These fascinating explosives have drastically changed our world, while at war or at construction of innovative industries. What many people and I didn’t know is the connection between dangerous explosives and silk. How are these two, very different, substances related to one another? Explosives are powerful and combustible; on the other hand, silk is a soft, durable, luxurious, strong, shiny, and easy to dye fabric. It is all due to its chemical structure that includes some of the chemical properties that explosives consist of. Silk is a natural protein fiber that is made up of 22 different amino acids. The most common amino acids found in silk are glycine, alanine, and serine. Plus they have the smallest side groups from all the amino acids which are important for the special properties of silk. By being a polymer, silk does not have the same repeating units in a chain because the side groups are the ones that differ. Some of the information given from the history of silk was not all surprising. I knew the basic details like where it was originally developed from the animal that produces silk to the animal's diet. But it was interesting to find out the caring of the silkworms and the manufacturing process. Because silk was in great demand and so expensive there had to be a better material made for the general public. A whole new era was beginning to form by an artificial silk called nylon. Nylons main use was in the hosiery and military business. Both products contributed in the huge changes in society from opening new trade routes to establishing factories in many countries.
I knew that silk was quite a prestigious item to own, but what i did not know was that it's production started in China- coming from a silkwork known as Bombyx mori- cute name!What was really interesting to find out was the quanity of eggs a silkworm moth lays - five hunderd- over a 5 day period!!Incredible. As i was reading I came across the word "voraciously", and i stoped, and wonder what could it possibly mean and well i found out! its -craving or consuming large quantities of food! What stood out to me the msot was the fact that the lenght of a silk thread from ONE cacoon can range from 400- 3,000 yards! This chapter contained a lot of interesting facts i didnt kknow about like the fact that silk is a protein AND a polymer. I also did not know that proteins are made from 22 different a-amino acids! When writing down the formulas, R makes the 22nd amino acids being a groudp called side group or side chain. Now, what really made me think was the "chemical distinction" between the words synthetic and artificial. In simple words, synthetic means man made by chemical reaction and artificial means properties of a compound. Nylon was great in aviation when silk wasnt around or wen it was hard to obtain for parachite shrouds, interestign enough it was also used in enginerring as a "enginerring palstic". What women know Nylon best for is for panty hoes- hosiery was back after world war 11.
A really good fact that I found in this chapter is that explosives and silk have a chemical connection. Something that I found truly amazing that I never would have even imagined is that silk comes from a worm. This chapter I would say its one of the chapters that I enjoyed reading the most because it gave me a lot of new information I did not know and I learned how silk was made and how a tiny little worm can produce yards of thread. Something else I found out and I also think is interesting is that silk is a protein!!
These fascinating explosives have drastically changed our world, while at war or at construction of innovative industries. What many people and I didn’t know is the connection between dangerous explosives and silk. How are these two, very different, substances related to one another? Explosives are powerful and combustible; on the other hand, silk is a soft, durable, luxurious, strong, shiny, and easy to dye fabric. It is all due to its chemical structure that includes some of the chemical properties that explosives consist of. Silk is a natural protein fiber that is made up of 22 different amino acids. The most common amino acids found in silk are glycine, alanine, and serine. Plus they have the smallest side groups from all the amino acids which are important for the special properties of silk. By being a polymer, silk does not have the same repeating units in a chain because the side groups are the ones that differ. Some of the information given from the history of silk was not all surprising. I knew the basic details like where it was originally developed from the animal that produces silk to the animal's diet. But it was interesting to find out the caring of the silkworms and the manufacturing process. Because silk was in great demand and so expensive there had to be a better material made for the general public. A whole new era was beginning to form by an artificial silk called nylon. Nylons main use was in the hosiery and military business. Both products contributed in the huge changes in society from opening new trade routes to establishing factories in many countries.
ReplyDeleteI knew that silk was quite a prestigious item to own, but what i did not know was that it's production started in China- coming from a silkwork known as Bombyx mori- cute name!What was really interesting to find out was the quanity of eggs a silkworm moth lays - five hunderd- over a 5 day period!!Incredible.
ReplyDeleteAs i was reading I came across the word "voraciously", and i stoped, and wonder what could it possibly mean and well i found out! its -craving or consuming large quantities of food! What stood out to me the msot was the fact that the lenght of a silk thread from ONE cacoon can range from 400- 3,000 yards! This chapter contained a lot of interesting facts i didnt kknow about like the fact that silk is a protein AND a polymer. I also did not know that proteins are made from 22 different a-amino acids! When writing down the formulas, R makes the 22nd amino acids being a groudp called side group or side chain.
Now, what really made me think was the "chemical distinction" between the words synthetic and artificial. In simple words, synthetic means man made by chemical reaction and artificial means properties of a compound. Nylon was great in aviation when silk wasnt around or wen it was hard to obtain for parachite shrouds, interestign enough it was also used in enginerring as a "enginerring palstic". What women know Nylon best for is for panty hoes- hosiery was back after world war 11.
A really good fact that I found in this chapter is that explosives and silk have a chemical connection.
ReplyDeleteSomething that I found truly amazing that I never would have even imagined is that silk comes from a worm. This chapter I would say its one of the chapters that I enjoyed reading the most because it gave me a lot of new information I did not know and I learned how silk was made and how a tiny little worm can produce yards of thread.
Something else I found out and I also think is interesting is that silk is a protein!!