Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video replied by UltimaOnline @ Fri, 23 May 2008 15:53:56 +0800

UltimaOnline — Fri, 23 May 2008 15:53:56 +0800

Kam sia, Moderator DarknessHacker.

I'm a Chemistry teacher (ex-MOE) and private tutor.

Applied Chemistry , that certainly sounds interesting, useful and practical. I guess the course focuses on industrial applications, as well as inter-disciplinary research and development involving physics, biology (life sciences) and engineering. That's always excitingly productive, hopefully eventually culminating in progressing the quality of life on earth for all humanity, eg. medical breakthroughs.

The course isn't about teaching students "how to make meth" and to post project findings on YouTube, I hope?

Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video replied by Darkness_hacker99 @ Fri, 23 May 2008 05:51:36 +0800

Darkness_hacker99 — Fri, 23 May 2008 05:51:36 +0800

Originally posted by UltimaOnline:

Yes, both of you are right.

If anyone watching the video failed their high school chemistry and thinks its for real and makes the stuff and snorts/inhales it… if they survive, they probably wished they’d paid more attention during their high school chemistry classes.

The most obviously glaring error, of course, is the one Moderator DarknessHacker noted with a smiley :

In one instance, a supposed gas is identified as NaOH5(g). As a Chemistry teacher, I’d suggest to my students to note the following :

1) Sodium has an invariable oxidation state or ionic charge in its compounds. That is to say, the cation is identified, and hence so is the charge on the anion.

2) Being in period 2, oxygen has no empty d orbitals. Hence, is it able to expand its valence octet? (count the number of lone pairs and bond pairs of oxygen in the supposed compound)

3) Is it possible for the compound or the anion to be a coordination compound or complex ion? If so, what are the ligands and what is the central metal atom/ion? Can it exist?

4) Attempt to draw the Kekule structure of the anion in the supposed gaseous compound. Is it possible, keeping in mind points #1 to #3 above? Is it possible?

5) Additionally, should NaOH5 (if it exists) be a giant ionic, or covalent (either simple/discrete molecular or giant molecular) compound under room temperature and pressure? As such, what are its possible state symbols it can exist as? (g) or (aq) or (s) or (l)? What did the video purport its state symbol to be?

Moral of the Story : Know your Chemistry well. It could one day save your life (alternatively, don’t believe everything you watch on YouTube).

Analytical skill.

NaOH5.. In Singapore, an O level student can't tell/analyze using Atomic Obital, Kekule structure etc. Those were only taught in A levels.

By the way, I'm taking a module on Applied Chemistry in a polytechnic.

Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video replied by seotiblizzard @ Thu, 22 May 2008 19:36:43 +0800

seotiblizzard — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:36:43 +0800

Erm, no error leh. lol.

Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video replied by UltimaOnline @ Thu, 22 May 2008 19:28:21 +0800

UltimaOnline — Thu, 22 May 2008 19:28:21 +0800

Yes, both of you are right.

If anyone watching the video failed their high school chemistry and thinks its for real and makes the stuff and snorts/inhales it… if they survive, they probably wished they’d paid more attention during their high school chemistry classes.

The most obviously glaring error, of course, is the one Moderator DarknessHacker noted with a smiley :

In one instance, a supposed gas is identified as NaOH5(g). As a Chemistry teacher, I’d suggest to my students to note the following :

1) Sodium has an invariable oxidation state or ionic charge in its compounds. That is to say, the cation is identified, and hence so is the charge on the anion.

2) Being in period 2, oxygen has no empty d orbitals. Hence, is it able to expand its valence octet? (count the number of lone pairs and bond pairs of oxygen in the supposed compound)

3) Is it possible for the compound or the anion to be a coordination compound or complex ion? If so, what are the ligands and what is the central metal atom/ion? Can it exist?

4) Attempt to draw the Kekule structure of the anion in the supposed gaseous compound. Is it possible, keeping in mind points #1 to #3 above? Is it possible?

5) Additionally, should NaOH5 (if it exists) be a giant ionic, or covalent (either simple/discrete molecular or giant molecular) compound under room temperature and pressure? As such, what are its possible state symbols it can exist as? (g) or (aq) or (s) or (l)? What did the video purport its state symbol to be?

Moral of the Story : Know your Chemistry well. It could one day save your life (alternatively, don’t believe everything you watch on YouTube).

Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video replied by secretliker @ Thu, 22 May 2008 03:31:26 +0800

secretliker — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:31:26 +0800

What an interesting way of collecting gas.

I'm guessing that the tube should not be in the solution when collecting gas?

And also the products do not exist!

Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video replied by Darkness_hacker99 @ Thu, 22 May 2008 03:19:15 +0800

Darkness_hacker99 — Thu, 22 May 2008 03:19:15 +0800

NaOH5 =X

dextropolamine 22-B

pentocyclene C15H22N2O3

many more lah.. loL! this video made me laugh..

Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video replied by UltimaOnline @ Thu, 22 May 2008 02:19:46 +0800

UltimaOnline — Thu, 22 May 2008 02:19:46 +0800

Dear Chemistry students,

Spot the Chemistry Errors in this YouTube Video :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jX0zWvYWBaI

If there is interest in this thread, I’ll post about one obvious chemistry glaring error in the video (there are several, but one is so obvious that even an ‘O’ level student should be able to spot it).