Overcoming an obstacle

The chemistry lab, until a few weeks ago, was my least favourite place to be in. How people could pipette out was a mystery to me and concentrated sulphuric acid was my sworn enemy(well, the thought of heating anything with it and passing the ghastly orangish red fumes evolved into another test tube containing something else still somewhat terrorises me). I was the butt of ridicule and harassment for being unable to pipette out. My first practical exam left nothing but a sour taste in the mouth with me being given a big lecture by a teacher about the importance of volumetric analysis in chemistry practicals. This was because I could not pipette out on the big day as well. They just blew it out of proportion that day. The authorities treated me as if I was not pipetting out on purpose. Just because of not being able to pipette out, it was assumed that I could not do anything in the chemistry lab. Everything in the chemistry lab seemed to be against me. The chemicals, the authorities, my class-mates, everything.

The second term arrived, but my anathema towards chemistry practicals remained. Well, how else do you expect it to be? The first practical session of the term had an excessive blast of concentrated sulphuric acid with us being required to perform the manganese dioxide test for the presence of bromine and iodine in a salt and the copper turnings test and the brown ring test for the presence of nitrate in a salt. Since we were performing the tests for the first time, we were provided with a bromide, an iodide and a nitrate so that we could see the desired results. I gasped on coming to know that all the tests involved concentrated H2SO4. But,I somehow escaped the MnO2 tests that day as I was able to complete only the copper turnings test and the brown ring test by the end of the practical session with my brown ring hardly taking shape. My teacher complained of not enough diluted sulphuric acid. Sigh. Well, I had not completely avoided the MnO2 tests, as my test for iodide was a failed attempt as I had added MnO2 in excess slightly. That drew another complaint from my teacher. Sigh again. After I returned to my desk, she announced that the session was over and I gleefully washed my test tube and hands, took off my lab coat and left the lab. However, the effect of the lab session still lingered due to Mr. Concentrated Sulphuric acid and the amazing smell that he gives off. We are instructed to drink water after every lab session, but despite doing that, my chest felt tight, my head throbbed and whatever smelt bad, smelt like conc. H2SO4. It took 2 periods after the lab session to come back to normalcy. I swore to never enter the chemistry lab without a handkerchief thereafter. First lab session of the second term, nothing different. 

The Dusshera/Navaratari/Puja holidays and the holidays due to Cyclone Nilam came and went and the second practical session of the term arrived. Surprisingly, I left the lab that day with a smile on my face as I had, for the first time, been successful in whatever I did in the lab. The tests for acetate, sulphate and phosphate went on smoothly. Similarly, the next 2 lab sessions went on smoothly with sulphide, sulphite,oxalate, the basic radical tests(the golden spangles formed after performing the potassium iodide test for the presence of lead were wonderful to look at) and the practices that the lab people gave us to find out the unknown acid radical in a given salt. Salt analysis had never been much of a problem for me,but the fear receded and I grew in confidence. I mastered boiling distilled water with the given salt and sodium carbonate to prepare the sodium carbonate extract for wet tests. I also mastered heating solutions in a test tube. I grew to like Salt analysis, not fear it.

But, there was one thing that had yet to be conquered. Pipetting out. The words that haunted me in the 1st term. But, I was determined to set that one right as well as being able to pipette out is very crucial in volumetric analysis. The day my teacher taught redox titrations in class, I went home and told my mother that I had to practise pipetting out at home to set that problem right. So, my mother bought two pipettes and I practiced. I was able to pipette out the first time I did it at home and even had a few episodes of tap water going into my mouth. I practised and practised and finally grew in confidence. My mother assured me that despite the pipette at home being thicker than the pipette in school, I would be able to pipette out during the exam as it is easier to pull a liquid through a thinner medium than a thicker one. If I was able to pull it through the one at home, then I would definitely be able to do it during the exam. My mother also assured me that due to the in-built defense mechanism of humans, NaOH would not go into my mouth.

The day of the chemistry practical exam dawned(last Wednesday). I was thorough with all the salt analysis procedures and entered the lab in a good frame of mind. I took my seat, noted down the questions and began my volumetric analysis. The sight of NaOH racing up the pipette filled me with joy. The first time I did it, the colour of phenolphthalein did not disappear despite the reading on the burette going past 17(disappearance of the pink colour denotes the end point), so I washed the conical flask, refilled the burette and pipetted out again. This time, I ended up with a value of 19.1. I was very happy. Before entering the chemistry lab, I had told my teacher that I was able to pipette out. She was happy and asked me when she called me for my viva assessment how I practiced pipetting out. I told her how. The viva was not that good; I got 3 and a half, but a lot was learnt. The teacher had asked the same core experiment(study of shift in equilibrium) as she had asked before and I creamed it. I could not believe my eyes when a white precipitate was formed and a brisk effervescence was produced when I added diluted HCl to my salt. My salt was a carbonate; the radical which requires the easiest test to confirm its presence in a salt. The salt looked like baking soda and when I added dil. HCl, it was confirmed that the salt was a carbonate. I had avoided Mr. conc. H2SO4. Let him rest for a while. I am not that afraid to face him. I went home with the satisfaction of having had a great chemistry practical exam.

I am no longer afraid of the chemistry lab. I am happy that I have finally overcome this obstacle.

(Also posted on the blog "Pursuit of Boredom")

The Heroes of Olympus: What's next?

With the third book of the Heroes of Olympus series, the “Mark of Athena”, to be released in August this year, let’s have a look at what could lie in store for us next in this fascinating and intriguing series by Rick Riordan:

NEXT STOP: ROME

After traversing the landscapes of the eastern and western coasts of the United States of America in the first 2 books, we all know that this time we are going to be switching continents from North America to Europe as the giants intend to “pull the Gods out from their roots”. The roots of the Gods lie in Greece, but hey wait, we are not rushing to there now. Remember, for the demigods to beat the giants, demigods and gods have to work together. But the demigods have lost the trust of Zeus, the king of gods, due to a slight ego issue. After Titan War II, Zeus apparently felt bad that the world had been saved by the demigods, at the end, and not them, the gods. So, he closed the doors of Olympus for a while and disallowed communication of the gods with their children. For these demigods to beat the giants, they need the help of the gods and therefore have to win back Zeus’s trust. To do this, these demigods have to go to the Doors of Death and seize its ownership from Gaia, making this the final before the final and the most crucial clash. The location of the Doors of Death is in Rome and has to be guided to by a child of Pluto (which obviously has to be Hazel, not Nico as he has been captured). From this, we can gather that we are going to stop over at Rome next. After winning back Zeus’s trust, we go over with confidence to Greece in the 4^th book to witness the ultimate clash: The demigods with the gods against the Giants.

THE SEVENTH DEMIGOD

All of the 7 demigods in the elite team to take on Gaia have been found, except for the 7^th one who has not yet been disclosed by the author. But, I strongly feel that the 7^th demigod is none other than Annabeth. Hera mentions in Percy’s dream at the end of the Son of Neptune that Annabeth has a difficult task when they land at Rome and she may cause problems in the quest. One of the prophecies that Ella recites in the Son of Neptune says, “Wisdom’s daughter walks alone, the Mark of Athena burns through Rome”.  The only demigod in the book who is a VIP and a child of Athena is Annabeth. Although Hera and Annabeth dislike each other, I think Hera would have recognized the fact that Annabeth is one of the best strategists they could ever find. This aspect, she would have felt, could come very handy in the quest. So the 7 demigods, in my opinion, are:

i)             Jason Grace- Son of Jupiter

ii)           Percy Jackson-Son of Poseidon

iii)          Piper McLean- Daughter of Aphrodite

iv)          Frank Zhang-Son of Mars and descendant of Poseidon

v)           Leo Valdez- Son of Hephaestus

vi)          Hazel Levesque- Daughter of Pluto

vii)        Annabeth Chase- Daughter of Athena

Looks quite a list, doesn’t it?

FROM WHERE DOES THE BOOK START?

The previous book ends with the bronze warship carrying the Greek demigods involved in the quest along with Jason Grace preparing to descend onto the Roman Forum in New Rome at the Roman Camp. So, one would suspect the next book would begin with the warship finally descended onto the Forum and the Greek and Roman demigods on the quest allowed to explain their cause. Then, they would proceed to Rome.

OTHER CHARACTERS TO WATCH OUT FOR AND THEIR DESCRIPTIONS

i)             THALIA GRACE- Daughter of Zeus and chief huntress of the Hunters of Artemis. Sister of Jason.

ii)           REYNA- Praetor of the 12^th Legion and Daughter of Bellona(The Roman war Goddess).

iii)          ELLA- The smart harpy who loves books and has memorized the Sibylline Books.

iv)          QUEEN HYLLA- Daughter of Bellona and the Queen of the Amazon. Sister of Reyna.

v)           NICO DI ANGELO- Son of Hades who has mastered the nuances of the Underworld. Known as the “Official Ambassador of Pluto” in Camp Jupiter. Has learnt his way in the world of demigods via experience. He could have played a very important role in the part of the quest that involves Rome had he not been captured by the forces of Gaia. Could play an important role in the quest post Rome.

vi)          TYSON- The friendly Cyclops who belongs to the good side. Half-brother of Percy and General of the Army of Poseidon.

vii)        RACHEL ELIZABETH DARE- A mortal gifted with sight and the official oracle of Camp Half-Blood. Close friend of Annabeth and Percy.

viii)       CHIRON- The wise, old centaur who has trained demigods for centuries. Son of Kronos and official director of Camp Half-Blood.

ix)          GROVER UNDERWOOD- The satyr who is a close friend of Percy and Annabeth. He has an empathy link with Percy.

x)           The rest of the Amazons and the Hunters of Artemis

This should be a fascinating book and lets keep all our eyes and ears open for its release in August!

(Written on 26th March 2012 for the blog "Pursuit of Boredom")

A summary of the Heroes of Olympus series so far

The Prophecy:

“7 Half-bloods shall answer the call,

To storm and fire the world must fall,

An oath to keep with the last breath,

And foes bear arms to the Doors of Death.”

The new series “The Heroes of Olympus” by Rick Riordan, as we all are aware, revolves around the Second Great Prophecy - which we all heard of in the last pages of the final book of the Percy Jackson series - coming true. This time it is the oldest forces, Gaia and her army of Giants who are the antagonists. The protagonists are our old friends from Camp Half-blood- Percy Jackson, Annabeth Chase, Grover Underwood, Chiron, the Gods, Rachel Elizabeth Dare, etc.- coupled with some new demigods. This time Riordan has added a new dimension to the brilliant world of Percy Jackson- Demigods are classified into Greek and Roman. This is because the Gods transform into different forms- Greek, Roman and American- as they are immortal. However, the origin of the Gods remains
in Greece (For more details and better understanding, please refer to the Lost Hero, book 1, in the part where Annabeth takes Jason to the Hypnos cabin to meet Clovis).

The plot

Defeating Gaia is a Herculean task, therefore, this would require the world’s best Demigods to challenge her and her army of Giants. Now, this elite team of 7 half-bloods who answer the call to oppose Gaia are spread out across both the Greek and the Roman camps. These demigods will have to unite to make this possible. But this was easier said than done as the Greek and the Roman demigods had been involved as the 2 sides in a bitter civil war several years ago which had resulted in the Gods separating both the Camps and making sure that they don’t meet each other during quests. Camp Jupiter, the lovely Roman Camp is situated on the west coast of America, in San Francisco, which is also another reason why that is a bad place for Greek demigods. The proverb “United we stand, divided we fall” made Hera (known to Romans as Juno), the queen of gods devise a plan to unite both sides. She decided that the first step to unification was the two sides to trust one another again, therefore, she had two demigods, one Roman and the other Greek, who belong to the 7, to exchange camps at the right time and make a mark in the minds of the members of both the camps. For this plan to work, the identity of these two half-bloods is to not be revealed until the end, of course, so that they don’t begin a war. For this, she blanked the memories of both these demigods until the end of their quests. Our hero, Percy Jackson, who disappeared from the Greek camp to arrive at the Wolf House in Sonoma Valley- which is from where every Roman demigod begins his first journey to Camp Jupiter with being under the tutelage of Lupa, the immortal she-wolf who raised Romulus and Remus –, happened to be one of these 2 demigods. The other, is a new demigod: Jason Grace, Son of Jupiter (Known to Greeks as Zeus) and brother of Thalia. He disappeared from Camp Jupiter to arrive in a school bus- which carried 2 other Greek demigods who are a part of the 7- as “the special package”. That bus was on its way to the Grand Canyon and from there, the three were taken to Camp Half-Blood. The first book, the Lost Hero, revolves around Jason Grace’s sojourn at Camp Half-blood and how he makes a mark in the minds of the Greek demigods. The second book, the Son of Neptune, revolves around Percy Jackson’s sojourn at Camp Jupiter and how he makes a mark in the minds of the Roman demigods.  In the process, we are introduced to the other demigods who are the part of the 7 (Piper McLean, Leo Valdez, Hazel Levesque and Frank Zhang), new characters and some new concepts. However, the 7^th demigod has not yet been disclosed.

Conclusion

The plan to overthrow Gaia would be for these 7 to sail to Greece, the place of origin of the Gods, in a magnificent bronze warship which can fly as well as sail, to stop the Giants from uprooting the Gods from their roots and on the way stop over at Rome. This would be covered in the next books, which have not yet been released. The 3^rd book of the series, “The Mark of Athena” is to be released in the fall of this year. All this has made for some intriguing and fascinating reading, which makes us agree with Juno that this quest would be the greatest quest of all time since Aeneus sailed to Troy. I cannot wait for the next book to be released. To conclude with some Latin, I would like to say that this series is a “magnum opus” of Rick Riordan.

(Written on 21st February 2012 for the blog "Pursuit of Boredom")