April 23, 2008

Tiny Bubbles At The NYAS

Posted by Lisa Jarvis on April 23, 2008 in Chemistry and Food, Uncategorized

Ah, champagne. The sparkly, bubbly, goodness is my favorite summertime drink. It’s not so bad for toasting special occasions, either. Or as an aperitif before a large meal. Or mixed with orange juice at brunch. Okay, let’s be honest, I would pretty much drink it at breakfast, lunch, and dinner, if it was acceptable (and I was in a different tax bracket).

Needless to say, I was pretty excited to see that the New York Academy of Sciences was bringing Gérard Liger-Belair, a professor of chemical physics at the University of Reims Champagne-Ardenne, to New York City to talk about the science of champagne. Liger-Belair has spent the past 10 years studying those tiny, wonderful champagne bubbles. Using high-speed photography, microscopy, and lasers, he’s managed to pin down all you’d ever want to know about how every bubble in your glass is born, grows, and bursts.

Some fun facts from Liger-Belair’s talk:

*Effervescence is promoted by cellulose fibers stuck to the wall of your glass. Yes, dust is the source of that sparkly goodness.

(more…)

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Sticky Reminders

Posted by Carmen Drahl on April 23, 2008 in Chemistry is Everywhere, Ripped From the Pages

I’ll admit that I don’t actively seek out fascinating references to chemistry after work hours. But there are times when I get subtle reminders of its omnipresence. I received a wedding invitation in the mail a little while back with a stamp on the return envelope that could only have been chosen by chemists in love. (People who are familiar with my graduate alma mater should be able to discern the meaning of the other stamp.)

I couldn’t find this stamp after a cursory search of the U.S. Postal Service’s website, although the stamps Sophie Rovner wrote about are available for purchase. Anybody know where to get my hands on this one?

A couple of impressions (and sorry about the poor picture quality):

I didn’t check to see whether the volumetric flask was filled properly, but I probably should have.

Is that enormous flask still called an Erlenmeyer flask? I’ve never seen one that looks like that.

If I were to put that (really full!) round-bottom flask on the rot. evap., I’d be concerned about it bumping and spilling everywhere, particularly if it contains an intermediate that’s 14 steps deep in my natural product synthesis. Of course, I don’t know what solvent is in the flask, and I’ve seen people just hook up a full flask anyway. Thoughts?

**Updated 4/25/08

Avid “C&ENtral Science” reader Corinne Marasco pointed out that this particular stamp dates to 1976, and that interested parties can find them on eBay. We’re guessing the stamps are still worth only 13 cents as far as the post office is concerned, though. Geek-chic costs extra.

Posted in Chemistry is Everywhere, Ripped From the Pages | 2 Comments »