1. When Styrofoam packing peanuts are immersed in acetone (the primary component in some nail-polish removers) they dissolve. If the acetone is allowed to evaporate, a solid remains. The solid still consists of Styrofoam, but now it is solid and much denser. Explain. (Hint: Remember that Styrofoam is made with foaming agents.) Answer: Acetone dissolves the polymer which enables the gas of the foaming agent to escape. Since the gas has been removed, the polymer collapses on itself and become more dense. […]
Month: March 2017
1. Mammoth Cove National Park in Kentucky is in close proximity to the coal-fired electric utility plants in the Ohio Valley. Noting this, the National Parks Conservation Association(NPCA) reported that this national park had the poorest visibility of any in the country a. What is the connection between coal-fired plants and poor visibility? Coal-fired plants release sulfur dioxide, creating sulfate particles that are responsible for 60-85% of the poor visibility in the eastern parks. b. The NPCA reported ‘the average […]