Pilot (Farscape race)

Pilot is the only name given to members of a particular fictional race from the Farscape universe. It may additionally be the name of the race as a whole.

Pilots are large crustacean-like creatures that have four arms on their upper half and a lower half adapted to bond with a Leviathan spacecraft. They have a very rich and complex language that is too advanced for translator microbes to interpret unless spoken in very simple form. One sentence in this language can communicate the same amount of information as dozens of sentences in other languages.

The primary distinction of Pilots is their ability to bond with Leviathan spacecraft. When bonded, they do so for life, and die with their Leviathan; they can no longer exist independently for more than an hour or so. Leviathans can live about 300 cycles (slightly longer than 300 Earth years).

Pilots are chosen for bonding from among the population by their Elders, and are carefully screened for maturity and ability. The bonding process itself takes several cycles to complete naturally, although there are methods to artificially accelerate it. However, some of these methods cause severe pain for the pilot over the entire length of time it is bonded to the Leviathan.

Pilots choose to bond because it is their only means of space travel, though further details on this limitation are not given. Pilots staying on their home planet can live up to 1,000 cycles (alightly more than 1,000 Earth years), so bonding with a Leviathan causes them to lose a significant amount of their lifespan. They are willing to make this sacrifice in order to travel the galaxy.

Pilots possess the ability to multitask, necessary for their simultaneous handling of the many systems aboard a Leviathan required by its passengers. The Leviathan’s vital systems, however, are not affected by the absence of a Pilot. Pilots also have the ability to regenerate severed arms. The process takes at least several solar days, though exactly how long is unclear.

Much of what is known about them comes from the Pilot of the Leviathan Moya, known only as Pilot. It is indicated that all bonded members of the Pilot race become known only as “Pilot”. Any other naming conventions held by them are unknown.

Information

Enamelin

Enamelin is a protein found in developing tooth enamel. About 30 % of developing enamel consists of protein of which enamelins comprise <1%. Enamelin is not a proteolytic enazyme and does not degrade other enamel proteins.
Other significant proteins in enamel are amelogenins, ameloblastins, and tuftelins.

Information

Remnant (band)

Remnant is a Roman Catholic band formed in 1998 in Arlington, Texas. Remnant was one of 250 performers selected to play at World Youth Day in Toronto, Canada in July 2002. In December 2006 Remnant released a CD, 37 Past Nine.


Current members

  • Matt Gill (lead vocals, guitar)
  • Angela Ausumus Gill (vocals)
  • Jason Spoolstra (manager, acoustic)
  • Noah Galaviz (lead guitar, vocals)
  • Greg Stone (bass guitar, vocals)
  • Leonard Ehalt (electric guitar, vocals)
  • Lucas Wynn (acoustic guitar)
  • Matt Kalina (acoustic guitar, vocals)
  • Justin Portillo (drums, percussion)


Albums

Remnant has just released their new album, 37 past 9.

  • Threshold of Hope (2001)
  • Consumed (2002)
  • Infinity and Beyond (2003)
  • Divine Mercy Chaplet (2004)
  • 37 past 9 (2006)

Remnant’s albums “Infinity and Beyond”, “Divine Mercy Chaplet” and “37 past 9″ can be heard for free on the [Remnant Radio].


External links

  • Official Site

Information

Stay of proceedings

In civil procedure and criminal procedure, a stay of proceedings is a ruling by the court halting further legal process in a trial. The court can subsequently lift the stay and resume proceedings. However, a stay is sometimes used as a device to postpone proceedings indefinitely.


UK

In UK civil procedure, stay of proceedings is governed by the Civil Procedure Rules 1998. In criminal trials, it is governed by the Prosecution of Offences Act 1985.


References

Information

Pattern directed invocation programming language

In computer science pattern-directed invocation programming languages are programming languages in which procedures are invoked indirectly by specifying a pattern for a set of procedures as opposed to specifying one directly by name, pointer, URL, etc. as in conventional programming. These languages were initiated by Planner which featured high level plans invoked by patterns for assertions and goals. They include logic programming languages such as Prolog as a special case. Ether was a pattern-directed invocation language introduced in the Scientific Community Metaphor.

Information

Western Music Association

The Western Music Association was incorporated in 1989 to promote western music as well as the history and literature of the American West.

The WMA stages the International Western Music Festival every November during which it announces winners in several different categories; including Traditional Western Duo/Group of the Year, Traditional Western Album of the Year, Song of the Year, Songwriter of the Year, Male and Female Performers of the Year, etc.

It also publishes The Western Way, said to be the only professional magazine dedicated to the promotion of western music.


External links

  • Western Music Association

Information

Selective Ultraviolet Phototherapy

Selective Ultraviolet Phototherapy is a form of treatment for certain skin disorders (including atopic skin disorder and vitiligo when used with psoralen to form the PUVA treatment) It consists mostly of the UVA band of ultraviolet light (fairly closely matching the ultraviolet output from the sun) and is usually delivered from a fluorescent bulb specially designed to output this frequency of ultraviolet.

This treatment is similar to the light from good quality solariums but differs from the mainly UVB ultraviolet band used to treat psoriasis.

Information

MRS

MRS can refer to:

  • Marginal rate of substitution (economics)
  • Magnetic resonance spectroscopy
  • Materials Receipt Sheet
  • MRS degree
  • Materials Research Society
  • The Market Research Society
  • Minimal Recursion Semantics (linguistics)
  • MRS suit (a type of breathing apparatus)
  • Marseille Provence Airport, IATA airport code
  • MRS Logística S.A.

Information

Carbamide peroxide

Carbamide peroxide, also called urea peroxide, is an oxidising agent, consisting of hydrogen peroxide compounded with urea. The molecular formula is CH6N2O3, or CH4N2O.H2O2. It is white crystalline material that releases oxygen in contact with water.


Uses

This chemical is commonly encountered in cosmetic dentistry, where it is used to “bleach” teeth. The active ingredient is hydrogen peroxide, which acts to oxidise interprismatic extrinsic staining within tooth enamel. There are several methods of applying the peroxide gel to the tooth ranging from night-guard application at home or in-surgery application. The bleaching obtained is proportional to the length of time the peroxide is applied to the tooth, and the concentration used. The concentration most commonly used for tooth whitening purposes is 22%

Another application for this chemical is in hair dyes where oxidizing agents are required.

The chemical is a skin, eye and respiratory irritant. It is also corrosive and causes burns. It doesn’t hurt at 10% concentration (3% peroxide equivalent) but it does hurt at 35% equivalent, causing white chemical burns on skin and gums alike.

A 6.5% concentration solution is used to loosen and remove earwax. A 10% solution in glycerol is used to treat ulcers and other lesions in the mouth, and is sold under the trade-name Gly-Oxide.

Information

Hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) is a very pale blue liquid which appears colourless in a dilute solution, slightly more viscous than water. It is a weak acid. It has strong oxidizing properties and is therefore a powerful bleaching agent that is mostly used for bleaching paper, but has also found use as a disinfectant, as an oxidizer, and in rocketry (particularly in high concentrations as high-test peroxide (HTP) as a monopropellant), and in bipropellant systems.


History

Hydrogen peroxide was first isolated in 1818 by Louis Jacques Thénard by reacting barium peroxide with nitric acid. An improved version of this process used hydrochloric acid, followed by sulfuric acid to precipitate the barium sulfate byproduct. Thenard’s process was used from the end of the 19th century until the middle of the 20th century.<ref>C. W. Jones, J. H. Clark. Applications of Hydrogen Peroxide and Deriatives. Royal Society of Chemistry, 1999.</ref> Modern production methods are discussed below.


Uses


Industrial applications

About 50% of the world’s production of hydrogen peroxide in 1994 was used for pulp- and paper-bleaching. Other bleaching applications are becoming more important as hydrogen peroxide is seen as an environmentally benign alternative to chlorine-based bleaches.

Other major industrial applications for hydrogen peroxide include the manufacture of sodium percarbonate and sodium perborate, used as mild bleaches in laundry detergents. It is used in the production of certain organic peroxides such as dibenzoyl peroxide, used in polymerisations and other chemical processes. Hydrogen peroxide is also used in the production of epoxides such as propylene oxide. Reaction with carboxylic acids produces a corresponding peroxy acid. Peracetic acid and meta-chloroperoxybenzoic acid (commonly abbreviated mCPBA) are prepared from acetic acid and meta-chlorobenzoic acid, respectively. The latter is commonly reacted with alkenes to give the corresponding epoxide.
In PCB manufacturing process, hydrogen peroxide mixed with sulfuric acid was used as the microetch chemical for copper surface roughening preparation.

New industrial and home applications may be developed with the discovery of a catalytic reaction using powdered precious metal-based catalyst, hydrogen peroxide and methyl alcohol <ref>The Society Of Chemical Industry article (Googol cached article) re: new hydrogen peroxide/methyl alchohol catalyst
http://64.233.183.104/search?q=cache:1lgZX4TmL0MJ:www.soci.org/SCI/general/2007/html/ge630.jsp+%22Portable,+superheated,+high+pressure+steam+that+could+be+used+in+applications%22&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1</ref>. A small plastic bottle incorporating these can produce superheated steam in one to two seconds releasing only CO2 and high temperature steam for a variety of purposes.


Domestic uses

  • Diluted H2O2 (around 3%) is used to bleach human hair, hence the phrase “peroxide blonde”. It is absorbed by skin upon contact and creates a local skin capillary embolism which appears as a temporary whitening of the skin. It is used to whiten bones that are to be put on display.
  • 3% H2O2 is used medically for cleaning wounds, removing dead tissue, and as an oral debriding agent. Most over-the-counter peroxide solutions are not suitable for ingestion.
  • The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has classified hydrogen peroxide as a Low Regulatory Priority (LRP) drug for use in controlling fungus on fish and fish eggs. (See ectoparasite.)
  • Some gardeners and users of hydroponics advocate the use of hydrogen peroxide in watering solutions. They claim that its spontaneous decomposition releases oxygen that enhances a plant’s root development and helps to treat root rot (cellular root death due to lack of oxygen).
  • Laboratory tests conducted by fish culturists in recent years have demonstrated that common household hydrogen peroxide can be used safely to provide oxygen for small fish.<ref>Great-lakes.org</ref><ref>fws.gov</ref> Hydrogen peroxide releases oxygen by decomposition when it is exposed to catalysts such as manganese dioxide.
  • Hydrogen peroxide is a strong oxidizer effective in controlling sulfide and organic related odors in wastewater collection and treatment systems. It is typically applied to a wastewater system where there is a retention time of 30 minutes to 5 hours before hydrogen sulfide is released. Hydrogen peroxide oxidizes the hydrogen sulfide and promotes bio-oxidation of organic odors. Hydrogen peroxide decomposes to oxygen and water, adding dissolved oxygen to the system thereby negating some Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD).
  • Commercial peroxide, as bought at the drugstore in a 2.5%-3% solution, can be used to remove bloodstains from fabrics, although it will bleach or discolor many fabrics. If a little peroxide is poured onto the stain it will bubble up in the area of the blood, due to a reaction with catalase.[1] After a few minutes the excess liquid can be wiped up with a cloth or paper towel and the stain will be gone.
  • Hydrogen peroxide is used with phenyl oxalate ester and an appropriate dye in glow sticks as an oxidizing agent. It reacts with the ester to form an unstable CO2 dimer which excites the dye to an excited state; the dye emits a photon (light) when it spontaneously relaxes back to the ground state.
  • Hydrogen peroxide is used as a disinfectant in CIBA Vision’s Clear Care no rub contact lens cleaning solution.


Storage

Regulations vary, but low concentrations, such as 2.5% are widely available and legal to buy for medical use. Small quantities of many different concentrations and grades can be legally stored and used with few regulations.

Hydrogen peroxide should be stored in a container made from a material that it doesn’t react with and doesn’t catalyze its decomposition. Numerous materials and processes are available, some stainless steels, many plastics, glasses and some aluminium alloys are compatible.<ref>Ozonelab Peroxide compatibility</ref>

Peroxide is a strong oxidant and should be stored away from fuel sources and sources of catalytic contamination (see decomposition section). Apart from obvious fire risks, peroxide vapour can react with hydrocarbons and alcohols to form contact explosives. Because oxygen is formed during the natural decomposition of the peroxide, the resulting increase in pressure can cause a container (e.g. made of glass) to shatter. Peroxide should be kept cool, as peroxide vapour can detonate above 70 °C. Deaths have occurred from storage in inadequately labeled containers due to its apparent similarity to water.


Use as propellant

H2O2 can be used either as a monopropellant (not mixed with fuel) or as the oxidizer component of a bipropellant rocket. Use as a monopropellant takes advantage of the decomposition of 70–98+% concentration hydrogen peroxide into steam and oxygen. The propellant is pumped into a reaction chamber where a catalyst, usually a silver or platinum screen, triggers decomposition, producing steam at over 600 °C which is expelled through a nozzle, generating thrust. H2O2 monopropellant produces a maximum specific impulse (Isp) of 161 s (1.6 kN·s/kg), which makes it a low-performance monopropellant. Peroxide generates much less thrust than toxic hydrazine, but is not toxic. The Bell Rocket Belt used hydrogen peroxide monopropellant.

As a bipropellant H2O2 is decomposed to burn a fuel as an oxidizer. Specific impulses as high as 350 s (3.5 kN·s/kg) can be achieved, depending on the fuel. Peroxide used as an oxidizer gives a somewhat lower Isp than liquid oxygen, but is dense, storable, noncryogenic and can be more easily used to drive gas turbines to give high pressures. It can also be used for regenerative cooling of rocket engines. Peroxide was used very successfully as an oxidizer in World-War-II German rockets (e.g. T-Stoff for the Me-163), and for the low-cost British Black Knight and Black Arrow launchers.

In the 1940s and 1950s the Walter turbine used hydrogen peroxide for use in submarines while submerged; it was found to be too noisy and require too much maintenance compared to diesel-electric power systems. Some torpedoes used hydrogen peroxide as oxidizer or propellant, but this was dangerous and has been discontinued by most navies. Hydrogen peroxide leaks were blamed for the sinkings of HMS Sidon and the Russian submarine Kursk. It was discovered, for example, by the Japanese Navy in torpedo trials, that the concentration of H2O2 in right-angle bends in HTP pipework can often lead to explosions in submarines and torpedoes. Hydrogen peroxide is still used on Soyuz for driving gas turbines to power turbopumps, however. SAAB Underwater Systems is manufacturing the Torpedo 2000. This torpedo, used by the Swedish navy, is powered by a piston engine propelled by HTP as an oxidizer and kerosene as a fuel in a bipropellant system<ref></ref>.

While rarely used now as a monopropellant for large engines, small hydrogen peroxide attitude control thrusters are still in use on some satellites. They are easy to throttle, and safer to fuel and handle before launch than hydrazine thrusters. However, hydrazine is more often used in spacecraft because of its higher specific impulse and lower rate of decomposition.

Recently H2O2/propylene has been proposed as an approach to inexpensive Single Stage To Orbit: a fuel tank containing propylene has a bladder floating in it containing H2O2. This combination offers 15% superior ISP to O2/RP4 (a kerosene used as rocket propellant), does not need turbines or cryogenic storage or hardware, and greatly reduces the cost of the booster. The potential of this and other alternative systems is discussed in some detail at Dunn Engineering.


Therapeutic use

Hydrogen peroxide is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) as an antimicrobial agent, an oxidizing agent and for other purposes by the US Food and Drug Administration.<ref></ref>

Hydrogen peroxide has been used as an antiseptic and anti-bacterial agent for many years due to its oxidizing effect. While its use has decreased in recent years with the popularity of better-smelling and more readily-available over the counter products, it is still used by many hospitals, doctors and dentists in sterilizing, cleaning and treating everything from floors to root canal procedures.

  • Hydrogen peroxide can be used as a toothpaste when mixed with correct quantities of baking soda and salt.<ref></ref>
  • Hydrogen peroxide and benzoyl peroxide are sometimes used to treat acne.<ref></ref>
  • Hydrogen peroxide is used as an emetic in veterinary practice.<ref></ref>
“Alternative” uses
  • Some people have tried using peroxide as a treatment for cancer. The American Cancer Society states that “there is no scientific evidence that hydrogen peroxide is a safe, effective or useful cancer treatment”, and advises cancer patients to “remain in the care of qualified doctors who use proven methods of treatment and approved clinical trials of promising new treatments.” <ref></ref>
  • Another controversial alternative medical procedure is inhalation of hydrogen peroxide at a concentration of about 1%. Internal use of hydrogen peroxide has a history of causing fatal blood disorders, and its recent use as a therapeutic treatment has been linked to several deaths.<ref></ref><ref></ref>


Physical properties

While the anti conformer would minimize steric repulsions, a 90° torsion angle would optimize mixing between the filled p-type orbital of the oxygen (one of the lone pairs) and the LUMO of the vicinal O-H bond.<ref></ref> Reflecting a compromise between the two interactions, gaseous and liquid hydrogen peroxide adopts an anticlinal “skewed” shape. This rotational conformation is a compromise between the anti conformer, which would minimize steric repulsion, and between the syn conformer that associates O-H bonds with lone pairs on the oxygen atoms. Despite the fact that the O-O bond is a single bond, the molecule has a remarkably high barrier to complete rotation of 29.45 kJ/mol (compared with 12.5 kJ/mol for the rotational barrier of ethane). The increased barrier is also attributed to repulsion between one lone pair and other lone pairs. The bond angles are affected by hydrogen bonding, which is relevant to the structural difference between gaseous and crystalline forms; indeed a wide range of values is seen in crystals containing molecular H2O2.


Chemical properties

H2O2 is one of the most powerful oxidizers known — stronger than chlorine, chlorine dioxide, and potassium permanganate. And through catalysis, H2O2 can be converted into hydroxyl radicals (.OH) with reactivity second only to fluorine.

Oxidant Oxidation potential, V
Fluorine 3.0
Hydroxyl radical 2.8
Ozone 2.1
Hydrogen peroxide 1.8
Potassium permanganate 1.7
Chlorine dioxide 1.5
Chlorine 1.4

Hydrogen peroxide can decompose spontaneously into water and oxygen. It usually acts as an oxidizing agent, but there are many reactions where it acts as a reducing agent, releasing oxygen as a by-product.

It also readily forms both inorganic and organic peroxides.


Decomposition

Hydrogen peroxide always decomposes (disproportionates) exothermically into water and oxygen gas spontaneously:

2 H2O2 → 2 H2O + O2

This process is very favorable; it has a ΔHo of −98.2 kJ·mol−1 and a ΔGo of −119.2 kJ·mol−1 and a ΔS of 70.5 J·mol−1·K−1. The rate of decomposition is dependent on the temperature and concentration of the peroxide, as well as the pH and the presence of impurities and stabilizers. Hydrogen peroxide is incompatible with many substances that catalyse its decomposition, including most of the transition metals and their compounds. Common catalysts include manganese dioxide, and silver. The same reaction is catalysed by the enzyme catalase, found in the liver, whose main function in the body is the removal of toxic byproducts of metabolism and the reduction of oxidative stress. The decomposition occurs more rapidly in alkali, so acid is often added as a stabilizer.

The liberation of oxygen and energy in the decomposition has dangerous side effects. Spilling high concentration peroxide on a flammable substance can cause an immediate fire, which is further fueled by the oxygen released by the decomposing hydrogen peroxide. High-strength peroxide (also called high-test peroxide, or HTP) must be stored in a suitable, vented container to prevent the buildup of oxygen gas, which would otherwise lead to the eventual rupture of the container.

In the presence of certain catalysts, such as Fe2+ or Ti3+, the decomposition may take a different path, with free radicals such as HO· (hydroxyl) and HOO· being formed. A combination of H2O2 and Fe2+ is known as Fenton’s reagent.

A common concentration for hydrogen peroxide is “20 volume”, which means that when 1 volume of hydrogen peroxide is decomposed, it produces 20 volumes of oxygen. This is equivalent to about 6% or 1.7M.

Hydrogen peroxide available at drug stores is three percent solution. In such small concentrations, it is less stable, and decomposes faster. It is usually stabilized with acetanilide, a substance that has toxic side effects in significant amounts.


Redox reactions

In aqueous solution, hydrogen peroxide can oxidize or reduce a variety of inorganic ions. When it acts as a reducing agent, oxygen gas is also produced. In acid solution Fe2+ is oxidized to Fe3+,

[[2 Fe2+]](aq) + H2O2 + 2 H+(aq) → 2 [[Fe3+]](aq) + 2H2O(l)

and sulfite (SO32−) is oxidized to sulfate (SO42−). However, potassium permanganate is reduced to Mn2+ by acidic H2O2. Under alkaline conditions, however, some of these reactions reverse; for example, Mn2+ is oxidized to Mn4+ (as MnO2).

Another example of hydrogen peroxide acting as a reducing agent is the reaction with Sodium hypochlorite, this is a convenient method for preparing oxygen in the laboratory.

NaOCl + H2O2 → O2 + NaCl + H2O

Hydrogen peroxide is frequently used as an oxidizing agent in organic chemistry. One application is for the oxidation of thioethers to sulfoxides. For example, methyl phenyl sulfide was oxidised to methyl phenyl sulfoxide in 99% yield in methanol in 18 hours (or 20 minutes using a TiCl3 catalyst):

Ph-S-CH3 + H2O2 → Ph-S(O)-CH3 + H2O

Alkaline hydrogen peroxide is used for epoxidation of electron-deficient alkenes such as acrylic acids, and also for oxidation of alkylboranes to alcohols, the second step of hydroboration-oxidation.


Formation of peroxide compounds

Hydrogen peroxide is a weak acid, and it can form hydroperoxide or peroxide salts or derivatives of many metals.

For example, on addition to an aqueous solution of chromic acid (CrO3) or acidic solutions of dichromate salts, it will form an unstable blue peroxide CrO(O2)2. In aqueous solution it rapidly decomposes to form oxygen gas and chromium salts.

It can also produce peroxoanions by reaction with anions; for example, reaction with borax leads to sodium perborate, a bleach used in laundry detergents:

Na2B4O7 + 4 H2O2 + 2 NaOH → 2 Na2B2O4(OH)4 + H2O

H2O2 converts carboxylic acids (RCOOH) into peroxy acids (RCOOOH), which are themselves used as oxidizing agents. Hydrogen peroxide reacts with acetone to form acetone peroxide, and it interacts with ozone to form hydrogen trioxide. Reaction with urea produces carbamide peroxide, used for whitening teeth. An acid-base adduct with triphenylphosphine oxide is a useful “carrier” for H2O2 in some reactions.

Hydrogen peroxide reacts with ozone to form trioxidane.


Alkalinity

Hydrogen peroxide is a much weaker base than water, but it can still form adducts with very strong acids. The superacid HF/SbF5 forms unstable compounds containing the [H3O2]+ ion.


Manufacture

Hydrogen peroxide is manufactured today almost exclusively by the autoxidation of 2-ethyl-9,10-dihydroxyanthracene (C16H14O2) to 2-ethylanthraquinone (C16H12O2) and hydrogen peroxide using oxygen from the air. In this reaction, the hydroxy groups on the middle ring of anthracene are deprotonated and are turned into ketones, while two double bonds are lost from the middle ring and are replaced as C=O double bonds in the ketone groups. The anthraquinone derivative is then extracted out and reduced back to the dihydroxy compound using hydrogen gas in the presence of a metal catalyst. The overall equation for the process is deceptively simple:

H2 + O2 → H2O2

However the economics of the process depend on effective recycling of the quinone and extraction solvents, and of the hydrogenation catalyst.

Formerly inorganic processes were used, employing the electrolysis of an aqueous solution of sulfuric acid or acidic ammonium bisulfate (NH4HSO4), followed by hydrolysis of the peroxydisulfate ((SO4)2)2− which is formed.

In 1994, world production of H2O2 was around 1.9 million tonnes, most of which was at a concentration of 70% or less. In that year bulk 30% H2O2 sold for around US $0.54 per kg, equivalent to US $1.50 per kg (US $0.68 per lb) on a “100% basis”.


Concentration

Hydrogen peroxide works best as a propellant in extremely high concentrations– roughly over 70%. Although any concentration of peroxide will generate some hot gas (oxygen plus some steam), at concentrations above approximately 67%, the heat of decomposing hydrogen peroxide becomes large enough to completely vaporize all the liquid at standard temperature. This represents a safety and utilization turning point, since decomposition of any concentration above this amount is capable of transforming the liquid entirely to heated gas (the higher the concentration, the hotter the resulting gas). This very hot steam/oxygen mixture can then be used to generate maximal thrust, power, or work, but it also makes explosive decomposition of the material far more hazardous.

Normal propellant grade concentrations therefore vary from 70 to 98%, with common grades of 70, 85, 90, and 98%. Many of these grades and variations are described in detail in the United States propellant specification number MIL-P-16005 Revision F, which is currently available. The available suppliers of high concentration propellant grade hydrogen peroxide are generally one of the large commercial companies which make other grades of hydrogen peroxide; including Solvay Interox, FMC, Degussa and Peroxide Propulsion. Other companies which have made propellant grade hydrogen peroxide in the recent past include Air Liquide and DuPont. DuPont recently sold its hydrogen peroxide manufacturing business to Degussa.

Propellant grade hydrogen peroxide is available to qualified buyers. Typically this chemical is only sold to commercial companies or government institutions which have the ability to properly handle and utilize the material. Non-professionals have purchased 70% or lower concentration hydrogen peroxide (the remaining 30% is water with traces of impurities and stabilizing materials, such as tin salts, phosphates, nitrates, and other chemical additives), and increased its concentration themselves. Many amateurs try distillation, but this is extremely dangerous with hydrogen peroxide; peroxide vapor can ignite or detonate depending on specific combinations of temperature and pressure. In general any boiling mass of high concentration hydrogen peroxide at ambient pressure will produce vapor phase hydrogen peroxide which can detonate. This hazard is mitigated, but not entirely eliminated with vacuum distillation. Other approaches for concentrating hydrogen peroxide are sparging and fractional crystallization.

High concentration hydrogen peroxide is readily available in 70, 90, and 98% concentrations in sizes of 1 gallon, 30 gallon, and bulk tanker truck volumes. Propellant grade hydrogen peroxide is being used on current military systems and is in numerous defense and aerospace research and development programs. Many privately funded rocket companies are using hydrogen peroxide, notably Blue Origin, and some amateur groups have expressed interest in manufacturing their own peroxide, for their use and for sale in small quantities to others.


Hazards

Hydrogen peroxide, either in pure or diluted form, can pose several risks:

  • Above roughly 70% concentrations, hydrogen peroxide can give off vapor that can detonate above 70 °C (158 °F) at normal atmospheric pressure. This can then cause a boiling liquid expanding vapor explosion (BLEVE) of the remaining liquid. Distillation of hydrogen peroxide at normal pressures is thus highly dangerous.
  • Hydrogen peroxide vapors can form sensitive contact explosives with hydrocarbons such as greases. Hazardous reactions ranging from ignition to explosion have been reported with alcohols, ketones, carboxylic acids (particularly acetic acid), amines and phosphorus. The saying is ‘peroxides kill chemists’.
  • Hydrogen peroxide, if spilled on clothing (or other flammable materials), will preferentially evaporate water until the concentration reaches sufficient strength, then clothing will spontaneously ignite. Leather generally contains metal ions from the tanning process and will often catch fire almost immediately.<ref>Armadilloaerospace material tests with HTP</ref>
  • Concentrated hydrogen peroxide (>50%) is corrosive, and even domestic-strength solutions can cause irritation to the eyes, mucous membranes and skin.<ref>For example, see an MSDS for a 3% peroxide solution.</ref> Swallowing hydrogen peroxide solutions is particularly dangerous, as decomposition in the stomach releases large quantities of gas (10 times the volume of a 3% solution) leading to internal bleeding. Inhaling over 10% can cause severe pulmonary irritation.
  • Low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide, on the order of 3% or less, will chemically stain any clothing it comes into contact with a pinkish hue. Caution should be exercised when using common products that may contain hydrogen peroxide, such as facial cleaner or contact lens solution, which easily splatter upon other surfaces.

Hydrogen peroxide is naturally produced as a byproduct of oxygen metabolism, and virtually all organisms possess enzymes known as peroxidases, which apparently harmlessly catalytically decomposes low concentrations of hydrogen peroxide to water and oxygen (see Decomposition above).

In one incident, several people were injured after a hydrogen peroxide spill on board Northwest Airlines Flight 957 because they mistook it for water.<ref>Hazardous Materials Incident Brief DCA-99-MZ-001, “Spill of undeclared shipment of hazardous materials in cargo compartment of aircraft”. pub: National Transportation Safety Board. October 28, 1998; adopted May 17, 2000.</ref>

Hydrogen peroxide was also part of the ingredients in the July 21, 2005 London Underground bombs, which failed to explode.<ref>Four Men Found Guilty in Plot to Blow Up London’s Transit System, “FOXNews.com”. (July 9, 2007)</ref>

An MSDS will contain more information on the risks of working with this chemical.


References

  • J. Drabowicz et al., in The Syntheses of Sulphones, Sulphoxides and Cyclic Sulphides, p112-116, G. Capozzi et al., eds., John Wiley & Sons, Chichester, UK, 1994. ISBN 0-471-93970-6.
  • N. N. Greenwood, A. Earnshaw, Chemistry of the Elements, 2nd ed., Butterworth-Heinemann, Oxford, UK, 1997. A great description of properties & chemistry of H2O2.
  • J. March, Advanced Organic Chemistry, 4th ed., p. 723, Wiley, New York, 1992.
  • W. T. Hess, Hydrogen Peroxide, in Kirk-Othmer Encyclopedia of Chemical Technology, 4th edition, Wiley, New York, Vol. 13, 961-995 (1995).


External links

  • Material Safety Data Sheet
  • ATSDR Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry FAQ
  • Experimental Rocket Propulsion Society
  • Computational Chemistry Wiki
  • International Chemical Safety Card 0164
  • NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards
  • IARC Monograph “Hydrogen Peroxide”
  • General Kinetics Inc. Hydrogen Peroxide Rocket Engines and Gas Generators
  • Oxygenation Therapy:Unproven Treatments for Cancer and AIDS
  • H2O2 and HYPER OXYGEN THERAPY
  • Explosion of a lorry carrying hydrogen peroxide closes M25 motorway.
  • Hydrogen Peroxide in the Human Body
  • Information on many common uses for hydrogen peroxide, especially household uses.
  • Hydrogen peroxide in tooth whiteners summary by GreenFacts of the European Commission SCCP assessment

Information

Cosmetic dentistry

Cosmetic dentistry is a discipline within dentistry in which the primary focus is the modification of appearance of a patient’s oral cavity and surrounding structures, in conjunction with the prevention and treatment of organic, structural, or functional oral disease. Through cosmetic dentistry, the appearance of the mouth can be altered to more closely match the patient’s subjective concept of what is visually pleasing.


Materials

In the past, dental fillings and other tooth restorations were made of gold, amalgam and other metals — some of which were veneered with porcelain. Now, dental work can be made entirely of porcelain or composite materials that more closely mimic the appearance of natural tooth structure. These tooth colored materials are bonded to the underlying tooth structure with resin adhesives. Unlike silver fillings (amalgams) they are entirely free of mercury. Many dentists offer procedures to be cosmetic and because their patients prefer natural looking teeth.


Treatments

Today’s common cosmetic dental treatment options include:

  • Whitening, or “tooth bleaching”, is the most commonly prescribed cosmetic dental procedure. While many whitening options are now available, dentist-supervised treatments remain the recommended procedures for lightening discolored teeth.
  • Enamel shaping removes parts of the contouring enamel to improve the appearance of the tooth.[1] It may be used to correct a very small chip. The removed enamel is irreplaceable. It is also known as enameloplasty, odontoplasty, recontouring, reshaping, slenderizing, and stripping.
  • Bonding is an option for chipped or cracked teeth. It is a process in which an enamel-like dental composite material is applied to a tooth’s surface, sculpted into shape, hardened, and then polished.
  • Veneers, ultra-thin, custom-made laminates that are bonded directly to the teeth, are an increasingly popular procedure. They are an option for closing gaps or disguising discolored teeth that did not respond well to whitening procedures.

Information

Australian Dental Association

The Australian Dental Association, established on 19 June 1928, is an Australian professional organisation of dentists which has as its aim the encouragement of the dental health of the public and the promotion of the art and science of dentistry. There are Branches of the Association in all States and a Provisional Branch in the Northern Territory; its national secretariat is located in Sydney. Membership is voluntary and over 90% of dentists in Australia are members. This membership implies an obligation for members to practise their profession in accordance with the high standards laid down by the Association.

The ADA is active in raising public awareness over a number of dental-related issues, such as the promoting of water fluoridation (notably for Brisbane, the only Australian state capital which does not practice water fluoridation); the wearing of mouthguards during sporting activities; and the warning against tongue piercing as a dental health hazard.


External links

The Australian Dental Association Website

Information

Free (album)

Free is the name of the following albums:

  • Free, by Free
  • Free, by For Real
  • Free, by OSI
  • Free, by Libera
  • Free, by Marcus Miller

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Dental lamina

The dental lamina is a band of epithelial tissue seen in histologic sections of a developing tooth. The dental lamina is first evidence of tooth development and begins at the sixth week in utero or three weeks after the rupture of the buccopharyngeal membrane. It is formed when cells of the oral ectoderm proliferate faster than cells of other areas. Best described as an in-growth of ectomesenchyme tissue, the dental lamina is frequently distinguished from the vestibular lamina, which develops concurrently. When it is present, the dental lamina connects the developing tooth bud to the epithelium of the oral cavity. Eventually, the dental lamina disintegrates into small clusters of epithelium and is resorbed. In situations when the clusters are not resorbed, eruption cysts are formed over the developing tooth and delay its eruption into the oral cavity.


References

  • Cate, A.R. Ten. Oral Histology: development, structure, and function. 5th ed. 1998. ISBN 0-8151-2952-1.
  • Brand, Richard Isselhard, Donald. Anatomy of Orofacial Structures (Anatomy of Orofacial Structures. Mosby. 7 edition (March 4, 2003). ISBN-10: 0323019544.
  • Bhaskar, S.N. Orban’s Oral Histology and Embryology. 11th ed. 1991. ISBN 81-8147-012-5.

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Tooth of Time

The Tooth of Time is an igneous intrusion of dacite porphyry formed in the Tertiary period of the Cenozoic era some 22-40 million years ago. The Tooth is located five miles southwest of Cimarron, New Mexico, USA and is on the property of Philmont Scout Ranch, and is one of Philmont’s most popular sights.

The Tooth rises prominently from the valley floor, some 2,500 feet below, creating a sheer vertical face unable to support substantial plant life. Both its pinkish-gray color and its unusual shape make it a particularly notable geological landmark. It was well-known among the overland traders on the Santa Fe Trail, who used it to mark the final three week push to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

The Tooth was formed when magma from the Earth’s mantle rose through older rock layers via convection and slowly cooled. Over many thousands of years, the older sedimentary rock eroded and left the harder igneous formation. The sedimentary rock acted as a mold for the intrusive magma, causing it to harden and cool where the sedimentary rock was strongest.

The Tooth sits atop a prominent ridge created through the process mentioned above. In the fourth episode of the TV mini-series western Lonesome Dove, the Tooth is readily visible as Pea Eye Parker, one of the protagonists, walks across the plain towards the cattle herd.


See also


External links

  • Satellite image of Tooth Ridge
  • Official website of Philmont Scout Ranch

Information

John Small

John Small may refer to:

  • John Small (cricketer) (1737 - 1826), English cricketer
  • John Small (1746-1841), a political figure in Upper Canada
  • John Small (Member of Parliament) (1831 - 1909), a member of the Canadian House of Commons
  • John Small (keyboardist), also former bassist of the Pat McGee Band
  • John Small (National Football League player), a former American NFL player.

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Shopping channel

Shopping channels are television specialty channels that present shopping related content, particularly for home shopping enthusiasts.

Home shopping pioneers:

  • Bob Circosta
  • Barry Diller
  • Bud Paxson
  • Joseph Segel

Popular American home shopping channels:

  • America’s Store
  • Home Shopping Network
  • QVC
  • Shop at Home Network
  • ShopNBC
  • The Jewelry Channel

Popular Australian home shopping channels:

  • Expo Channel
  • TVSN

Popular British home shopping channels:

  • QVC UK
  • iBuy - Closed
  • Ideal World
  • Screenshop
  • price-drop tv
  • The Jewellery Channel
  • bid tv
  • speed auction tv
  • Gems TV
  • Vector Direct

Popular Canadian home shopping channels:

  • Shopping TVA
  • ShopTV Canada
  • TATV
  • The Shopping Channel

Popular European home shopping channels:

  • Home Shopping Europe
  • TV SHOP

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Guardian Exchange

Guardian Exchange was an underground telephone exchange built in Manchester in the 1950s. It was built together with the Anchor Exchange in Birmingham and the Kingsway exchange in London to provide hardened communications in the event of nuclear war. In common with most civil defence structures of the time it was designed to withstand atomic bombs although would not have survived a direct hit.

The tunnels are now just used for BT cables. A fire in the tunnels on 29 March, 2004 caused 130,000 telephone lines in Manchester to be cut off.


External links

  • Cold-War History in Manchester: The Guardian Underground Telephone Exchange
  • BBC News report on the fire

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