One day I hope to be able to say this...
"Just for a laugh, we sealed a bottle of vodka with our membranes and found that the distilled solution became stronger and stronger with time. Neither of us drinks vodka but it was great fun to do the experiment." Dr Nair on his graphene membranes
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-16747208
Question, Why not use an alcohol that they did drink?
Friday, January 27, 2012
Monday, January 16, 2012
Snow days
On Friday we went to the pub with a few UK folk, who work at TMW. While there Wayne was talking to Jayne saying that we hadn't seen any snow yet! I looked out of the window and thought it was snowing, but Wayne wasn't convinced and thought I was making it up! When we went outside it turned out I was right and it was snowing. By the time we had driven home it was starting to settle on the road, and by the Morning we has over seven inches.
After digging the car out with bits of wood, we decided that it would be a very good idea to invest in snow shovels so we braved the roads as the snow was melting a little and invested in some. We where amused by some Canadian snow parking ans very impressed with how quickly the roads where cleared and everything was moving.
Sunday was uneventful but we did notice a weather warning for further a 5cm of snow on Monday and being not to worried we went to bed. By the time we got up 5 cm had fallen and snow was getting worse, we thought about and realized that if this continued all day that we may make it into work but we wouldn't make it out again in the evening.
Wayne and Neil took the 4 by 4 and went to pick up their laptops so they could work from home, they came back at lunchtime. Helen and I re-cleared the drive as the snow had continued to fall all morning and is still falling. Last time I was out there it was deeper than my snow boots. Wayne's work have just been sent home too, so It looks like we did the right thing.
Hopefully we won't be snowed in for too long and normal work patterns will resume shortly, in the mean time I will sit back and enjoy the weather.
After digging the car out with bits of wood, we decided that it would be a very good idea to invest in snow shovels so we braved the roads as the snow was melting a little and invested in some. We where amused by some Canadian snow parking ans very impressed with how quickly the roads where cleared and everything was moving.
Sunday was uneventful but we did notice a weather warning for further a 5cm of snow on Monday and being not to worried we went to bed. By the time we got up 5 cm had fallen and snow was getting worse, we thought about and realized that if this continued all day that we may make it into work but we wouldn't make it out again in the evening.
Wayne and Neil took the 4 by 4 and went to pick up their laptops so they could work from home, they came back at lunchtime. Helen and I re-cleared the drive as the snow had continued to fall all morning and is still falling. Last time I was out there it was deeper than my snow boots. Wayne's work have just been sent home too, so It looks like we did the right thing.
Sunday, January 8, 2012
Friday, December 16, 2011
Monday, December 12, 2011
Operation Christmas tree
Hi from Beautiful British Columbia!
Sorry I haven't written anything sooner it has been hectic, what with the jet lag, finding a Christmas job, My birthday (thanks for all the well wishes) and generally setting in to a new place.
I could tell you a lot more about it ... but I thought I would tell you about our expedition to find a Christmas tree instead.
We decided to have a real Christmas tree this year as it seemed a Canadian thing to do and there where signs everywhere advertising them ... most of them said 'U Cut'.
So off we drove to find Christmas tree place ... not really knowing what to expect. We arrived to a very busy looking place, with lots of people carrying or wheeling trees to there car. We spent a few minutes looking around the ready cut and the the 'Charlie Brown' (not quite straight trees) and thinking that this would be the easier options, but to be sure we thought we would take a saw and have a look around.
There where hundreds of Fir trees, 4 different species and all varying heights, widths etc, we didn't know where to begin.Eventually we found a tree, and we cut it down and put it back to the car. The Tree shop people then provided with hot chocolate to warm our hands up with.
A quick trip to the shop, to get lights (not quite enough) and decorations and we had a good afternoon decorating our tree.
Helen and Neil, brought us an early Christmas present - a fire set so we lit the fire to achieve the Christmas Card picture. Now all we need is the snow!
Sorry I haven't written anything sooner it has been hectic, what with the jet lag, finding a Christmas job, My birthday (thanks for all the well wishes) and generally setting in to a new place.
I could tell you a lot more about it ... but I thought I would tell you about our expedition to find a Christmas tree instead.
We decided to have a real Christmas tree this year as it seemed a Canadian thing to do and there where signs everywhere advertising them ... most of them said 'U Cut'.
So off we drove to find Christmas tree place ... not really knowing what to expect. We arrived to a very busy looking place, with lots of people carrying or wheeling trees to there car. We spent a few minutes looking around the ready cut and the the 'Charlie Brown' (not quite straight trees) and thinking that this would be the easier options, but to be sure we thought we would take a saw and have a look around.
There where hundreds of Fir trees, 4 different species and all varying heights, widths etc, we didn't know where to begin.Eventually we found a tree, and we cut it down and put it back to the car. The Tree shop people then provided with hot chocolate to warm our hands up with.
A quick trip to the shop, to get lights (not quite enough) and decorations and we had a good afternoon decorating our tree.
Helen and Neil, brought us an early Christmas present - a fire set so we lit the fire to achieve the Christmas Card picture. Now all we need is the snow!
Sunday, November 20, 2011
hand warmers
After a wonderful leaving party last night, I was wonder what to do with myself, after about 10 seconds of thought I decided to do and do the last of my Christmas shopping. So after church, I wondered into town and started looking about ... I didn't have a clue what I was looking for, so I was surprised when I found some pocket hand warmers (see example pic)
Mine look better than these bit I don't want to spoil the surprise! A friend had mentioned these to me so I knew what they did and thought they will make really good Christmas presents.
After buying a few other gifts and some travelling clothes, I headed home and have spent the afternoon wondering how they work. (Yes, I am chemistry geek and this is chemistry in action).
In fact it is wonderfully simply chemistry in action ...
The liquid is a highly concentrated solution of a salt (e.g. sodium acetate) in water, and a bit of colouring. There is so much salt in the solution that no more of the salt will dissolve. There is also a curved metal popper. A few crystals of salt form on this metal disc. When the popper is popped the crystal are dislodged into the solution, this triggers rapid crystallisation in the solution, the solution becomes a solid and heat is released. The temperature cools slowly (approx 1 hour).
So that is an hour of nice warm hands!
And to reuse you boil them (put the heat back in) the solid will become a liquid again, ready for their next use.
It is so simple it is brilliant!
Mine look better than these bit I don't want to spoil the surprise! A friend had mentioned these to me so I knew what they did and thought they will make really good Christmas presents.
After buying a few other gifts and some travelling clothes, I headed home and have spent the afternoon wondering how they work. (Yes, I am chemistry geek and this is chemistry in action).
In fact it is wonderfully simply chemistry in action ...
The liquid is a highly concentrated solution of a salt (e.g. sodium acetate) in water, and a bit of colouring. There is so much salt in the solution that no more of the salt will dissolve. There is also a curved metal popper. A few crystals of salt form on this metal disc. When the popper is popped the crystal are dislodged into the solution, this triggers rapid crystallisation in the solution, the solution becomes a solid and heat is released. The temperature cools slowly (approx 1 hour).
So that is an hour of nice warm hands!
And to reuse you boil them (put the heat back in) the solid will become a liquid again, ready for their next use.
It is so simple it is brilliant!
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