mrmoy's blog

A micro-scale filtration was performed in a 25 mL Erlenmeyer flask and the solution was filtered until all of the liquid has been transferred. Fresh tert-butyl methyl ether (2 mL) was used to rinse the flask. The solution was then obtained by using a gentle air stream to dry and yield the crude product.

    The first recrystallization was performed using acetone (6.18 mL) and the solution was warmed until all the solids had dissolved.  The solution was then cooled at room temperature for 5 minutes, and then was placed in an ice bath for an additional 15 minutes. After cooling in the ice bath, the crystals were obtained via suction filtration.

To a microscale round-bottomed flask, was added ground nutmeg (0.966 grams), tert-butyl methyl ethyl (3 mL), and a few boiling chips. Next, a black plastic connector was used to connect the distillation column to the flask. The flask was attached to a ring stand using a three-pronged clamp and was lowered into a small depression in the sand so it hovered above the sand bath. The mixture was heated gently for approximately 10 minutes.

Planarians play an important role in water based ecosystems and can serve as bioindicators. Planarians can be used to determine the quality of a freshwater source. Abundance and presence of planarians can provide information about a given ecosystem or body of water. Planarians are sensible to environmental changes and pollution of the ecosystem they reside in. If pollution levels are above a certain degree, planarians would not be able to reproduce and eventually will die off. Other factors that can cause the distribution and presence of planarians to be skewed negatively are temperature and ecological processes. Extreme water temperatures can cause the environment to be uninhabitable for planarians.

Other factors that can cause the distribution and presence of planarians to be skewed negatively are temperature and ecological processes. Extreme water temperatures can cause the environment to be uninhabitable for planarians.

Planarians are sensible to environmental changes and pollution of the ecosystem they reside in. If pollution levels are above a certain degree, planarians would not be able to reproduce and eventually will die off.

Planarians play an important role in water based ecosystems and can serve as bioindicators. Planarians can be used to determine the quality of a freshwater source. Abundance and presence of planarians can provide information about a given ecosystem or body of water.

With the addition of heat, cyclohexanol was catalyzed by 85% phosphoric acid using fractional distillation and gas chromatography. IR spectra and chemical tests of bromine in dichloromethane and potassium permanganate were then performed on the product to identify it. After the tests, it was concluded that it was cyclohexene, which was obtained at a 28.48% yield. The characterization methods used in this experiment were gas chromatography, IR spectra, and chemical tests of bromine in dichloromethane and potassium permanganate. The gas chromatography provides analysis and evidence of the purity of the cyclohexene in the obtained product. Since there was only one peak, only one product, 100% pure cyclohexene, was formed. Both results from the chemical tests conducted indicated the presence of an alkene. The first chemical test of bromine in dichloromethane yielded a colorless substance. The second chemical test of potassium permanganate yielded a brownish precipitate that eventually became clear. The color changes found in both test were a cause of the chemicals interacting with an alkene functional group, suggesting that the product is most likely cyclohexene.

The only person to notice my odd behavior and say something about it was the person who I was walking pace for pace next to. Lastly, in class we talked about different cultures and settings affecting our behavior. In the campus center, I did not get questioned by anyone when I walked pace for pace next to them. The reason is because the campus center is generally busy and there’s a lot of foot traffic, so walking next to people for long periods of time is normal. However, when the setting is changed to a quiet area, like the library when class is in session, a lot of foot traffic isn’t normal, and therefore, walking next to people for long periods of time is seen as a strange behavior. All in all, this experiment was interesting to conduct and it really shows how straying from the norm will cause people to automatically question and judge you as a person based on your behaviors.

Many things factor into the power of social norms to guide and restrict our behavior. In class we walked about social customs influencing our behavior. As stated before, there is an unspoken custom that strangers should not walk pace for pace next to each other. One person either has to speed up and go at a faster pace or slow down and go at a slower pace. Another thing we talked about in class was normative influence and avoiding punishment. In this case, I felt awkward when I walked next to people because they would later ask me if I was ok. This is not a harsh punishment, but being called out and assumed to be creepy, made me conform and say it was for a psychology project. In this experiment, I was able to adjust and get used to the norm violation because there wasn’t any group pressure like we talked about in class.

There is almost an unspoken rule that says people should not walk pace for pace next to a stranger. When people first noticed me, they would either stop or speed up to go at a different pace than me. However, when I adjusted my pace to theirs, they would question me. For this norm violation, other people did not notice me or say anything besides the person I was walking next to. Other people who were not involved in the experiment probably assumed that the person I was walking next to was my friend, which is a normal thing to do. Therefore, they did not question me or give me an odd look.