Atomic Structure & Periodic Table

When the periodic table was first introduced to us, we have to admit how limited our knowledge on element was, or rather how science has endlessly continued to develop. As all kids would have taught, the proton number was just a label for the element and had no specific use or reference. How wrong we were..

The entire part on Atomic Structure and Periodic Table was pure memory work and understanding. My mum always tells me that subjects like Science and Math require lots of understanding and practice. And honestly speaking, not having the luxury of time, the least I could do was to understand. The practice which I had was rather limited and constrained to class assignments, with no additional exercises on my own. This can be seen from my test marks ><

Tests aside, the interesting thing about this topic would be drawing the electronic structure. It was different as it provided a more visual approach in our understanding of the chemical bonding.

Isotopes are just an example of how Science can be a blessing as well as a curse for mankind. As much as scientific discoveries aim to improve the standard of living and improve mankind’s prospect, it can prove detrimental to mankind if not used properly. This shows the power of science- the power to affect humans, for better for worse. Therefore it is important that scientists are responsible people who act in the best interest of mankind.

External Reading:

Well, there has been some talk about negative ions being healthy in some ways.  It was never mentioned anywhere that ions will cause any effects to human health-until I was exposed to the above concept. There are currently products that releases negative ions to achieve the desired effect as claimed. Does negative ions make one healthier to any extent?

Feeling somewhat curious, a little research was done online. I found this article rather useful in providing an answer.

http://www.webmd.com/balance/features/negative-ions-create-positive-vibes

One question leads to more question. The article, instead of providing a substantial answer, provided a rather vague and unclear explanation of negative ions and its effects. Now, there are even more questions than answers in my mind.

Firstly, antidepressants contain chemical or certain elements that give it its effect. Technically speaking, when an ion becomes an anion or cation, no other elements would be produced as a by-product other than the 2 given elements. So which aspect of negative ions enables it to have an antidepressant property?

Secondly, under what conditions would elements remain as negative ions? According to the article, it suggests that radiation from sunlight can also result in the creation of negative ions. Is solar radiation some form of catalyst that aids the formation of ions? Next, the reason for the formation of ions is so that there can be bonding between a positive charged and negative charged ion. Therefore, an atom would not gain an electron for the sake of gaining one, but rather to bond with another atom. In this case, there would not be any negative ions lingering in the air, as they all would have been bonded already.

With questions come even more questions. Should it be this way? Well, I think that being inquisitive to a certain extent would be good. After all, the ability to question what is taught or read  shows that one is truly thinking and making judgments, rather than absorbing everything that comes in the way.