My knowledge of chemistry is vastly limited. I can’t make a difference between ene, ane, ylene,yl etc. These are all extensions used by chemists. There are innumerable compounds in chemistry. Chemists use two-part nomenclature to name simple molecules. Complex molecules need multiple words. DNA or Deoxyribonucleic acid. In this word ‘deoxyribo‘ can be expanded to deoxyribose. The ‘ose’ is part of the name that denotes sugar. This gets further and further expands. One of the DNA bases is adenine. Out of these ‘ine’ will denote something. It will be useless to call someone a chemist who does not know these ABCs

During my production process, I read and discussed chemistry. My study was limited to deriving visual content from the same and developing an understanding. I was fascinated by DNA separation process.

DNA has 3.2 billion bases. Each DNA has two strands both spirals parallel to each other. These spirals are connected by ‘bases’. Within each base, there are complex molecules. Within each molecule, there are either two or three molecular bonds. When DNA splits all these bases and bonds get separated. Eventually, the DNA recombines. This scale is unparalleled in any chemical reaction known.

All of the breakages and recombination involve hydrogen bonds.

Human affinities sometimes occur without any rhyme or reason. Complex bonding happens in a society due to these affinities. Most of the time these affinities do not create permanent bonds. These can temporarily break and the affectionate ones reunite exactly like before.

Hydrogen bonds are something like that. There is no give and take like ionic bonds. There is no sharing like covalent bonds. Pure affinities due to the electric charge structure of molecules. As the name suggests these occur between slightly positively charged hydrogen atoms and slightly negatively charged other atoms.

Hydrogen bond explains why DNA splits and rejoins why water has some unique properties and many more phenomena.

Please visit my painting exhibition from 8th April to 14th April at Jehangir Art Gallery. Visit my website to know more.

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The most frequent bonds in chemistry are covalent bonds. These are the strongest bonds. These are sharing bonds.

Atoms require 8 electrons in their last orbit. To have 8 electrons atoms can borrow or give to form ionic bonds. But if there is no donor around a borrower may join hands with another borrower or several others to share some electrons. Together with its electrons, the atoms reach the number 8.

This happens more often for mid-range atoms. For example, if there is an atom with 4 electrons in the last orbit. The atom can either donate 4 or receive 4. These atoms are most likely to form covalent bonds.

In a social fabric, humans bond equally. People of a certain status, background or thoughts bond with each other more than people with different backgrounds. Amongst equals the bonds are sharing. The sharing can create long chains. These are difficult to break.

Visit my exhibition at the Jehangir Art Gallery between 8th and 14th April for more such paintings.

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Chemical bonds bring variety to the universe. There are about 100+ elements in the universe. All these elements have nearly the same atoms. The variation is usually in the mass. That too varies by about +/- 5%. But these are uncountable numbers of molecules which vary vastly in their physical properties.

The chemical bonds are also somewhat how we bond with each other. An individual person does not make family, culture, language, nation etc. The humans bond with each other to create the variation.

An ionic bond is one of the bonds in chemistry. It is more like a human bond of donor and debtor. For a very complex reason, most atoms need to have 8 electrons in their last orbits. The atom having just one electron in the last orbit has one extra. The electron is available for donation. If there is another atom which has 7 electrons in the last orbit. The atom is looking for an atom with 1 electron extra.

Ionic bonds are formed by this exchange.

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Please visit my upcoming exhibition to view my paintings on chemistry at Jehangir Art Gallery between the 8th and 14th of April.

Nitrogen and phosphorous are both in the same column in the periodic table. Nitrogen gas is a highly inert gas. When you breathe in the oxygen in the air gets absorbed by your body. However, Nitrogen is not at all absorbed. In the air, it reacts only when lightning happens. The immense heat generated by lightning makes nitrogen burn. This process takes nitrogen to the soil and vegetation can happen.

The Nitrogen strangely undergoes a nuclear process. This happens when cosmic rays hit a nitrogen atom the nitrogen becomes carbon! This is called C14 which decays over years and again becomes nitrogen. This C14 gets absorbed by plants as carbon. Carbon dating has its origin in this process.

Nitrogen is a very critical element of both DNA and proteins. It forms pentagonal structure of atoms. Left alone carbon makes hexagonal structure. Attistically the pentagon-hexagon structure makes the molecules highly interesting.

The periodic table is very much, unlike other tabular data presentations. It has 7 rows 8 columns and about 118 cells. In the first row itself, there are only two cells. The next two rows are quite orderly. They have exactly 16 cells and 16 elements. The second row is of great interest. The row contains three major elements of life carbon, nitrogen and oxygen. The third row has one loner element Phosphorous.

Phosphorous is in the 5th column. Exactly below Nitrogen. Chemically speaking it is quite similar to Nitrogen. However one is gas which does not burn easily. Whereas the other (phosphorous) is a solid and can get ignited by the slightest friction. So what is common in Nitrogen and Phosphorous?

Both have 5 electrons in their last orbit. Which means 3 short to complete it or 5 more to complete it. If we talk in a common language, it has 3 receiving arms and 5 lending arms. It appears that the phosphorous with 5 lending arms plays a vital row in life chemistry.

Our body or for that matter any complex living body is a very complex chemical factory. In fact, each cell is a chemical factory of its own. Millions of chemical reactions happen continuously in our body. As we think lift, move, run, feel heat or cold, smell and see reactions happen. All these reactions are truly chemical. One day we might be able to write a proper chemical equation for each of them.

Life is chemistry is in this sense true.

Loops is a speciality of organic chemistry. Continuous bonds between the atoms can form chains. In most of the inorganic compounds number of atoms number less than 7-8. Where as this number in organic compounds could be few hundred.

These atoms form various interesting patterns. One of the form is loop. In carbon atoms the bonds sometimes are at an angle of 120 degrees. This is perfect for a hexagon. On its own carbon atoms can make continuous hexagons. Sometimes these are nearly infinitely (say a million) in graphite/graphene In benzene these is just one hexagon.

On its own carbon can make complex structures but never pentagons. With nitrogen atoms in between pentagons are formed. Most of the complex webs of atoms in our body are combinations of hexagons and pentagons.

If you look at a football you will find hexagons and pentagons in its skin. On its own hexagons can’t make spherical objects.

There is amusing similarities between number five and anatomy of animals. All of them except for primates have four limbs and a tail. Then we have five fingers to each limb.

Artistically such trivial coincidences appealed me. Also I in my limited search did not find any higher or lower order polygon. Making me wonder that everything is about 5 and 6