school, and I was asked to use any of the later atomic models instead (it was still an honor to write a lot with a doctor in chemistry, despite that comment). So what is the difference between for example the E. Rutherford model (1911) and the Niels Bohr model (1913)?

(English version) This is going to be a short post encouraging ladies to study harder, so that you can become MORE than independent afterwards. So that you can also live life to the fullest, and be able to afford to break old gender roles. I myself see no other option for me than to live more like many highly educated men already do, who get someone (much!) younger and have FUN with. It doesn't have to be true love. True love can also end. You have to have a lot of fun in life, be a little crazy. When I'm done, much older and a chemist, I'm going to import a very (!) young guy to myself who will keep me "company" and keep me busy at night. I don't have any experience with it yet, but it sounds really crazy nice to have it like that.... Then you are living the men's wet dream. That's one of my goals, definitely! But I'll be back with a long post about chemistry in about 2 days!

Cell culture, part 3/3; Gram-negative and gram-positive bacteria, butter production and sugars. English version.

The cell, Schiff's base and protein synthesis. English version.When aldehydes and ketones have OH-groups attached, it's sugar that's being talked about. The most common simple sugars are glucose and fructose with 5 hydroxyl groups each in the molecular structure. Both monosaccharides are actually designated as C6H12O6 and are hexoses, with 6 pieces of carbon. Both occur in both ring structure and as linear. Fructose is not reductive under normal circumstances (that it is an electron donor), because it has a keto group and not an aldehyde group, which can reduce oxygen. However, the chemistry of fructose changes in a basic solution and one of the hydrogens changes its location, so that an aldehyde group is formed as a result. Neither the fructose nor the glucose molecule have a methyl group, -CH3. Methylation processes (adding -CH3) on proteins are often done in each cell, which is a prerequisite for the protein to react to substances in a desirable way, and behave correctly. The methyl group is attached to e.g. a nucleotide (the building block of chain molecules), within e.g. the DNA kind.

The yeast cell, alcohols and the citric acid cycle. English version.The yeast cell is a living organism that is often used in, for example, bread baking, in order to make the bread porous, tastier and with a different character. The yeast has an overflow metabolism, which means that if it becomes supersaturated with sugar, it produces ethanal, CH3CHO, which in the next step is converted to ethanol, CH3CH2OH. What happened was that alcohol dehydrogenase (a protein, an enzyme/catalytic converter) caused a normal chemical reaction to go in an opposite direction that is standard in e.g. the human body; 2 CH3CH2OH (your ethanol intake) + O2 (your oxygen intake) ---> 2 CH3CHO (ethanal) + 2 H2O After drinking alcohol, this reaction usually takes place as we saw, where alcohols are split into aldehydes. Such are denoted -CHO, and there is a double bond between the oxygen and the carbon. When a primary alcohol is exposed to oxygenation, formyl groups, -CHO, arise. In the case of a stronger oxidation, you instead first get formyl groups and then directly after carboxyl groups, -COOH.

Dyatlov Pass Incident. English version.These are mysterious murders or misfortunes from the mountain range of Eurasia/Russia, which are called the Ural Mountains. Nine very experienced scouts/skiers, all at a young age just after 20, and one a little older who was studying for a master's degree in a relevant subject, went out into the Ural Mountains with tents, food, drink, sleeping bags, etc.. The goal was to reach Mount Otorten, the ski track was 350 km long, and the pleasure ride (which became a true nightmare) was in the highest difficulty, category III. There were rest stations available. The greatest danger was that the temperature was -40 degrees during the night. All the people were found dead when emergency services, police and military were deployed. Although more than 60 years have passed since then, the deaths remain unsolved. The mountain range where they went is rich in, for example, the minerals chalcopyrite, CuFeS2, and gold, Au (also an element and precious metal). The precious metal platinum, Pt, is also available! With e.g. sodium thiosulfate, Na2S2O3, you can extract that gold; 2 Au + 3 Na2S2O3 ---> (gold(III) thiosulfate) Au2(S2O3)3 + 6 Na.

Redox reaction #4; Photography. English version.When we talk about chemistry and old photographic art, when you work in a darkroom with light-sensitive substances, redox reactions actually happen (when one substance emits electrons, oxidation, and another substance simultaneously absorbs these, reduction). During ordinary experiments, you can e.g. fill 3 beakers with potassium chloride, KCl, potassium bromide, KBr and potassium iodide, KI with an equal amount of liquid in each. Then you add only 1/5 of the first liquid amount of silver nitrate, AgNO3, to each cup and observe what happens. Remember to wear goggles and protective gloves throughout the experiment from start to finish. The protective gloves should be made of nitrile composition, as it provides flexibility and good grip in the hand. These do not contain latex. Acrylic acid latex, C15H18O2, is an industrial product, and the natural product is instead a wood-milk. These are sometimes allergenic and the body reacts to the proteins contained in the object. There will be no penetration of chemicals either (the chemicals here are LOW HAZARD stamped).

Suppositories, part 1 of 3. English Version.Suppositories are pills that you insert into the rectum if you have hemorrhoids (similar to varicose veins) or rectal irritations, such as fissures (skin cracks). Such problems can occur in the individual if they lead an inactive lifestyle or do not eat enough fiber. What happens at the molecular level can be said to be this that the blood vessels have a too high pressure inside and become overloaded. The circulatory system of the blood is for example about transporting oxygen to all places, and transporting away carbon dioxide. The blood is pumped around, and we get all the heat and also white blood cells / macrophages that consume invaders in the body to all places, etc. Blood can begin to accumulate to one place when the veins have stretched during many different constipations. The skin begins to bulge and you easily get inflammation (swelling, suppuration) and bleeding due to small blood vessels that have ruptured. Xyloproct is a known medicine for such problems, and this contains the active substances lidocaine, C14H22N2O, and hydrocortisone acetate, C23H32O6.

Aspirin, part 3 of 3The molecule of nitroglycerin looks like there are three nitro groups, -NO2, and in each group there is an oxygen that single-binds, and another oxygen that double-binds to nitrogen, N. Charge around the nitrogen is positive, and in the case of oxygen as a single-binder, the charge is instead negative. Each nitro group single-binds to an oxygen via nitrogen, and this means that the completely correct name for the ester nitroglycerin is actually glyceryl nitrate. This can be understood if you compare the build-up with nitric acid, where the structure is (H-O-NO2). In addition, you only have small amounts of nitrogen in the pharmaceutical industry, as this easily becomes explosive with little heating or careless handling. But now let's ask ourselves the question, why are inorganic acids (hydrochloric, sulfuric, etc.) much stronger than carboxylic acids, which were so weak? Organic/carboxylic acids easily lose the proton and turn into negative ions, but this does not apply to every molecule. Carboxylic acids definitely do not completely dissociate in water.

Aspirin, part 2 of 3Aspirin and various NSAID drugs work in the same way in the body, but aspirin differs because it irreversibly affects cyclooxygenase (COX) enzymes. Earlier in history, salicylic acid was often given to patients (this is still in use on the market, for external use though). This is an aromatic carboxylic acid found naturally in small amounts in various plants, as a hormone. Willow wood is most used to extract C7H6O3 from. Salicylic acid has a cyclohexagon with 6 units coal, and then there is one carbon atom too that stands out in that structure. Aspirin also has an aromatic ring, i.e. a cyclohexagon with electrons inside that move around fast (it has been a rearranged salicylic acid since 1899). A chemist named Hoffman added an acetyl group to create aspirin, and it is that part of the molecule (added in the laboratory) that is transferred to the active site of the COX enzyme, so that painful, hormone-like prostaglandin substances do not must be able to be produced.

Aspirin, part 1 of 3Aspirin is a drug that is used for fever, pain or as a blood-thinning medicine (an antiplatelet preparation). Inside the bodies of animals there are 3 different blood cells and these are red and white blood cells, as well as platelets. These are in the plasma and the latter's task is to make the blood able to coagulate during the processes of hemostasis (blood distillation after a cut). Aspirin (an anticoagulant) does that platelets do not clump as much. Aspirin's chemical formula is C9H8O4, and this is manufactured as so: C6H4(OH)COOH (salicylic acid) + (CH3CO)2O (acetic anhydride, thanks to a dehumidification of acetic acid) ---> C9H8O4 (acetylsalicylic acid) + CH3COOH (Acetic acid), not forgetting phosphoric acid which was the catalyst. The latter acid, H3PO4, has three -OH groups, and they are all responsible for this medium-strong acid donating protons to the environment. Phosphoric acid is added in e.g. Cola Cola for a tasty sourness, as well as for preservation.

Alvedon, part 2 of 2.First, something general about pain, before we talk about that particular painkiller Alvedon. When we accidentally cut or hit ourselves, a lot of arachidonic acid arises in that area. This is a polyunsaturated fatty acid (here there are double bonds between the carbon atoms) that has a total of 20 C, and 4 double bonds. Arachidonic acid is released from the cell membranes of the affected cells and interacts with any of the enzymes COX-1 or COX-2. The former convert prostaglandins into prostacyclins. They are produced in endothelial cells (cells that are located mostly on the outside of certain organs), and the prostacyclins in question protect the gastric mucosa. COX-2 is involved in site-bound, relevant inflammations. Prostaglandins are fatty acids that cause smooth muscle to contract, and these control e.g. blood pressure, but also the body's inflammation reactions. Alvedon is a COX-2 inhibitor while inhibiting special neurotransmitters in both brain and body.

Alvedon, part 1 of 2The medicine Alvedon is ingested either as a liquid drug or tablets, and we will focus on the tablet form. The greatest danger to the patient with Alvedon is that prolonged use or overdose can lead to kidney or liver damage. We're going to get into the mechanisms behind it. The active substance is Paracetamol, which also goes by the name N-acetyl-para-aminophenol, i.e. C8H9NO2. The reaction formula here is: 2 H2NC6H4OH + C4H6O3 ---> 2 C8H9NO2 (Alvedon) + H2O. What happens in the reaction is that you on a synthetic, chemical way allow a reduction of 4-nitrophenol to take place. A substance that is reduced in this way (in our case, an organic, chemical compound that is a white powder), takes up electrons from another substance. 4-nitrophenol is an intermediate substance which in the long run will result in paracetamol. After the reduction, we will get the new substance 4-aminophenol, which is a phenol, and on it it sits an amino group.

What is nitrogen, and how to warehouse it, when it’s in liquid form (Part 2 of 2).Uses of liquid nitrogen differ from uses of it in gas form. We are focusing on the first mentioned state of aggregation. It is used first and foremost to keep various goods cold and it is a refrigerant of raw materials, medicines, food products, etc. In laboratories, nitrogen in liquid form is used to cool chemical reactions, for testing electronic devices, shrink fitting (which is joining for example metallic parts together during an installation) and in other areas this is used for pipe freezing. We are going to explain all these 4 latter uses. Liquid nitrogen is nontoxic and noncorrosive, but the dangers with it are that you can get oxygen deficiency or get frostbite, because what’s inside this coolant technology is of such extremely low temperature. Liquid nitrogen and liquid carbon dioxide are used in the cryogenic cooling technology where they have many advantages compared with mechanically cooled systems. The last one has many different components which makes it both heavy and complicated.

What is nitrogen, and how to warehouse it, when it’s in liquid form (Part 1 of 2).The nitrogen atom has the number seven on the periodic table, and that means that there are 7 protons and 7 electrons to be found. Nitrogen is a small atom, because it only has two electron shells, while an atom can have 7 shells in total. Nitrogen is located in period two, and in group 15. Just because it’s so far to the right on the periodic table, it can be concluded that it holds tight to its five valence electrons, because they are so many. An atom becomes larger in size when it does not need to hold many external minus charges in place, and the nitrogen is the opposite. The element in question has a stronger nuclear charge and on the electronegativity placement we see that "N" attracts the electrons of other substances very effectively. Just for comparison's sake; Fluorine attracts electrons the most, and has a value of 4.0 on the Pauling scale. Most electropositive is Francium with a value of 0.7. On the same scale, nitrogen has the value 3.0.

Hello everyone!

Good day chemists!Sorry for the delay. Today we will talk about the photosynthesis redox reaction. This electron transfer is light-driven, and absorption of H20 is equally necessary as the shining. In this reaction: 6 CO2 + 12 H2O ---> C6H12O6 + 6 H2O + 6 O2 we can see that CO2 gets reduced. It’s during the Calvin-Benson cycle that happens in plants. It’s the electrons of NADPH that do this process, and simultaneously the reducing agent NADPH gets oxidized and lose the hydrogen. Then the reduction of CO2 is finished, because a reduction is gaining electrons and gaining hydrogen. Now there is sugar. Simultaneously H20 gets oxidized (it’s gaining oxygen, therefore H2O gets oxidized to molecular oxygen, and it’s also losing e^- and losing hydrogen) and now there’s only oxygen as a byproduct. It all happened in the chloroplasts that are cell organelles in plant and algae cells. Plants are autotrophs and they build their own food. Light make them produce O2, ATP and NADPH in the thylakoid membrane, inside the chloroplasts.

Good evening! This little, nice text about redox reactions I have written today, I will write more tomorrow!CombustionHere comes the second redox reaction on this blog. In this one we will have a fuel source to which we will add oxygen, to make a highly exothermic reaction (where heat is made). O2 will either be added from air or from an accelerant. Accelerants make a chemistry reaction to happen faster, because they alter a relevant chemical bond while they become consumed many times in the process. These should not be confused with catalysts, which can be used again and again. The fuel source in a combustion is some kind of hydrocarbon (carbons and hydrogens, C-H, forms the base, and therefore this is an organic compound), and the main products are carbon dioxide and water as steam. O2 can also combine with an element or compound that is inorganic (here we don’t find a carbon-hydrogen bond), but this kind of oxidation-reduction reaction will not be equally combustible, and the product will not be CO2 and H2O. (If you for example think of Mg + O2 ---> MgO + some light and heat.)

Good evening future chemists! I just wanted to share one of my older texts today. I'll try to have time to write something new as soon as possible to you! I'm in the mood for some math again, and for a redox reaction. Will be back pretty soon!

Hello chemistry lovers!Sorry for the delay with the post. Today we will talk about phenols in chemistry and one new E-number. Phenols are hydroxyl groups (OH-groups) that bind to aromatic compounds where there is a benzene ring (a hexagon). This structure can consist of one or more OH-groups and the simplest phenol only has one hydroxyl group that sticks this way, and you write it as C6H5OH. The oxygen is a bit isolated and directly attached to the benzene ring, and hydrogen is only binding to the “O”. In chemistry, if the name of the chemical ends with “-ol”, then we are talking about an alcohol, but still phenols aren’t alcohols. We can talk about alcohols in the next post. An example of a more complicated phenol is 2-ethylphenol. Here we find a substituted benzene ring (you say that when that ring isn’t on its own), and one hydroxyl group (on carbon number 1) and one ethyl group, CH2CH3 (on carbon number 2) is holding on with single bindings.

Hello!We will talk about coloring agents in food today. These additives have a E-number between 100-200, and some are seen as dangerous, and others are not seen as harmful at all. We will also watch the chemical structure of some E-100 additives and see if there are any similarities in those molecular structure. Coloring agents are pharmacologically inactive substances which means that they should not affect people, only give a specific color to the food (since the substance is passive), and no unusual chemical reaction in the body should occur from it. In Australia and New Zeeland use the same additives during production of food, but they don’t call it E-numbers. They only label the food with a serial number that is unique for the product.  They want each item to be traceable and identifiable, so that the consumer can always be sure of the authenticity of the product. Let’s look closer on the most important thing – the chemical structure!

Good day to you in 2023!I haven't been in here for a few days due to various reasons. I've been out of town, my camera on my phone was broken, and it's been New Year's Eve and such. I'm standing a little unprepared today without a new camera, so this post is going to be a little more boring than it’s allowed. I was here to stimulate your thinking and show your chemistry, and we'll get there as soon as I have the right equipment again. Chemistry is a broad topic that beats everything when it comes to arousing interest. We want to look next at a redox reaction 2, do more math 3c together, and then we have a whole E-number week, where I describe to you 7 Food E-number’s in a row. Further into the future I will show you what a chemist's education looks like and I will photograph the content of books that you otherwise would not have had the opportunity to discover (and much more). We'll get there eventually. Intellectual hugs to you!

RespirationWhat is a redox reaction and what is respiration? During a redox reaction an element is being oxidized while another element is being reduced. There are two different chemical processes happening at the same time, and an electron transferring is occurring where the oxidant in the reaction attracts electrons. Redox reactions are very common even though it’s hard to believe. Approximately 1/3 of all reactions in our environment are chemical reactions of this sort. We will talk about the most common redox reaction right now, that is respiration. Respiration is what’s happening when you breath and get an oxygen supply to the cells, and it’s also about how the cells convert food from you to energy, after a series of redox reactions. Glycolysis and the Citric Acid cycle are in focus at that moment. It’s all happening in the inner membrane of the mitochondria (an organelle with its own DNA that has evolved from a bacteria).

Good evening! I want to create some variety for you on this blog. So today I solved some math tasks at home on my whiteboard! I will show you very soon. It's from the course Math 3c (You have to pass the course Math 4 (which I haven't done yet) to be admitted to the Bachelor's programme in chemistry), and doing these tasks again will be really fun and stimulating. After work I usually hurry home for tinkering on my blog, and to stimulate me with tasks that develop thinking. Being bored for too long can be harmful, you have to remember that the brain is truly the most amazing tool in universe. (You are well aware that you came to a motivational blog?) So I hope you will enjoy the numbers below with me. Let's become good together at math!We will look at tasks on page 104 in my book. I think you will be able to follow what I do (even though part of the text is on swedish), but otherwise ask in the comments!

KaliumhydroxidPotassium hydroxide. This molecule is built of one potassium atom, one oxygen atom and one hydrogen atom. This chemical is often being used in some of the cleaning fluids and it is a very prototypical strong base. This molecule is great at heavy cleaning, reacts well with fats and is a hydrophile, so it will be moved away effectively from the surfaces when the time is right (when the cleaning staff decides to). This strong base is poisonous and can make you lose your eyesight. Powders are a bigger threat to the health because you can accidentally breath in the chemical. Potassium hydroxide is not flammable.