El análisis político profundo e inteligente

Maldita Ignorancia

Mucha gente afirma que los ignorantes gozan, a veces, de mayor felicidad dado que no conocen tantos males, preocupaciones, etc.
Sin embargo, la raza canina demuestra lo contrario:

Química Industrial III

Saludos nuevamente, intrépidos lectores. Les voy a presentar una novedad que pueden ver para creer en este clip de la ya inmortal página www.youtube.com:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cqeVEFFzz7E
¿Qué es lo que estamos viendo? El video corresponde a un programa británico llamado Brainiac. Si bien hay dudas sobre si han alterado o no las reacciones para que salieran mejor en televisión, lo cierto es que los metales alcalinos reaccionan violentamente con el agua. La reacción que se produce es (damos el ejemplo del sodio):
Na + H2O --> NaOH + 1/2H2
El hidrógeno es un gas explosivo e inflamable que reacciona con el oxígeno formando agua. Es una interacción muy exotérmica (libera grandes cantidades de energía), por lo que es muy violenta. Al liberarse gran cantidad de este gas del recipiente con agua donde se introduce el metal, inmediatamente entra en contacto con el oxígeno del aire y produce la reacción.
Veamos otro testimonio:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I-DWjHb4eis
¡Muy divertido! Látima que no se pueda ensayar esta reacción con Francio porque es inestable y radiactivo, pero debería ser más explosiva que las del Rubidio y del Cesio.
Es un grave problema el almacenamiento y transporte de estos metales ya que reaccionan tanto con el oxígeno del aire como con el vapor de agua del mismo. Se los debe sumergir en sustancias no polares o anhidras para evitar que interactúen. Dada su gran reactividad, estos metales no suelen encontrarse en forma pura en la naturaleza, sino que forman óxidos o hidróxidos.
A ver si para el verano, cuando me inviten a la pileta, pueda llevar una barrita de Rubidio para hacer una reunión memorable. ¡Feliz química!

¿El menor de los males?

Les presento un extracto del discurso que el candidato a presidente norteamericano John McCain hizo durante su campaña, refiriéndose a América Latina. Presten atención porque dice cosas muy interesantes sobre algunos aspectos, y otras que dan verdadero temor a la hora de verlo sentado en la casa blanca.

[…] I am not here to talk about politics but about our neighbors which have been too neglected for too long. We are all of the New World, united by a common history and a common quest for justice and freedom that began with our struggle for independence.
[…] With globalization, our hemisphere has grown closer, more integrated, and more interdependent. Latin America today is increasingly vital to the fortunes of the United States. Americans north and south share a common geography and a common destiny. I would like to share with you today my vision […]
The countries of Latin America are the natural partners of the United States, and yet it hardly feels that way today. Anti-Americanism is on the rise in much of the region. The attention of U.S. leaders and the media have shifted toward Iraq, Afghanistan, the broader Middle East and the war on terror. As we have devoted attention and energies to other regions, other, dangerous forces have moved into the breach. Hugo Chavez has used the cloak of electoral legitimacy to establish a one party dictatorship in Venezuela, breathed new oxygen into the decaying Castro regime in Cuba, allied with Iran and other American enemies, and supported populist, anti-American forces throughout the hemisphere. While the United States has been pre-occupied elsewhere, China has launched a diplomatic and economic offensive in the region, with uncertain intentions and outcomes. […] We can and we must do better. […] The Latin America I know is a hopeful place, which prizes its hard won freedom, seizes new economic opportunities and remains a firm partner of the United States. If I am elected president, the United States will forge a new policy toward Latin America and the Caribbean Basin founded on peace and security, shared prosperity, democracy and freedom, and mutual respect.
There are several areas of concern. The undergoverned tri-border region of Brazil, Argentina, and Paraguay is a haven for smugglers and radical groups. Iran has launched terrorist attacks in Argentina. Hamas, Hezbollah and similar groups are active in the region. […] Trinidad is home to a radical Islamic group that has been implicated in the recent plot to attack New York's JFK Airport, and several individuals involved in that plot are from Guyana.
Our security priority in this hemisphere is to ensure that terrorists, their enablers and their business partners, including narcotraffickers, have nowhere to hide. […] We must help governments establish sovereignty over the land, sea, and air, through broader partnerships with willing countries. This means defense assistance, but also measures designed to accelerate broad economic growth, build the rule of law, and extend the scope of government authority to lawless areas.
[…] Polls increasingly show that populations [in Latin America] are losing faith with democracy, and blame it for failing to provide security from crime and corruption or a way out of poverty. We should help consolidate democratic gains by helping […] build the capacity of the state, train political parties, bolster the electoral process, and press for more transparency and accountability.
[…] There has been much talk of a leftward tilt in Latin America, but there are two 'lefts' - there are those center-left governments with whom we can work closely and cooperatively, and there are the few populist, statist governments who oppose much of what the United States and its democratic partners stand for. We should be careful not to overreact to the former, and we must ensure that the latter are marginalized.
Hugo Chavez is driving Venezuela toward disaster and trying to take others along with him. Since his election, he has overseen the dismantling of Venezuelan democracy. After undermining the parliament and the independence of the courts, he is now targeting the media, free labor unions, and private enterprise. Chavez closed Radio Caracas Television after some 53 years on the air, and is even going after small cable networks. He is calling for the creation of a common defense pact between Venezuela, Cuba, Nicaragua and Bolivia, to oppose the United States. In his spare moments, he has found the time to meet with the Holocaust-denying President of Iran.
We have seen this story before. Hugo Chavez, like Fidel Castro before him, embraces authoritarianism and aggression and statist economic policies. Only today's high oil prices keep him from swiftly joining previously discredited leftist dictators on the ash heap of history. Too many dictatorships are enriched by our reliance on foreign oil. That is why it is a matter of U.S. national security to reduce our reliance on imported oil. […] It is in the United States' national interest that the Cuban people live in freedom. […] As President, I will not passively await the long-overdue demise of the Castro dictatorship. My administration will press the Cuban regime to release all political prisoners unconditionally, to legalize all political parties, labor unions and free media and to schedule internationally monitored elections. And, the embargo will stay in place until those terms are met. I would provide more material assistance and moral support to the courageous human rights activists who bravely defy the regime every day […]
Cuba's transition to democracy is inevitable, and we need to begin planning now for that day. While our Cuba policy does not always accord with that of our hemispheric and European partners, we should begin an active dialogue with them to develop a plan for post-Castro Cuba, a plan that will spark rapid change and a new awakening in that country. The Cuban people have waited long enough.
We trade as much with Latin America and the Caribbean as we do with the European Union, and yet there is enormous untapped potential. Brazil and Mexico are together as populous as the United States, while Brazil alone is comparable in geographic size. Many governments in the region have abandoned the excessive spending and statist economic controls that fueled economic crises for decades. Inflation is down, growth is up, and the hemisphere has been free of an emerging market financial crisis for the past five years.
We need to build on the passage of the Central America Free Trade Agreement by expanding U.S. trade with the region. Let's start by […] pushing forward the Free Trade Area of the Americas. […] My administration would reduce barriers to trade and press for renewed Trade Promotion Authority.
Mexico must be a vital partner in stopping illegal immigration. President Calderon has shown strong leadership in confronting drug crime throughout his country. […] The Mexican government must win this war. Should the gangs and cartels prove victorious, our security will be weakened and more drugs will flow into the United States. Mexico needs more help from the United States in this effort […]
The U.S. recently agreed to work with Brazil in an effort to expand sugar production toward ethanol use. This is a good start, but we can go much further toward establishing close ties with South America's biggest economy, a country that is a leader in the region and beyond. Brazil's leadership in the U.N peacekeeping force in the troubled nation of Haiti is a model of how to foster regional security and cooperation.
"Colombia continues to face enormous challenges, and we have seen some real successes in fighting narco-terror and establishing its authority. Unfortunately, these successes are endangered by Democrats who oppose providing military aid to a democracy under siege and want to turn their back on the free trade agreement negotiated with our strongest ally in Latin America. I intend to fight for Plan Colombia and for a free trade pact with Colombia. […]
[…] we should encourage Argentina to choose a course of cooperation based on mutual respect. In Central America, what was once a war-torn region is now a vibrant, democratic success story. Who could have imagined in the 1980s that one day El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras would send military forces to serve with Americans in Iraq?
"For decades, in Republican and Democratic administrations alike, the United States has treated Latin America as a junior partner rather than as a neighbor, like a little brother rather than as an equal. Latin America is not our backyard; Central and South America are not 'beneath' the United States. As a resident of a state that borders Mexico, I am acutely aware of the extraordinary contributions that our neighbors make to the United States - from trade to culture to a commitment to democracy and human rights. […]
[…] We need to re-create an independent agency with the sole purpose of getting America's message to the world. This would aid our efforts in the global struggle against Islamic extremism. It would aid our efforts to communicate accurately with the people of Latin America when some try to propagandize them. Our values of liberty, equality and opportunity are universal. We know our country has been the greatest force for good the world has ever known. Our story is a story of hope, optimism, freedom and compassion. It is a story that must be told effectively and professionally - something this audience knows very well.
Let me speak from the heart: To the people of Cuba, who have been robbed of their freedom and their dreams: My administration will support the future, freely elected government of YOUR choice. Commissars and jailers will not dictate your future.
To the people of Venezuela: We will always respect your democratic choices - but we stand against those who seek to corrupt and hijack your democracy.
To the people of our southern neighbor, Mexico: Our differences are real, but small compared to our common bonds and mutual interests. We will support your president's campaign to advance the rule of law - and the dreams of freedom, opportunity and justice for which your ancestors have struggled for five hundred years. To all of the people and governments of our shared hemisphere: No portion of this earth is more important to the United States. My administration will work relentlessly to build a future with liberty and justice for ALL. […] That will be my vision as your President. Together, we can realize it. Thank you.

Espero que lo hayan podido disfrutar y analizar, a pesar de estar en inglés. Creo que a esta altura, ninguno de nosotros confiará jamás en ningún presidente de los Estados Unidos por más ciertas que sean sus palabras, y en este caso particular, le pido a Dios que algunas de ellas no lo sean.
(fuente: HACER)

Química Industrial II

Contianuando con las aplicaciones de química, he llegado a conocer las formas en las que la humanidad ha creado hermosas sustancias tales como los ácidos.
Entre ellos podemos mencionar al ácido sulfúrico, una de las sustancias más corrosivas y también más producidas en el mundo entero (por eso se lo utiliza como medidor de la capacidad industrial de los paises). Su producción parte del azufre o de compuestos que lo contengan. Este es el camino simplificado para obtenerlo:
S + O2 --> SO2
2SO2 + O2 --> 2SO3
SO3 + H2O --> H2SO4
Es un compuesto muy útil y se lo utiliza en varias industrias como la agroquímica, productos de limpieza, automotriz, entre otras.
Otro ejemplo es el ácido nítrico, que se emplea en la industria química, agroquímica, metalúrgica y para algunos explosivos, tanto militares como civiles. Para producirlo se debe obtener primero un óxido del nitrógeno y mezclarlo con agua.
También podemos mencionar al ácido clorhídrico, el fiel amigo que nos ayuda a digerir las comidas. Se lo puede obtener de dos formas, pero es más interesante la síntesis directa:
H2(g) + Cl2(g) --> 2HCl(g)
Esta es una reacción increíblemente lenta: se pueden dejar ambos gases en un recipiente durante días sin que reaccionen en absoluto. Sin embargo, en presencia de una chispa o simplemente de luz, la reacción se torna violenta y explosiva. El ácido se utiliza para remover sarro y residuos de caliza, para algunas aplicaciones en la electrónica y en la industria química.
El ácido clorhídrico es muy corrosivo y reacciona con casi todos los metales. Si se deja abierta una botella de ácido clorhídrico (ácido muriático) en algún lugar de la casa, los objetos metálicos se oxidarán con facilidad. Esto se debe a una particularidad del ácido que le permite evaporarse junto con moléculas de agua de la solución en la que se encuentre. Entonces, permanece disociado en el estado de vapor; tanto el protón como el ion cloruro actúan sobre los metales y los corroen.
Creo que si el vecino no baja la música le voy a regalar una botellita de ácido pinchada en la parte de arriba; no seré la mejor persona pero al menos no voy a matarlo... a corto plazo.