The power of a pen

My last piece for my chemistry assignment shall end as a tribute to the mighty pen.

Don't be startled. I'm not done just yet. XD. Words have brought us up to this day to who we are. If it wasn't for words, we couldn't have expressed ourselves better. If it wasn't for words, life would be better off impersonating a sycamore in the middle of a forest. If it wasn't for words, history would never have existed. And we would have never really evolved. As much as the written world have progressed to a digital future full of type-written destiny, if it wasn't as much as the mighty but humble pen, we wouldn't have read the greatest works of science, arts and religion. And yet what gives a pen the ability to speak? It is the ink.

Today, I will be discussing the chemical properties and characteristics of ink. Ah, the blotched blots that have shaped our future.. Ink is a complex mixture of solvent, pigments, dyes, resins, lubricants, solubilizers, and other materials.
Inks are divided into two types; solvent-based inks and water-based inks. Pigmented inks contain agents that straightens the adhesive properties, thus preventing removal by abrasion. These agents usually involves resins(for solvent-based inks) and binding agents(water-based kinds). Colour-printing inks are made primarily from solvents such as linseed oil,soybean oil or heavy petroleum distillate. The pigments are salts of dyes from nitrogen-containing compounds(-azo group in the organic chemistry. Inorganic pigments are also used in printing inks but its use is less extensive. Black ink is from carbon black, whereas white pigments, e.g. titanium dioxide, are used either by themselves or to lighten or darken different dyes. Inks also contain additives such as waxes, lubricants, surfactants, and drying agents to hasten and aid the printing process.

Fountain pens, on the other hand, contain water-based inks. However, since the introduction of ball-point pens during the 1950's, the writing ink industry marketed paste like, oil-based dye systems. The thick viscosity allowed fluidity due to the capillary action of the ball-point, which basically means it had less leakage issues as compared to it's fountain counterpart. The inks were also non-smearing and dries quicker than a water-based ink.

There is a major difference in the properties of dyes as opposed to the properties of pigments. Dyes are usually the preferred refills for writing inks because the pigments exist in rather large clumps, and therefore tend to clog up the pen tip. Water-based dye or pigment systems are still popular among the manufacturing of markers, highlighters etc.

The colour of an ink is based on dyes. The world's most expensive dye during ancient civilization was the colour blue. This was because blue was only found from a certain type of seashell. Hence, Royal Blue was aptly named after the richer community who could afford to boast their status to the commoners. Seashells are organic materials.
Azo compounds consist of the functional group R-N=N-R'. The R and R' groups could be either alkyl or aryl groups. The azo group is also discerned by the N=N bond in the compound. Because of the delocalization that exists in an aryl azo compound, the dyes display vivid colours. Azo groups are also present in acid-base indicators due to different colours of their acid and salt form. Azo dyes derived from benzidine were found to be carcinogenic.


Aryl azo compounds are found in a crystalline structure and they were stable compounds. As for the isomers of the azo compound, they are usually found as the trans isomer, but upon photolysis(exposure to light), would be converted to the cis isomer. Diazonium salts are unstable at room temperature. The oxidation of hydrazines would give azo compounds.


Alkyl azo compounds are not as common as the aryl azo compounds. When temperatures are increased, the carbon-nitrogen bonds in certain alkyl azo compounds break with the loss of nitrogen gas to create free radicals. Some aliphatic azo compounds are used as radical initiators especially in the polymerization process. The alkyl azo compounds also exhibit instability and therefore should be handled with extreme care to avoid explosion and such.

Because of the azo group's tendency to cleave and form free radicals, this explains why coloured clothes tend to fade as time goes on. It is simple to say that they evaporate when exposed to dry air, sunlight and bodily fluid. Coloured clothes are more resistant to fading nowadays because of the additional agents as explained in inks as well. The strength of adhesiveness in the pigment contributes to the rate of fading colour on clothes, paper and any objects that were stained with inks and dyes.

For books and pages that had withstood the force of time and change, inks too have evolved to become more resilient, hardy and impenetrable. To be immortalized in the memory of life, inks have done so much to give pens their true meaning. Just like values that have existed within us. Each and every step we take are our inks being used; now inseparable and penned forever in the blank slates of our present. Becoming our past, and possibly sketching our future. If pens were put to good use, it will benefit every possible sixth degree individuals that are connected to us. And their six degrees of relation affect others as well. But if we were to wield them for the unworthy, the inks would have been wasted. The blotches will grow but they would not have produced a thing so beautiful as to truly behold it within their eyes. Decide now, whether life is an art or an incomprehensible mess. For truly, if it wasn't for pens, swords would have done us in a long, long time ago.

Thank you for joining me in my discursive attempt on an household object so ordinary that it is unique on its own. But that is life, isn't it? ;)

Something serious

I feel sober today, though I never had a drop of liquor in my life. But I feel sober; perhaps it is penitence to my actions. But what have I done? What had made me so reckless that I disregarded all attempts of proper pursuit of the right path. The right way. If you had replaced the I's with 'We', you might get the picture. The thing about life is when we are always searching for that constant happiness or the cousin closest to it; getting high, we conveniently forget that too much sunshine hurts. Everything needs to be at a balance. However, whence had the people of the world stopped exercising self control and started ruining themselves for worse. Everyone does this, it is a fact that makes us wholly human than anything else in the earth. I realised this too, and I must regret my actions. And to be off to a good course, I have to change. Yet it isn't easy.

Humans spiral out of control sometimes. They attempt drugs, succumb to alcoholicism, mix with bad company and many more possible addictions that provide them an escape to reality. Look at kids, the next generation. We began so young; so equipped of telling what is right and what is wrong. Why did we turn gray? http://www.tqnyc.org/2006/NYC063545//types.html

Drugs are classified into three types: Depressants(They slow down your central nervous system. You will enter a dreamy state), Stimulants(They speed up your central nervous system. You will feel active) and Hallucinogens(They cause you to see things that aren't there. Realities are blurred). Drugs are not the choice of a blue pill or red. And every wrong choice must come with its ramifications I will be talking about Crack Cocaine today.

Crack is a solid smokable form of cocaine. They are in a purebasic form of cocaine that is usually made using sodium bicarbonate(Baking soda) in a process to convert cocaine hydrochloride(Cocaine in powder form) to methylbenzoylecgonine(Freebased cocaine). Note that producers had omitted the freebased precipitate from ammonia mixture due to the dangers of using ether to produce the freebased cocaine. The filtration process too had been omitted. Hence, the crack is produced alongside with ammonium salt(NH4CL) after the mixture has evaporated. Baking soda is used these days due to lower odour and toxicity in comparison of using ammonia, in fact, any weak base will do. To increase the overall profitability of illegal sales, the ratio of cocaine per bicarbonate is usually 3:4. The crack also could be reprocessed with small quantities of water(cookback). The water removes the residual bicarbonate and other adulterants that have been used during the handling og cocaine. The net reaction when using sodium bicarbonate is:
Coc-H+Cl– + NaHCO3 → Coc + H2O + CO2 + NaCl
In this reaction, carbon dioxide, salt and water are released. It is similar to a typical acid-base reaction. Sometimes, users tend to 'wash up' or 'cook' the cocaine themselves. This is done with baking soda, water and a spoon. Once they are mixed and heated, the bicarbonate soda breaks down into carbon dioxide and sodium carbonate, which reacts with the hydrochloride from the cocaine molecule. Once separated from the hydrochloride, the cocaine alkaloid floats to the top of the leftover liquid. The oil is then picked up rapidly with a pin. This pulls the oil up and spins it, allowing air to set and dry the oil and form it to a rock-like shape. Crack vaporizes at 90 °C, which is much lower than the cocaine hydrochloride melting point of 190 °C. Since cocaine hydrochloride cannot be smoked, crack cocaine, when smoke, allows quick absorption to the blood stream and reaches the brain in 8 seconds. Users obtain an intense 'high' compared to sniffing normal powdered cocaine.

However, it comes with a price. They affect the chemical balance of the brains, causing euphoria, loss of appetite, insomnia, alertness, increased activity and a craving for more cocaine. It start by allowing sudden increase in the dopamine level(The feeling of euphoria) which usually lasts to about 5-10 minutes. After the effects had worn off, the dopamine level plummets, leaving the users in a state of depression. This leaves the users to take in another shot of crack in them, however, the levels of dopamine in the brain takes longer time to replenish themselves. Each hit taken in rapid successions result in a decreased intense high. The use of cocaine in a binge(taken repeatedly and at a higher dosage each time) leads to a state of increased irritability, restlessness and paranoia. "What if it finishes? What if I don't have them anymore?" This may result in a full blown paranoid psychosis where users will lose in touch with reality and experience auditory hallucinations. Stimulant drug abuse will cause the users to experience delusional parisitosis. Hence, they will feel bugs or parasites crawling under their skin even though there isn't any. In the case of extreme deliriousness, they might scratch themselves till they bleed and hurt themselves in the process. Cocaine-related deaths are often a result of cardiac arrest or seizures followed by respiratory arrest.

Now tell me, is the entire process of addiction, hallucination and cause of self-injury a reason to have drugs in life? Why do people do it? Peer pressure, being depressed and a victim of circumstances. The use of crack itself isn't as dangerous as the potential dangers users are to their family and the society. When the addiction spirals out of control, drug addicts will do anything just to get their hands on crack. Money will fleet quicker than ever. Habitual lying, thievery and murders might happen as well. In a state of desperation bordering towards paranoia, they no longer listen to their conscience or do what is rightfully correct.

People will get hurt. This isn't right at all. But who do we turn to when we have problems in life? When the going gets tough, sometimes, it's easy to lose our way. Friends, family and professional help are those who we can turn to. Most importantly, we have to admit we have a problem. Look inside us, hear our inner voice and do the right thing. It is hard, no one ever said otherwise, but it is possible. If you see anyone who is in distress, help them. Don't turn your back on another individual. Life is tough but it is the precious things in life that is worth living for. Freedom , Righteousness and Love. Till then, look out and reach out because no matter what, as sung by the late Michael Jackson himself, You are NOT alone.

Once again, thanks for joining me in my blog.