Assignment 5

1. My Inert Gas of the Week

Krypton is a chemical element with the symbol Kr and atomic number 36. It is a colorless, odorless, and tasteless noble gas which occurs in trace amounts in the atmosphere. It is often used with other rare gases in fluorescent lamps. It is inert for most practical purposes.
Krypton, like the other noble gases, can be used in lighting and photography.
Krypton is characterized by a brilliant green and orange spectral signature. It is one of the products of uranium fission. Solidified Krypton is white and crystalline with a face-centered cubic crystal structure; a common property of all noble gases. The melting point of krypton is -157.2 degrees Celsius, and its boiling point is -153.4


2. Colors of Food in my Kitchen

I love this subject! I always have a fridge full of beautiful fruits and vegetables in a variety of colors. I eat just about everything except I don't care for bananas. I shop at the farmers market twice per week because I love to cook and need to have a wide assortment from which to choose. I prepare food for myself and my husband every day. We eat mostly fruits and vegetables (all kinds!). Today I made a really nice coleslaw which was very colorful and tasty. I don't have exact measurements, because I made it up on the spot, but here are the ingredients:

Napa cabbage (sliced thinly)
Carrots (thinly sliced on a mandolin)
green onion (sliced on the diagonal)
cilantro (coarsely chopped)
garlic (chopped)
coriander powder
cumin powder
olive oil
course grain mustard
agave nectar
lime juice

I sautéed the carrots and garlic in olive oil with the cumin and coriander powder for a couple of minutes. Added the cabbage and the green onions and cooked for another minute or two until wilted. I added the mustard, cilantro, agave nectar and lime juice at the end, after turning off the flame. I didn’t cook this for very long at all. It had a nice crunch to it and was really flavorful.

3. Colors of Elements in a Flame

I did not care for this site. I found it to be really dry. When I tried to open the pictures, it malfunctioned.

So I investigated the “What Is Important about the Color of Minerals?” site instead. This was a really beautiful site. I was struck by how many minerals were new to me. For example, Chrocoite an unusual lead mineral which is well known for its distinctive orange red color. The name tipped me off as to its location. Most quality specimens come from the Dundas District of Tasmania, Australia.