Science Buddies: "Ask an Expert"

Hello, my name is Katie. I'm in 8th grade at All Saints Catholic School. I'm doing a Science Fair project and need someone to interview. I have 20 questions and if you could answer them all that would be amazing and I would greatly appreciate it. My questions are:

1.) Why are you an expert?
2.) Do you think this topic is interesting, useful, or important? If so, why?
3.) When did you first learn about chemistry?
4.) What are some important things you have learned about chemistry?
5.) How can knowledge about chemistry be applied to every day life?
6.) Why is chemistry important and needed?
7.) If chemistry didn't exist, would the worldbe any different?
8.) How is chemistry important to people?
9.) Who was the first scientist to work with chemistry?
10.) How did that scientist discover it?
11.) What does soda contain [its ingrediants]?
12.) Why does soda make us burp?
13.) Why do the sides of a soda bottle get hard after the soda is opened?
14.) Could anyting replace carbonation?
15.) What does the word carbonation mean?
16.) Why do carbonated beverages make people hyper?
17.) What is chemistry?
18.) How long have you been working with chemistry?
19.) What made you choose chemistry over the many other scientific fields?
20.) When was chemistry first discovered an used?

Thank you very much.
- Katie. (:

Hi Katie:

I will try to answer most of your questions:

1.) Why are you an expert?
Expert on what?
I have a PhD in chemistry from UC Berkeley, and am now retired.

2.) Do you think this topic is interesting, useful, or important? If so, why?
What is the topic? Carbonation?
If you look at the many,many tons of soft drinks sold just in the US each year, it is obviously a useful topic, and that usually makes the topic interesting to some people. Many people make their living from using it.

3.) When did you first learn about chemistry?
I got interested in chemistry in the fourth or fifth grade. My father was a chemist, and I bugged him constantly with questions. I also found his old chemistry text books stored in our basement and tried to read them.

4.) What are some important things you have learned about chemistry?
Chemistry is the study of matter and its transformation. We are surrounded by matter, so chemistry is essentially the study of the world around us and how it works. Chemists have created the textiles we use in clothes, studied and dramatically improved how food is graown, discovered, isolated and manufactured all the metals we use, and now are hard at work unraveling how living things work. There almost nothing in our lives it does not impact.

5.) How can knowledge about chemistry be applied to every day life?
Same answer as 4.

6.) Why is chemistry important and needed?
Same answer as 4.

7.) If chemistry didn't exist, would the worldbe any different?
We would be living in the stone age, wearing animal skins for clothes, and living in caves.

8.) How is chemistry important to people?
Cooking is applied chemistry. Chemistry is used to make cars, building materials, agricultural materials, all plastics, to study global warming9I first heard about this issue in 1965 at UC Berkeley).

9.) Who was the first scientist to work with chemistry?
I do not think this is known.
http://www.newscientist.com/article/mg1 ... mists.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chemistry_(etymology)

10.) How did that scientist discover it?
See links in 9

11.) What does soda contain [its ingrediants]?
Look on a soda can or bottle for the complete list. Basically, it is water, sugar, carbon dioxide, and flavorings and preservatives.

12.) Why does soda make us burp?
Carbon dioxide is present in soda as carbonic acid. When pressure is released, the carbonic acid decomposes to carbon dioxide gas, which is what you burp.

13.) Why do the sides of a soda bottle get hard after the soda is opened?
When soda is shaken lots of tiny bubbles get dsipesed through the liquid. Carbonic acid decomposes at the interface between liquid and bubble, so carbon dioxide is released much faster when lots of bubbles are present.

14.) Could anyting replace carbonation?
I do not think so.

15.) What does the word carbonation mean?
noun. saturation with carbon dioxide, as in the manufacture of soda water

16.) Why do carbonated beverages make people hyper?
It is probably the sugar in them.

17.) What is chemistry?
1. The science of the composition, structure, properties, and reactions of matter, especially of atomic and molecular systems.
2. The composition, structure, properties, and reactions of a substance.

18.) How long have you been working with chemistry?
About 57 years.

19.) What made you choose chemistry over the many other scientific fields?
See answers to 3 &4

20.) When was chemistry first discovered an used?
See answer to 9.

I hope this helps. Good luck on your project>

Best regards,

Barrett L. Tomlinson