Color of Minerals (discovery)
Atomic bonds are responsible for absorbing or emitting certain wavelengths of light. Bonding to different elements will affect the energy states of the electrons, in turn affecting the wavelengths of light absorbed or emitted, and produce different colors.

My Food

There's alot of colorful food in my kitchen- red bell peppers, apples, broccoli, zucchini, bananas, carrots. Every color is represented numerous times except blue. (Yes, I've been inspired to buy blueberries, but I forgot!) Thank goodness my friend served me purple cabbage at her house on Sunday, and I've recently had seaweed, too (glad that qualifies as a blue, indigo, violet food!) The only violet foods I'm representing at home are the sugar and alcohol.
Everything in moderation!
I have quite a bit of white too- potatoes, dairy, coconut milk, garlic, mushrooms.
And where's the black/ brown category? chocolate, tea, nuts ... mmm

Radium

Radium (Ra) is the heaviest alkaline earth metal and extremely radioactive. It was discovered by Marie Curie in 1898 in uranium ore from the Czech republic. (Her handling of radium was reasoned to be the cause for her premature death.) In fact, the harmful effects of radioactivity would be understood in years to come (peaking around 1930) when deaths and bone cancer would be linked to exposure to radium in certain products- luminescent paints, some foods, toothpaste and hair cream. Since Ra is chemically similar to calcium, it does great harm by replacing Ca in bones. (Interesting that Ra decays into radon gas, also radioactive, which is used in cancer treatment.)
Ra has more recently fell out of favor again (even for those practical uses embracing its radioactive properties) by scientists who are choosing to work with more powerful and safer radioisotopes. However, experimental physicists continue to use radium- when combined with beryllium, neutrons are produced.

Green Economy

We (consumers) are seeing 'green' alternatives for various products and services at an ever-increasing rate. Thanks to responsible research, society is becoming well aware of the long (and short) term effects of toxic chemicals in our environment. We're understanding the consequences of pollution, dependence, inefficiency, waste, and making the choice to support sustainable businesses. Luckily, many people are becoming informed and, as a result, prices can be competitive (or even low cost!) sealing the deal for the cost-conscious buyer, and putting more money in the hands of responsible businesses.

Accountability plays a huge part. There should be complete transparency concerning an organization's production materials and waste disposal methods. Pressure should be put on all industry to exercise 'atom economy' whenever possible. Waste should be reduced at all levels, from the atom on up. We should reward efficiency and environmental and health considerations, and not tolerate inefficiency and ignorance.

Catalyst of the Week

I was curious about catalytic converters in automobiles. This device, the 'catcon,' is situated close to the engine and uses a combination of platinum (Pt), palladium (Pd), and rhodium (Rh) as catalysts to convert toxic combustion emissions into less toxic substances. In the three-way conversion for gasoline-powered vehicles, Pt and Rh are used as reduction catalysts, reducing nitrogen oxides into nitrogen and oxygen. The other two conversions involve oxidation catalysts, Pt and Pd, to oxidize carbon monoxide to carbon dioxide, and also oxidize unburnt hydrocarbons into carbon dioxide and water. During the conversions, gas molecules 'stick' to the surface of the metals (lots of d-orbitals, very easily forms bonds) and the electrons of the gases get rearranged, resulting in a 90% decrease in the amount of pollution coming out in the exhaust. Yay.