thebiomajor91 Chemistry

Collecting Orange Oil

Technically Limonene again, the same name as the molecule in lemons but a mirror image. Limonene exhibits chirality which means it can form another similar molecule which is a mirror image, with same boiling points, melting points, etc. but with unique properties such as smell. The Limonene in oranges is a mirror molecule of the Limonene in lemons, hence the different smell our olfactory cells perceive.

Maybe this with the pine oil I collected earlier will make for a great cologne. As you can see, I cut up the peel into chunks, but upon watching other videos of people using zesters, I have since bought one and have been able to get a lot more oil to distill using it instead. This stuff smells awesome. Definitely my favorite from what I’ve distilled so far.

thebiomajor91 Chemistry

Steam Distillation of fir needles

I’m taking the second semester of organic chemistry this semester and we’ve been learning about methods of distillation. In lab, we separated two compounds (toluene and cyclohexane? I’ll have to look them up) from each other based on their vaporization points. I had heard of people being able to separate aromatic molecules in essential oil and bought this simple steam distillation apparatus from China off eBay to try it out.

I was playing around with the idea of making a cologne from pine and citrus oils solvated in vodka or ethanol and so when I was at Uinta National Park, I collected some needles and attempted a simple distillation. The set up I have is quite small and I’m learning it takes a lot of raw material to collect even a small quantity of oil but what you do collect smells amazing.

thebiomajor91 Biology

Planarians under light microscope

Fortunately being a bio major means I get to do awesome things in class, like look at things you’ve never seen before and will probably never see again! This is a recording I took on my phone of what I could see under my microscope. These flatworms called Planarians belong to the genus Planaria under the class Turbellaria. While we didn’t test this phenomenon, these guys have the crazy ability to regenerate completely new bodies when severed in half,… or thirds,…or fourths!

Their shovel like heads allow them to dig through soil efficiently and even under the dim light, ( they don’t like bright light and will squirm frantically to avoid it) you can make out their eyespots. I might post more on them as I learn more about them and can gather interesting data.

thebiomajor91 Botany/Gardening

Ready for Planting

Garden is ready for planting after compost being worked in and a basic grid laid down! I sectioned it into four squares roughly four feet on each side and used string to mark the grid. I tilled in some manure and after wetting it, let it break down for a few days.

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My plan is to have two rows with space in between for weeding and harvesting with enough room to walk over the plants in each trough. So far, it’s shaping up promising.
thebiomajor91 Botany/Gardening

First Look at the Garden

Decided to rent a garden plot from Provo city for the year and try my luck growing vegetables (mainly tomatoes for salsa). It only cost $20 for the season which began in May and ends in Oct. After removing the leaning structure someone left behind and hacking the ground to pieces with a hoe, it looks like something resembling a garden.

There are a few onions left behind that I haven’t decided what to do with yet. I was going to plant some anyway but these were left over from last season and another gardener told me I was better off planting my own? Something about them having already gone to seed? We’ll see if I decide to keep them or pull them out and replant something in their place.