I have posted a new assignment on Google Classroom. There is an article about the corona virus (with a video and a link to a good Twitter thread). If you have any questions or suggestions please email me! (gofft at dearborn).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
First, some clarification.
1. In the video with the physicist, she refers to everything as “surface tension” but what we care about in chemistry is what the particles are doing at the surface. Soap is a “surface active” molecules, which means it can do cool stuff on surfaces, like clean dirt, destroy viruses, and move around boats and pepper flakes. The fancy word for it is “surfactant” (like surface+activated). What was happening is the soap molecules were gliding across the surface with the polar end in the water and the non-polar tail in the air. They just push everything out of the way!
2. The lipid bilayer in the model of the virus is a layer of fat (some molecules of fat are called lipids) that have a charge on the end. The model was supposed to look like a round head, with a tail. It was supposed to remind you a little bit of the soap models.
3. There is a saying in chemistry that goes “like dissolves like” and that is the idea behind how soap destroys viruses. The lipid bilayer is a lot like soap, so the soap can dissolve it and break down the virus. That is what today’s article is about.<\/p>\n\n\n\n