Water and the Mollec Hues - Chemsitry Lite

     Imagine yourself as a water molecule.  You are surrounded by other water molecules - who look like you, act like you and team up to be you when you gather yourself together.  For the moment - you are only one of the molecules, consisting of three atoms - two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom.  Life is good - except that you are bipolar.

     As a bi-polar water molecule, you have a positive side and a negative side.  Your hydrogen atoms are positive and strong and pulling in each direction - separated by 109.3 degrees of angle.   This forms the seat where your persona rides - the H-O-H arc provides an insiders view looking out.  Behind your seat is the rest of the molecule, the negatively charged oxygen atom.  The hydrogens are together 1/8 of the total mass - totaling 18 units.  

     The length of the Hydrogen oxygen bond varies as you move.  You find that you have two receptor sites where you can hang on to another water molecule next to you.  but that's not the weigh that water shares.  It holds the hydrogen atom from two different other water molecules, thus bringing their oxygen atoms closer to you.  It fact water is very much like Philadelphia - a city of brotherly love.  

     Every water molecule is attached to other water molecules in clusters - tetrahedral and octahedral arrays, plus ring structures.  Water itself forms a tetrahedral array with an oxygen atom nested inside four hydrogen atoms - two owned by self - two from each of two others.  This lattice forms with the positive ends aligning to the negative interiors to balance the charges. The geometry is simple - it is the relationship between small numbers of similar atoms in molecules.

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     I wish to now introduce a set of characters that i will call the mollec hues.  Imagine them to be like homunculi - only representing the elements of organic chemistry.  Hydrogen is less than a tenth the size of the three other characters and hence is so small it gets between things and caps off the otherwise reactive edges of molecules.  It still takes up space and provides positive charge - but there is really not much mass there.

     The other three main hues represent Carbon, Nitrogen and Oxygen.  These guys are all near each other in size at 12, 14 and 16 weight units respectively.  If we think about the mnemonic HONC-1234 it gives the mass charges of these four elements to each other.  Thus to make compounds from these elements - it becomes a matter of stacking them and balancing charge.  Two Hydrogen and one oxygen make water - three hydrogen and one nitrogen make ammonia - four hydrogen and one carbon make methane.  Water, ammonia and methane are like building blocks for making larger organic structures.

     The plan is to have the atoms colored and to teach organic chemistry from these simple basic starting materials.  The idea of how chemistry actually works seems to be frightening - the better for the Monsanity to get you, my dear.  The relationships are like ratios of small numbers - but we have set math up to be an obstacle to comprehension - we should teach chemistry to 7 year olds - they would get it just fine.  In fact - I would love to borrow a sharp seven year-old to be the moderator in the mollec hue videos and play with a Mollec Hue model set.

     Maybe I'm just dreaming - but i'm not the only one.  Lennon suggest that we Imagine and Einstein said that Imagination is more important than Knowledge.  It is time that we looked at things differently than we have been taught and that is scary.  Take in new knowledge with an enthusiasm for learning and then explain what you grokked to somebody who didn't get it.  Real organic learning.  Thyme for some character development - any cartoonists on board? If you would like a role in this game as it plays - let me know.

     Namaste'  ...   doc    (thanks to RAM for the homunculous link)