The Deep Carbon Observatory

Here at SuperSmart Carbon, we love learning about carbon.  Apparently, we are not alone.  There is a project being launched called the Deep Carbon Observatory that is being funded by the Alfred P. Sloan Foundation.  The purpose of this group is to study carbon deep inside the earth.  Carbon makes up somewhere from 0.7% to 3.2% of the earth’s elements.  We know that there is carbon trapped under the earth’s crust, but we don’t know how much.  The Deep Carbon Observatory is going to study how much carbon there is in the earth and what happens to it.  Another question is what form is the carbon in?  Is it in the form of diamonds?  Is it in the form of organic life?  Scientists have found a lot of microscopic organisms under the earths’ crust.  What if there is as much life under the earths’ crust as there is on the earth’s surface.  This is a whole new area for science to studying.  Click here to learn more about the Deep Carbon Observatory.

Where does gas come from?

Carbon!  (We always love it when the answer is carbon.)  The gas we use to power our cars comes from decomposing organic matter.  What does that mean?  All life has carbon in it -- this includes everything living from you and me to zebras, tapeworms, tulips and seaweed.  Since all living things have carbon in them, they are referred to as organic matter.  Non-organic matter includes things like rocks, water and metals.  When something organic dies, it goes into the earth’s surface.  For example, when a leaf falls off a tree, it settles on the ground.  Over the next months, it slowly rots and dries up.  This process is called decomposition.  As the leaf decomposes, it releases its carbons.  This carbon combines hydrogen to form hydrocarbons.  Hydrocarbons take many forms including oil, which can be refined to gas to make our cars go, natural gas to heat our houses, and petroleum which is used in things like plastics.

Here is great short video about the formation of gas (it includes dinosaurs!). 

How to Name an Element After Yourself

Here on the SuperSmart Carbon blog, I will talk about the elements a lot because "Carbon" is an element.  SuperSmart Carbon is a blue guy with a green hat and in this blog, he looks like he is 1 1/2 inches high.  He has two rings around him with six yellow spheres.  Although cute, SuperSmart Carbon does not exactly look like elements in the real world.  Elements are really, really, small.  You cannot see them with the naked eye, or even with a microscope.  Although you can't see elements, they are all around you.  Everything is made up of elements: the computer you are reading this blog on, the table the computer sits on, the air you breath, your shirt, and even you!

Scientists have discovered 111 elements.  Some elements I am sure you already know like gold, silver, copper, and oxygen.  Helium is a fun element.  It is used in balloons to make them float.  If you inhale helium, you can make your voice funny.  Check out this video on YouTube of a Mythbusters sounding like Donald Duck after inhaling helium. 

The cool thing about being a scientist who discovers an element is that you get to name the element.  Scientists have named element number #98 Californium after the sunny state of California.  #94 is Plutonium named after the planet Pluto.  My favorite is element #99, Einsteinium, after the great scientist Albert Einstein. If you were to discover an element, you could name it after yourself.  Most scientists add "ium".  For example, my daughter could name an element "Jacquelinium". This is a great link to Theodore Gray's Illustrated Periodic Table where you can learn more about the naming of the elements.