Write down of making molecules

"What is the size of an average molecule?" Valerie asked, after she had given up to extract information from Elie in the topic of aviation molecules.

"That can't be said." Elie shook her head. "There are small ones, like we have done until now, but there are giant ones."

"Giants?" Valerie and Conrad laughed on this word. " Giants only exist in fairy tales!"

"And in the afternoon we're really going to make giants out of tiny molecules! " K.O. smiled on shock of the kids.

The twins looked helplessly from one adult to another. But they both stayed serious and didn't shout that "surprise".

"Are we really going to see a giant?" Conrad asked, stunned.

"You will see and make giant molecules." Elie nodded.

"Are they dangerous?" Valerie asked, thinking about the wrecking giants in the tales, her grandmother had been reading for them, when they were little.

"No, nope! The are just very big." Elie soothed her.

"When you connect a large number of tiny molecules, they form giant molecules. Officially they are called macromolecules or polymers. We will make polymers in the afternoon."

"How?" Conrad asked.

This time it was Elie and K.O., who looked at each other helplessly. They couldn't tell the process to the kids, because Valerie and Conrad didn't know enough to understand.

"To understand, you should know about the structure of molecules." K.O. scratched his head.

"Not to mention about chemical processes and equations." Elie slowly was shaking her head.

"Do we have time to learn?" Valerie asked, and grabbed her hand device to search for the topics, which was mentioned before. "At least a bit?"

"We actually have time for that, but you won't find anything about structures and equations in the hand device." Elie answered.

"Why?" The twins asked in unison, stunned.

"Because these things are basic knowledge here. It's like someone is asking you to explain to her why a lemon is yellow. So no one thought there was a need for something in this topic for the hand devices."

"There are a basic application for children to practice equations, if I remember well..." K.O. said, and the others looked at him, surprised. "When my daughter was little, we played with that application, but it was in the old times."

"Where are your daughter now?" Valerie asked. "We could visit her." She smiled.

"In the real world with her family." K.O. told them. "When she grew up, she was no longer interested in this world." He said, got out his hand device, and began searching for the application.

"So do you really want to learn how to describe chemical processes?" Elie asked sincerely.

The twins nodded at once. If this was known to young children here, it would be very uncomfortable to fall in front of their new friends that they don't know.

"You will find booklets and pencils in that drawer!" K.O. pointed toward the stairs.

For the third attempt, Elie pulled out a good drawer and gave it to the kids and herself from the tackle.

"At first, you have to learn about chemical reactions. We call a chemical reaction the process by which the bonds of the little ones are broken and new bonds are formed, creating materials with new properties. You've done a lot of chemical reactions in recent days. Can you say one?"

The twins were thinking heavily. They were unsure because they didn't fully understand what Elie wanted to hear. What could it be when they created new materials? They had an idea, but none of them wanted to get in an awkward position by not saying good.

"Maybe when we made Methane from Carbon and Hydrogen?" Valerie asked in weak voice.

"Good!"Elie smiled. "Do you remember of the properties of Carbon and Hydrogen?

"Carbon atoms are black and solid. Hydrogen atoms are forming molecules, and they are colorless gases." Conrad said fast as he didn't want to drop behind his sister.

"Methane molecules are also colorless gases. "Valerie added.

"Yes. What did we do? We broke the bonds both the Carbon atoms, and the Hydrogen molecules, and force them to make new ones. And the process has resulted in a brand new material with new properties, Methane."

The twins nodded. It was understandable this way.

"If we could write this down, it would look something like this:"

Elie was writing some words to the paper.

Carbon + Hydrogen→ Methane

"It is similar to the mathematical equations."Conrad said in a voice that made clear to everyone, that he hated mathematics.

"In fact, it is partly a mathematical equation." K.O. said. Conrad had second thought. He wasn't so willing to learn chemical equations. But when he looked at Valerie, the girl was watching intently. So he also didn't say a word. "As you already know, everyone on the island speaks English because it is the official language of science. But little ones are called differently in almost every language, so in the real world, you wouldn't go much with this equation. A Chinese man would not understand at all, and let's say a Spanish man would also have a problem with it."

"Then how?" Valerie asked in dispair.

"We use chemical formulas in the equations." Elie asked. "Could you guess, how it would seen?"

"Hydrogens are H, Carbons are C, and Methanes are CH4, so somehow like this." Valerie write under the equation of Elie.

C + H → CH4

"Good work, but it is far more from ready." Elie nodded. "As you remember, the Hydrogens were in molecular form, this must be indicated somehow."

"Like this, for example?" Valerie added to the equation.

C + 2H → CH4

"No." Elie shook her head." When a little one forms a molecule, we write the number of the atoms into the subscription. Could you correct?"

Valerie nodded, she erased the number two and wrote it into its place.

C + H2 → CH4

"Are we ready then?" Conrad asked impatiently.

"No." K.O. said this time. "An equation is not ready, until it is not in balance."

"Balance?"

"Yes, balance. Like the seesaw. The balance swing is in balance when a child of the same weight is sitting on both sides, right?"

Conrad nodded. He had already done this with the Hydrogens in the temple.

"So then everything has to be the same amount on both sides." He said, and the adults nodded.

"The numbers of the atoms have to be the same in both sides."

"There is the same amount of Carbon on both sides!" Valerie said quickly. " But there are two Hydrogen on the left side, and four on the right side."

"Do you remember how many Hydrogen molecules were used making bonds with one Carbon atom?"

"Two molecules."

"Perfect!"

"But how could I sign it in the equation?"

"Multiply the amount of Hydrogen molecules!" Elie said, but Valerie looked at her puzzled. "rite the number two before the sign of the molecule."

C + 2H2 → CH4

"Good work! This is the full equation of making Methane form Carbon and Hydrogen. The only thing, that you should change the arrow to equal-sign."

C + 2H2 = CH4

Valerie grinned victoriously, so Conrad wanted to stand out with something.

"Can it also be described when we made something else out of Methane molecules?"

"Of course! Do you want to try?" Elie asked friendly, for she also noticed that the boy was averse to the equations. "Which one of the reactions do you want to write?"

"Making Ethene."

"Okay. Where did we start? What kind of molecule we had at start?"

"Methane."

"What kind of molecule we had in the end?"

"Ethene."

"So write them down, into the two sides of the arrow!"

Methane → Ethene

"Now change the names with their chemical signs!

CH4 → C2H4

"Do I need a number two before the Methane?" Conrad asked, and Elie nodded.

2CH4 → C2H4

The boy was happy, but when he began to count the Hydrogens, he became uncertain.

"Something is off." He said, and looked at the others with sad eyes.

"Yes, of course!" Elie told him.

"Why?"

"Do you remember what kind of molecules gathered at the top of the cylinder?"

"Hydrogen molecules."

"So you have made not just Ethene from the Methane, but Hydrogen molecules too. You haveto write it to the right side of the equation."

2CH4 → C2H4 + H2

"Like this?" Conrad asked, but stopped. He wrote a number two before the Hydrogen molecules.

2CH4 → C2H4 + 2H2

"It is in balance now!" He stated happily. The adults praised him.

"Could you write the other two reactions?" K.O. asked. "When we got Ethane and Ethyne."

The twins thought for a moment and then started writing the equations. They were still a little insecure, but neither of them wanted to turn to the adults for help.

"Valerie will show you first!" Conrad said, when they finished the equations.

"Why me?" The girls protested.

Elie interrupted them, to prevent another quarrel.

"I'll also write the two equations, and you'll compare them, okay?" She asked, and the kids nodded.

2CH4 = C2H6 + H2

2CH4 = C2H2 + 3H2

Both Valerie and Conrad were smiling happy. Both wrote the equations well.