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Making Gemstones and the Scientific Method
Our first unit is almost over... We spent the first part of our unit covering the scientfiic method. We looked at how to create your own experiment, from observations to hypotheses, and testing your ideas. In the article, These gems make their own way, by Roberta Kwok, Carrol Chatham tried to make diamonds and ended up making emeralds.
Describe the scientific processes that Chatham used to create his gems. What are lab made gems used for? How similar are they to naturally made gems?
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To make a gem scientists reproduce what happens in the environment. Scientists will melt certain ingredients into water and then cook them at 1,000 degrees Celsius. Then, they will slowly cool them and a gem will form.
ReplyDeleteLab gems are used for many things. They can be used in drills used to fix cavities, the filter of cell phones, to find bacteria in water, and to remove tattoos.
They are similar to natural gems because they contain the same elements and such.
This relates to what we do in class because it is researching something natural, gems, by making experiments in a lab. This is a lot like what we are doing with enzymes.
Making a gem is the scientists use heat to take away the energy needed to form a new mixture and have it mix togethor with other chemicals. as it cools down it becomes another shape. as out class in biology we learned about enzymes are sort of like heat as the teachers example of jello and hot water. jello mixes faster in hot water then cold water. enzymes is like hot water because it decreases the amount of energy needed to make the chemical reaction happen.
ReplyDeleteLab made gems are reproductions of natural made gems. However, they can be made to be better. In a lab, scientists can control what goes into the gem and can keep out bad materials, and add good ones. For example, boron is added to some diamonds to keep them from cracking. The diamonds, along with the other gems, are used for many things. Diamonds are used to make tools more durable. Drill-bits may have diamond impregnated tips to keep them from breaking and allow then to pass through harder materials. Chatham's father used his knowledge of a scientists experiment to create a hypothesis. He tested it out and failed. He tried again but didn't get to finish his work. By complete chance, when he returned, he found a successful attempt had been made without him knowing. He logged the results, analyzed them, created a conclusion, and told his son. This relates to our in-class work because we have been learning the steps of the scientific method.
ReplyDeleteMaking a gem is a very complex process. When made, their production is imitated off the natural way of how gems are made. Each gem has a “recipe”, or ingredients used to make them. Emeralds and rubies both use aluminum oxide. The ingredients will be melted at 1,000 degrees Celsius, or dissolved in water or chemicals. The liquid is then cooled down, taking energy away from the molecules, making them “come together”. There are many uses for lab gems. Sapphires are used to scan barcodes. Rubies are used for removing tattoos. Diamonds are used to drill teeth, sense bacteria in water, and improve battery life in cell phones. There are few ways to tell apart lab-made gems to natural gems. Natural gems contain small bits of water. Inclusions or traces of other materials are left in a gem when they are forming. They are more commonly found in natural gems.
ReplyDeleteMiles C 7* said...
ReplyDeleteIn order to make a gem in a laboratory,
chatham used the same processes that would happen to the gems underground or by creating all new processes.These lab made gems can be of much use, though. They can be used to make tools, such as lasers and drills. Lab made diamonds could even help scientists improve electronic devices or detect dangerous bacteria in drinking water. The lab made gems have the same appearence and basic chemical structures as the natural ones. The only difference is that the lab made ones can be made in a few months or even days, compared to millions of years of waiting for a gem to form underground.
In this article, Chatham, a scientist, found a way to duplicate gemstones. The reason how Chatham created gemstones by mimicking the process that occurs underground or by coming up with entirely new processes. What he does is melts the ingredients or dissolve them in water of other chemicals. These manmade gemstones are used for rings, necklaces, lasers, drills, and cellphones. The gemstones have the same appearances as there originals, but maybe purer or tougher.
ReplyDelete