Friday, March 27, 2020

How does director Luhrman Engage the Modern Audience in his Film Version of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet Essay Example

How does director Luhrman Engage the Modern Audience in his Film Version of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet? Essay Luhrman excels himself in his modern film version of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet. He captivates the modern audience using camera, music and sound effects, editing, colour and lighting, characterisation, costume and props as his tools. Using these techniques he captures the audiences attention and really brings through the brilliance of Shakespeares play to the modern world using his skill as a director. He aims mainly at a teenage audience although the film can appeal to everyone. Luhrman uses camera effects to great success. The camera tracks/pans from face to face very quickly as the fight begins. This shows the rush of emotions going on. He uses this to emphasize that the fight will be very fast. It also gives you a close up shot of their facial expressions in short shots. This gives the fight a longer period of time to engage the audience in whats happening and it involves the audience with the characters. They know what theyre thinking and feeling and can see their reactions to the fight easily. Also the quick movement of the camera builds up tension, you can almost feel the adrenaline rising in Mercutio and Tybalt and at some point it has to explode. We will write a custom essay sample on How does director Luhrman Engage the Modern Audience in his Film Version of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet? specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on How does director Luhrman Engage the Modern Audience in his Film Version of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on How does director Luhrman Engage the Modern Audience in his Film Version of William Shakespeares Romeo and Juliet? specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer When Romeo kills Tybalt there is a long, angle shot of Romeo looking up at a religious statue. The statue makes Romeo look tiny emphasizing how he feels at that present moment in time. The rain falling creates a depressing atmosphere. It is as though the statue is looking down on Romeo, and therefore as though God is looking down on him, showing that he has just done a terrible thing. You can see the mix of shock, grief and guilt on his face in another long shot of Romeo. Luhrman uses an extreme close up on Romeos face to show the fear and regret he feels for what he has just done. This also brings the audience closer to the character; they feel sorry for him. In the build up to the fight the hand -held camera effect helps to bring the audience in to the fight. Its as though you are there amongst the action. It also helps you feel the emotions going on in the film. The high tension and adrenaline rush. After Romeo kills Tybalt there is 45 seconds of complete silence. This shows the complete shock Romeo is feeling. It also shows the seriousness of the situation. People automatically associate silence with seriousness. During the fight between Tybalt and Romeo there is a huge emphasis on the gunshot and the dropping of the gun. Luhrman uses sound effects to echo the sound of the gunshot and it is also played in slow motion so the audience focuses on it even more. When Romeo drops the gun there is a long clear camera shot of it. There is some kind of religious symbol on the gun. Once again there are implications of God, which relates to one of the Ten Commandments, though shalt not kill. These religious motifs are continued throughout the whole film. It is a clever way of relating this modern film version back to the original play. During the period when the play was written there was a lot of focus on religion, if you didnt attend church regularly then you were sure to go the hell and were unrespectable and unwanted. For Romeo to kill Tybalt was a huge deal. He disgraced his family and himself. Before Romeo kills Tybalt, Tybalt kills Mercutio. The high number of deaths in this scene makes it highly dramatic. Mercutio wears a white shirt, which shows his innocence and neutrality. Also the white shirt is of use to show his wound when Tybalt kills him. You can clearly see the blood on his shirt, which adds to the drama of the scene. He only fights because Romeo refuses to and because he is a friend of the Montague family he sees it as his duty to stand up for them. Just before Mercutio dies he shouts A plague o both your houses. It echoes all around the beach to emphasize the effect of his words. He blames his death on the feud between the two families. He curses their families. Ignoring the fact that he stepped into the fight of his own accord. When the fight started the beach was full of people and the weather was warm, bright and sunny, to reflect the lighthearted mood the Montagues were in as the fight started. Also as Romeo enters, there is soft mellow music playing, to suggest that he wants to make peace, not fight. At Tybalts entrance a cool, dramatic type of music is played to sugge st he has a score to settle with Romeo. Each character has themed music to reflect their personality and mood. It also shows the difference between the families and their hate for each other. Now the crowds have cleared and the beach is deserted apart from the feuding Montagues and Capulets and a storm is approaching in the background. As Mercutio dies the storm begins to break, it is as if the storm reflects Romeos mood. It symbolizes all the grief and anger he feels at Mercutios death. At Mercutios death there is a loud bang of thunder followed by very heavy, intense music to show that a tragedy has just taken place. There is a lot of emphasis on car engines too, the mix of sounds and the fast paced camera shots point out how frantic and confused everything is, as Romeo sets of to pursue Tybalt and avenge Mercutio. The car chase scene is extremely fast paced and very loud to emphasize the whirl of emotions going on in Romeos and Tybalts heads. Everything is emphasized showing that Romeos senses are on high and alert due to the adrenaline rush he received from his anger at Mercutios death. Luhrman is trying to show the audience that Romeo has let his emotions take over, hes not in control anymore. After Mercutio dies there is a cut to a shot of Juliet looking love struck over Romeo, it then cuts to a shot of Romeo in the car looking maddened by grief. And then after Romeo kills Tybalt it cuts to Juliet again, she is looking over her shoulder, it is as if she felt what just happened to her cousin Tybalt. This editing shows that Tybalts death is the turning point in the play. And as it cuts back to Romeo, both he and the audience realises that what he has done will curse his marriage further and lead to banishment. At the beginning of the scene you see the Montagues on the beach, all wearing brightly coloured modern clothing, like Hawaiian shirts etc. This reflects the happy mood at the beginning. The Montague boys all wear their shirts unbuttoned to show theyre laid back attitude whereas the Capulets are dressed quite formally. Then the Capulets arrive all dressed in black to seem intimidating. Their clothes represent their anger and hate for the Montagues. As the scene moves along and the mood becomes darker so does the lighting and colours. The clouds move across the sky and cast a shadow on the Montagues and Capulets as if to imply a plague moving over the houses of Montague and Capulet. At the end of the scene when the prince announces Romeos banishment everyone but lady Capulet is dressed in dark colours. She says Romeo slew Tybalt, Romeo must not live. She is obviously very angry at the death of her kinsman and she is dressed in bright red, perhaps to reflect her anger at Tybalts death. During the fight scene between Romeo and Tybalt, the costumes worn make a huge difference in the film. Tybalt is wearing a black shirt, which makes his injuries much less obvious, and so it makes the audience sympathise with Romeo, as his wounds are much clearer. As well as modern colouring there is also modern movement and gestures. For example as Mercutio makes a joke out of the word blow he lifts his shirt and shakes his bum at Tybalt in as a taunt. The Montague boys act as typical teenagers, play fighting with each other and not taking life to seriously. In another scene you see them playing pool, like typical teenagers would. This allows a teenage audience to relate to the characters and empathise with them, whereas they would find it slightly harder to relate to the more adult Capulets. When it cuts to the scene in Juliets room there is a romantic, peaceful feeling. She is surrounded by candles and religious figurines, a shocking contrast compared to the previous scene, where Mercutio was just murdered. This grabs the audiences attention, due to the sharp change and makes them pay attention to the film more closely. Also the scene shows Juliets innocence, she is blissfully unaware of the tragedy taking place and the fate of her new husband. The religious motifs appear again through the figurines, again relating back to the time period of the original play. Luhrman uses young, attractive actors for the main characters, which are appealing to the modern youth. As Tybalt dies, a short scene with Juliet is edited in. This helps us to understand her thoughts and feelings at the time. It also helps the scene to flow through into the next, making it easier for the audience to follow the film. Overall the scene is extremely well directed. Baz Luhrman has used camera, music, sound, editing, characterisation, colour and lighting to great effect. You can easily understand whats going on and its easy for the modern audience to relate to the characters and see what emotions theyre going through.

Friday, March 6, 2020

Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged

Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged Jury-rigged vs. Jerry-rigged By Maeve Maddox A reader asks to know the difference between jury-rigged and jerry-rigged. Of the two, the older term is jury-rigged, a nautical term dating from the days of sail. Because they were often damaged in storms, sailing ships carried a spare mast called the jury-mast. Apart from scholarly speculation, the etymology of jury in this context is unknown. The jury-mast was like a spare tire, to be used only in an emergency and replaced by the real thing as soon as possible. The adjective jury-rigged came to be applied to anything intended to be of temporary use. Here are some examples of the term in current usage: Andrew Gill, had coolly waited for the weather to calm down after his vessel lost its mast and communications equipment in rough weather, and then jury-rigged a sail to get him to his destination.- SailWorld, 2012 Despite great hardship caused by limited power, loss of cabin heat, shortage of potable water, and the critical need to  jury-rig  the carbon dioxide removal system, the crew returned safely to  Earth  on April 17.- Princeton University site. A second expression that is earlier than jerry-rigged is jerry-built. As with the jury in jury-rigged, the origin of the jerry in jerry-built remains a mystery. First (1881) came the term jerry-builder: It is unfortunately too often the habit of builders- or rather jerry builders- to use the worst possible description of bricks. A jerry-builder was a contractor who put up shoddy houses for a quick sale. The first citation for the adjective jerry-built to describe shoddily built houses is dated 1869. Here are two recent examples of the use of jerry-built: In their need for access to varied sources of employment and cheap housing, immigrants were restricted to decaying or jerry-built housing.- The American Landscape, Stephen F. Mills, Routledge, 2013   Central to nearly all the semi-abstract paintings in â€Å"With a Tug and a Hold† are what appear to be architectural structures, or fragments of the built environment: a jerry-built wood shack here, a bit of metal scaffolding there.- The Washington Post, 2012. â€Å"Jerry-rigged† conflates â€Å"jury-rigged† with â€Å"jerry-built.† In American usage, jerry-rigged refers to something devised or repaired with materials at hand. Here are some examples: Our presentation was jerry-rigged because we hadn’t been able to get the software to work correctly in time.- The Accidental Millionaire, Gary Fong, BenBella Books, 2009. With the Afghan army also lagging in explosives experts, its members often resort to jerry-rigged tactics to locate and defuse IEDs, officials say.- The Washington Post, 2014 It was the very definition of jerry-rigged: She’d cut some slits in the back of a gel skin phone cover that would serve as credit card slots, taped a piece of cardboard on as a makeshift cover, and added a string to form a wristlet.- Huffington Post, 2014 Frustratingly, in this case, my attempt to use my iPad as a jerry-rigged solution has actually  created  problems I didn’t have before.  - MIT Technology Review, 2012. Although not in either the OED or Merriam-Webster, the verb to Macgyver is used with a similar meaning by some speakers: to Macgyver: to invent useful devices from ordinary materials. A device or mechanical solution created by Macgyvering is a Macgyverism. The words derive from the name of Angus MacGyver, a television character noted for his ability to resolve dangerous problems by non-violent means. Instead of a gun, this hero carries duct tape and a Swiss Army knife. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:50 Slang Terms for Money35 Genres and Other Varieties of Fiction30 Words for Small Amounts

Wednesday, February 19, 2020

Intercultural communication( this is the course I am studying, not the Assignment - 1

Intercultural communication( this is the course I am studying, not the topic) - Assignment Example Moreover, it’s important to know the other person first for instance their interests and area of specialization. Such light communication is important in creating a close relationship before going into details. It’s important to keep the communication simple. In addition, it’s significant to avoid technical jargons and information that might be contradictory or which might be interpreted wrongly. I agree that when communicating with someone who emanates from a different culture or uses a different language, it is important to use simple language and short sentences. This is to avoid any confusion. In addition, it is good to get direct to the point and incase there is any technical information or data that need detailed explanation, it’s important to call the person directly. Its true one should be aware of the cultural differences when communicating with non-native speakers. The communication should be formal. However, it’s not good to generalize that women should be careful. Instead, all people should be careful irrespective of the gender, religion, race, or cultural

Tuesday, February 4, 2020

Ethical Foundations Of Sallie Mcfague And Thich Nhat Hanh Assignment

Ethical Foundations Of Sallie Mcfague And Thich Nhat Hanh - Assignment Example Sallie is an American feminist as well as a Christian theologian, known for her exclusive talks and writings on ecology. She has written a lot about care for the earth as she believes the earth is God’s ‘body’. McFague writes that human beings construct the worlds that they live in but later forget that they constructed them. This, she writes as the reason there is much destruction of the environment that God has given to His people. By citing earth as God’s body, she compels humans to take care of the earth and in overall, the environment that God has given to them (McFague, 12-77). Caring for the environment will ensure that humans will change the things they value and will never at some point disembody God. McFague has used theology in exploring urgent issues on climate change. In her book, A New Climate for Theology: God, the World, and Global Warming, she begins by accounting for the evidence of climate change due to the existence of science. Additiona lly, she demonstrates the necessity of theology to be included in this global issue. Her reason is that the church is seen as an ecological catholicity that is committed to a just and also sustainable existence of the creation made by God. As such, she criticizes all humans who reinforce individualistic regimes resulting to climate change (McFague, 106-200). Hence, she calls for all humanity to embrace inter-relationship and interdependence with all life supporting mechanisms on the planet.Thich Nhat Hanh is a Vietnamese Buddhist monk.

Monday, January 27, 2020

Comparison of Flow Patterns of Rivers

Comparison of Flow Patterns of Rivers Introduction Comparing the flow patterns of rivers in different regions can be most revealing to the contemporary geographer. As Veissman and Lewis have emphasised, all waterways are influenced by the six components of the hydrological cycle.[1] These are: precipitation levels, infiltration, evaporation, transpiration, surface run-off and ground water flow. Such factors, along with topography, often vary considerably within relatively small geographical boundaries. For the purposes of this investigation the flow duration curves (FDCs) of the rivers Owenmore, Funshion, Rye Water and Fane, which are located in the Republic of Ireland, shall be subjected to inspection and comparison. The Flow Duration Curve As Singh has noted ‘the flow duration curve (FDC) is one of the simplest but most informative tools in hydrology’ and ‘shows the percentage of time during which specified flows were equalled or exceeded during the period of record.’[2] In essence, the FDC is a model which can be utilised by hydroelectric companies and other agencies in order to determine the energy capacity of a river, normally on an annual basis. The vertical, or Y, axis represents the flow rate (Q) measured in cubic metres per second (mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s) and the horizontal, or X, axis represents the percentage of time over a specific period in which flow exceeds the value on the Y axis. Thus, the area below the curve shows the potential energy capacity of the river. The shape of the FDC is influenced by the six components of the hydrological cycle and also the topography and shape of the river’s catchment area. As Ward and Robinson have highlighted, a steeply sloping FDC is typical of ‘highly variable flows with a large quick flow component.’[3] Such a trend is associated with waterways in the Mediterranean region due to extremes in precipitation levels, high surface run-off and a low storage capacity of the soil. On the contrary, a gently sloping curve indicates a ‘large delayed flow component.’[4] This is typical of many rivers in temperate climates which continue to receive through-flow during periods of low precipitation from water stored in the surrounding soil and bedrock. The lower end of the FDC is indicative of ‘perennial storage in the basin.’[5] Thus, if the FDC ‘flattens out,’ the catchment area has a considerable degree of water stored which will flow into the river during d ry periods. A Comparison of Rivers The Flow Duration Curves of both the rivers Owenmore and Funshion are similar in shape and exhibit a much steeper trend in comparison to the FDCs of rivers Rye Water and Fane. However, the curve of the Funshion flattens out more than that of the Owenmore. Flow rate never decreases below 1.8mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s on the Funshion whereas on the Owenmore it can be as low as 0.8mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. This shows that the Funshion benefits from a greater level of through flow and storage capacity within its drainage basin. Indeed, this is understandable when one considers that the total area of the Funshion’s catchment exceeds that of the Owenmore by 64 Km . Specific run-off is also 0.9 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s higher in the area of the Owenmore which accounts for the river having a higher maximum flow rate of 20.90 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. In only 5% of the time, 17.3% of the total annual flow rate passes through its water channel. Mean flow rate of the River Funshion is 8.14 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s, the highest of all the rivers. Flow rate exceeded for 95% of the year (Q95) is 0.495 and emphasises that the Funshion has the greatest minimum river flow of all the waterways. The rivers Rye Water and Fane have a flow range which is less than that of the Owenmore and Funshion. Maximum flow rate is 11.8 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s on the Rye Water and 8.0 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s on the Fane. This is due in part to the lower drainage area of both basins. The Fane’s is only 234 km and the Rye Water’s is the smallest of the four at 215 km . The flow rate exceeded for 95% of the year (Q95) of the Fane is 0.085 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s to the Rye Water’s 0.046 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. The Fane’s catchment exhibit’s a greater degree of storage capacity than that of the Rye Water as flow rate never drops below 0.20 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. However, the Rye Water’s flow rate drops considerably and levels off at only 0.10 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /s for 15% of the year, contributing to the lowest mean flow rate of all the waterways at just 2.16 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. The specific run-off rate of the Rye Water is 0.4 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s higher than that of the Fane. Of all the rivers, the Funshion exhibits the highest base flow rate whilst the Rye Water’s is the lowest. The Owenmore has the widest range of flow rate from 20.90 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³ /s to only 0.80 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. The Fane has the gentlest FDC and ranges from 8.00 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s at high flow to 0.20 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s at low flow. Geographical Locations and Factors of Influence The River Owenmore is located in the north of the Republic of Ireland and flows from north central Mayo to Sligo Bay. Precipitation levels are high in this oceanic coastal area and average 1163 mm per year. As Mitchell and Ryan have noted, this zone is also dominated by poorly drained peat and gley soils.[6] Thus, during periods of heavy rainfall, a large amount of surface run-off flows directly to the river channel. High upland plateaus, which dominate the region to heights of up to 2113 feet, contribute to this phenomena. This explains why the flow rate of the River Owenmore can reach 20.90 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s during periods of high rainfall. The course of the river traverses terrain utilised for grazing and dairying purposes. Such an expanse of grassland further exacerbates surface run-off during the winter months. The River Funshion is a tributary to the Blackwater River in south west Ireland. This region is also overlooked by uplands which can rise to heights of 2000 feet at the source of the Blackwater. The steepness of the surrounding topography is a potent factor in generating a top flow rate of 20.20 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. Heavily forested slopes also ensure that a higher degree of subsurface water is retained within the basin than in the sparsely wooded catchment area of the River Owenmore in the north. The Funshion thus receives a higher level of through-flow at times of low precipitation due to this vegetation factor and flow rate never drops below 1.80 mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s. Rainfall averages 1190mm per year in this catchment area, which is the most of all the four drainage basins. The rivers Rye Water and Fane experience lower levels of precipitation due to their location further east. The Fane is situated in the drumlin belt close to the town of Monaghan in South Armagh and the Rye Water is a tributary of the Liffey River which traverses the city of Dublin. The terrain influencing both drainage basins is not as dynamic as that of the west and altitudes rarely reach 655 feet. The highest flow rate of the Rye Water is just 11.80mà ¯Ã¢â‚¬Å¡Ã‚ ³/s which is testimony to the lower eastern topography. However, urbanisation around the river channel has contributed to increased surface run-off; the river passes through the settlements of Kilcock and Leixlip before entering the Liffey. Orme has noted that the drumlin soils of catchments such as the River Fane are often poorly drained and prone to water logging.[7] This factor explains why the lower end of the river’s FDC does not drop as abruptly as that of the Rye Water. Clearly the Fane has a higher degree of surface storage in its catchment area. Bibliography HAUGHTON, J. P. GILMOUR, D. A. Geography of Ireland, The Department of Foreign Affairs, 1979 MITCHELL, F. RYAN, M. Reading the Irish Landscape, Town House Dublin, 1997 ORME, A. R. Ireland, Longman, 1970 SINGH, V. P. Environmental Hydrology, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995 VEISSMAN, W. LEWIS, G. L. Introduction to Hydrology, Pearson Education Inc, Fifth Edition, 2003 WARD, R. C. ROBINSON, M. Principles of Hydrology, McGraw-Hill, 2000 WHITTOW, J. B. Geology and Scenery in Ireland, Penguin Books, 1974 Footnotes [1] W Viessman, G L Lewis, Introduction to Hydrology, Pearson, 2003) 2 [2] V P Singh, Environmental Hydrology, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 1995) 113 [3] R C Ward, M Robinson, Principles of Hydrology, McGraw-Hill Publishing Company, 2000) 258 [4] R C Ward, M Robinson) 258 [5] R C Ward, M Robinson) 258 [6] F Mitchell, F Ryan, Reading the Irish Landscape, Town house Dublin, 1997) 308 [7] A R Orme, Ireland, Longman, 1970) 61

Sunday, January 19, 2020

Synthesis of Cinnamaldehyde from Benzaldehyde

Vidallon, Mark Louis P. Date Performed: February 20, 2012 CHEM44. 1 2LDate Submitted: March 12, 2012 MIXED-ALDOL CONDENSATION Synthesis of Cinnamaldehyde I. Introduction Cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic aldehyde or 3-phenyl-2-propenal is the major constituent of cinnamon oil, extracted from several species of Cinnamomum (C. verum, C. burmanii, C. cassia), under the family Lauraceae, a group of evergreen trees. Cinnamon bark (particularly C. verum) yields 0. 4-0. % oil, which contains 60-80% cinnamaldehyde, 4-5% sesquiterpenoids (? -humulene, ? -caryophyllene, limonene and others), eugenol, cinnamyl acetate, eugenol acetate, cinnamyl alcohol, methyl eugenol, benzaldehyde, benzyl benzoate, cuminaldehyde, monoterpenes (linalool, pinene, phellandrene and cymene), safrole and others (List and Horhammer; Masada; Ravindran qtd. from Khan and Abourashed, 2011). Isolation of cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon oil of Cinnamomum sp. ark, called â€Å"quills†, â€Å"quillings†, â€Å"feathering s† and â€Å"chips† depending on quality, was first done in 1834 by Dumas and Peligot (Attokaran, 2011). It has been proven that cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon oil has a very high potential in the pharmaceutical industry, aside from its well known role in the food preparation, specifically as spice, odorant and colorant. Several researches have proven the antimicrobial activity of cinnamaldehyde against Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus subtilis (Council of Europe, 2008).Also, cinnamaldehyde has been proven to inhibit microbial growth of opportunistic human pathogenic fungi, such as Aspergillus niger, Candida albicans and Rhizopus oligosporus, and various bacteria (Escherichia coli, Enterobacter cloacae, Micrococcus luteus, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus faecalis, and others) (Khan and Abourashed, 2011). Several studies have also unraveled the hypoglycemic (insulin-like) and hypolipidemic properties of cinnamaldehyde since it can cause: elevated glucose oxidation and uptake, causing decrease in blood plasma glucose levels; decreased glycosylated hemoglobin, serum total cholesterol and riglyceride levels; increased plasma insulin, hepatic glycogen and high-density lipoprotein; and restored modified plasma enzyme concentrations to almost normal level (Babu, Prabuseenivasan and Ignacimuthu, 2006). Though effective approaches in the isolation of cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon oil from quills, low amounts of pure cinnamaldehyde can only be obtained from effective separation processes. Feature Article Relative Rates:  Free-Radical BrominationDue to this demarcation in the discovery and investigation of other potential medicinal and non-medicinal values of cinnamaldehyde, chemists have also developed synthetic procedures to obtain high amounts of pure cinnamaldehyde, one of which is the mixed aldol condensation of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde. Mixed aldol condensation is a reaction of different aldehydes or ketones leading to the formation of aldols (? -hydroxyaldehydes) or ketols (? -hydroxyketones), accompanied by the removal of water to result finally to enals (? , ? -unsaturated aldehydes) or enones (? , ? -unsaturated ketones).Aldol additions are due to the reaction of enolate ions of carbonyl compounds (from the reaction of acidic ? -hydrogens of aldehydes and ketones with bases) with the electrophilic centers of other carbonyl compounds. Synthesized aldols and ketols can dehydrate spontaneously or can be dehydrated, especially when heated, to form enals an d enone, the final product(s) of aldol condensations (Moore and Langley, 2010). Possible side reactions were the Canizzarro reaction of benzaldehyde and the self-condensation of acetaldehyde. Minimization of the possibilities of the stated reactions was done by following a special scheme of procedure.Characterization tests that were done in to confirm the identity of the products are boiling point determination, reactions with nitric acid and with sodium bisulfite and derivatization with 2,4-dinitrophenylhydrazine. In the experiment conducted, the objectives of the author were as follows: 1. To synthesize cinnamaldehyde from the base-catalyzed mixed aldol condensation of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde; and 2. To characterize the synthesized product using its boiling point, results of simple chemical tests and derivatization reactions, along with the determination of the elting points of the hydrazones and comparison of the hydrazones using their RGB values. II. Materials and Methods A. Reagents The following are the reagents were used in the experiment: Benzaldehyde Acetaldehyde 15% sodium hydroxide solution Sodium chloride 95 % ethanol solution 40% sodium bisulfite solution 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine Nitric acid Ice B. Apparatus and Equipment The following are the apparatus and equipment were used in the experiment: 50-mL round-bottom flask 50-mL beaker 10-mL graduated cylinder 10-mL pipet Pasteur pipet Micro distilling flask Test tubes Evaporating dish Thermometer Bunsen burnerMicroreflux Watch glass Iron ring Iron clamp Iron stand Separatory funnel Wire gauze Hot plate Electronic top loading balance Fisher-Johns melting point apparatus III. Schematic Diagrams C. Synthesis of Cinnamaldehyde (in round-bottom flask) 3. 06mL – cool in ice bath + 3. 00mL 15% NaOH + 0. 50mL dropwise with swirling + 3. 00mL 15% NaOH + 0. 50mL dropwise with swirling + 3. 00mL 15% NaOH + 0. 68mL dropwise with swirling – reflux for 10-15 minutes – cool to room te mperature – cool in ice bath – separate layers Organic layer , very minimal (in 10-mL graduated cylinder) Aqueous layer very minimal, unreactedH2O with Na+ and Cl- Measure amount and save for characterization discard D. Characterization 1. Boiling Point Determination Product (in distilling flask) – distill Note temperature at which liquid starts to boil 2. Reaction with Nitric Acid (Test for presence of benzene ring) 1-2 drops of test compound1 (in test tube) + 1-2 drops HNO3 Observe visible changes and temperature changes 3. Reaction with Sodium Bisulfite (Test for presence of carbonyl compounds) 4. 0mL 40% NaHSO3 + 1. 0mL ethanol – filter Residue Filtrate Save and label â€Å"alcoholic NaHSO3† 1-2 drops of test compound1 (in test tube) + 1-2 drops alcoholic NaHSO3Observe visible changes 4. Derivatization with 2, 4-Dinitrophenylhydrazine 1-2 drops of test compound1 (in test tube) + 4. 0mL ethanol + 3. 0mL – filter – recrystallize usi ng 95% ethanol Colored hydrazone crystals Determine melting point and RGB values Compared appearance, melting points and RGB values with other hydrazones 5. Combustion Test 2-4 drops of test compound1 (in evaporating dish) – flame carefully using Bunsen burner flame Observe flammability, flame color and sootiness and compared with other test substances 1 Compounds to be tested are: cinnamaldehyde (product), benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde.IV. Data and Results Table 1. Observations on the synthesis of cinnamaldehyde. Reagent/Action Taken| Observations| Benzaldehyde| Clear, colorless, dense liquid| Acetaldehyde| Clear, colorless liquid| Sodium hydroxide| Colorless liquid| Benzaldehyde + NaOH| White mixture| Mixture + dropwise addition of acetaldehyde| Yellow oil (upper layer) and off-white lower layer| Reflux| Dark brown, opaque, viscous liquid mixture| Cooling| Formation of layers| Extraction:| | Organic layer| (Upper) Dark brown, opaque viscous liquid with cinnamon scent| Aqueo us layer| (Lower) Light brown, translucent liquid|Product| Dark brown, opaque viscous liquid with cinnamon scent| Table 2. Percent yield of the synthesis of cinnamaldehyde. Compound| Amount (mL)| Benzaldehyde| 3. 06| Acetaldehyde| 1. 68| Cinnamaldehyde:| | Theoretical| 3. 78| Experimental| 3. 46| % Yield| 91. 6 %| Table 3. Boiling points of compounds used and synthesized in the experiment. Compound| Boiling point (oC)| Benzaldehyde| 179| Acetaldehyde| 65-82| Cinnamaldehyde:| | Theoretical| 250-252| Experimental| Decomposed| Table 4. Results of the characterization tests of the product and reactants. Compound| Reaction with HNO3| Reaction with NaHSO3| Observations| (+/-)| Observations| (+/-)| Benzaldehyde| Yellow-orange liquid;Heat production | + | White precipitate | + | Acetaldehyde| Clear, colorless liquid (N. R. ) | – | White precipitate | + | Cinnamaldehyde| Two layers: opaque, dark brown (upper) and translucent, chocolate brown (lower) | + | Brown precipitate | + | Table 5. Results of the derivatization with 2,4-DNP. Compound| Observations| Melting point of hydrazone (oC)| Mean RGB Values (in hexadecimal)| | | Theoretical| Experimental| | Benzaldehyde| Orange yellow solids| 255. 25| 218| E7B01A| Acetaldehyde| Crimson red solids| 221. 6| 174| C75B34| Cinnamaldehyde| Red orange solids| 267. 76| Decomposed| AF6D21| Table 6. Observations on the combustion test of the reagents and the product. Compound| Flammability| Flame color| Sootiness| Benzaldehyde| Flammable| Orange| Sooty| Acetaldehyde| Moderately flammable| Blue| Very sooty| Cinnamaldehyde| Very flammable| Orange| Extremely sooty with black residue| Sample Calculations: V benzaldehyde = mol benzaldehyde ? MW benzaldehyde ? 1/? benzaldehyde V benzaldehyde = (0. 03 mol)(106. 12 g/mol)(1. 00 mL/1. 0415 g) V benzaldehyde = 3. 06 mL V acetaldehyde = mol acetaldehyde ?MW acetaldehyde ? 1/? acetaldehyde V acetaldehyde = (0. 03 mol)(44. 05 g/mol)(1. 00 mL/0. 788 g) V acetaldehyde = 1. 68 mL Theoretical yield = mol cinnamaldehyde ? MW cinnamaldehyde ? 1/? cinnamaldehyde Theoretical yield = (0. 03 mol)(132. 16 g/mol)(1. 00 mL/1. 05 g) Theoretical yield = 3. 776 mL %Yield = (3. 46 mL/3. 776 mL) ? 100% %Yield = 91. 6% Maximum loss by solvation V cinnamaldehyde = ? cinnamaldehyde ? solubility in H2O ? V water V cinnamaldehyde = (1. 00 mL/1. 05 g)(4. 09? 10-4 g/mL)[9. 00 mL+(0. 030 mol)(18. 016 g/mol)](1. 00 mL/g) V cinnamaldehyde = (1. 00 mL/1. 05 g) (4. 09? 0-4 g/mL)(9. 54 mL) V cinnamaldehyde = 3. 72? 10-3 mL %Loss by solvation = (V cinnamaldehyde lost/ Theoretical yield) ? 100% %Loss by solvation = (3. 72? 10-3 mL/3. 776 mL) ? 100% %Loss by solvation = 0. 098% V. Discussion Cinnamaldehyde, cinnamic aldehyde or 3-phenyl-2-propenal is the dominant component of cinnamon oil, extracted from several species of Cinnamomum (C. verum, C. burmanii, C. cassia), under the family Lauraceae, a group of evergreen trees. Cinnamon bark (particularly C. verum) yields 0. 4-0. 8% oil, which contains 6 0-80% cinnamaldehyde (List and Horhammer; Masada; Ravindran qtd. rom Khan and Abourashed, 2011), which was first isolated in 1834 by Dumas and Peligot (Attokaran, 2011). It has been proven that cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon oil has a very high potency in the field of medicine, aside from its well known role in the cooking and baking, specifically as spice, odorant and colorant. Several researches have explained and proven the anti-diabetic properties of cinnamaldehyde (Babu, Prabuseenivasan and Ignacimuthu, 2006); also, studies have shown the antimicrobial activity of cinnamaldehyde against Salmonella typhimurium and Bacillus subtilis (Council of Europe, 2008).Cinnamaldehyde has been proven to inhibit microbial growth of opportunistic human pathogenic fungi and various bacteria (Khan and Abourashed, 2011). Though effective approaches in the isolation of cinnamaldehyde from cinnamon oil from quills, low amounts of pure cinnamaldehyde can only be obtained from effective separation proc esses. Due to this demarcation in the discovery and investigation of other potential medicinal and non-medicinal values of cinnamaldehyde, chemists have also developed synthetic procedures to obtain high amounts of pure cinnamaldehyde, one of which is the mixed aldol condensation of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde.The synthesis of cinnamaldehyde through mixed-aldol condensation was done by mixing, in a cooled microreflux, benzaldehyde, portions of 15% sodium hydroxide solution and acetaldehyde, added in a dropwise manner, and then refluxing the mixture for 15-20 minutes. Isolation of the synthesized cinnamaldehyde was done simply by separating the water insoluble cinnamaldehyde layer from the aqueous layer. Aldol condensation is the reaction of aldehydes and/or ketones leading to the formation of ? -hydroxyaldehydes (aldols) or ? hydroxyketones (ketols), also known as the aldol addition, accompanied by the removal of water molecule (dehydration) from these compounds result finally to enals (? , ? -unsaturated aldehydes) or enones (? , ? -unsaturated ketones) (Moore and Langley, 2010; McMurry and Simanek, 2008; Fox and Whitesell, 2004). Aldol additions are due to the reaction of enolate ions of carbonyl compounds (from the reaction of acidic ? -hydrogen atoms of aldehydes and ketones with bases) with the electrophilic centers of other carbonyl compounds.Dehydration, which can be spontaneous due to formation of a more conjugated system or promoted by heating, then leads to the generation of the ? , ? -unsaturated carbonyl compounds as the final product of the aldol condensation (McMurry and Simanek, 2008; Fox and Whitesell, 2004). Aldol condensations can be classified as simple and mixed-(or cross-) aldol condensation. The difference between the two classifications is that simple aldol condensation utilizes only one aldehyde or ketone substrate while the mixed-aldol condensation uses two different carbonyl compounds as the substrate for the reaction (Fox and White sell, 2004).The mixed-aldol condensation was type of reaction employed in the experiment; however, simple aldol condensation, also known as self-condensation was one of the expected side reactions in the conducted study. The general equation for the synthesis of cinnamaldehyde was: The mechanism of the synthesis reaction can be proposed as: 6. Formation of ethenolate ion nucleophile 7. Aldol addition: Formation of 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanal 8. Dehydration: Formation of cinnamaldehyde The initial step done in the experiment was combining 3. 06 milliliter benzaldehyde with three 3. 0 milliliter portions of 15% sodium hydroxide with dropwise addition of 1. 68 milliliter acetaldehyde while swirling the mixture, which was in the microreflux, dipped in an ice bath. Benzaldehyde, followed by 3. 00-milliliter portion of 15% sodium hydroxide solution, was first put into the microreflux instead of the acetaldehyde to prevent acetaldehyde from undergoing self-condensation with the following ge neral equation: Compared to acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde has no 3 ? -hydrogen atoms, which can react with the nucleophile, hydroxide ions, to form a strong nucleophile, the ethenolate ion.Ethenolate ions can attack acetaldehyde instead of attacking benzaldehyde. Thus, benzaldehyde, which can remain as it is in sodium hydroxide, was put in first until the formation and attack of the nucleophile, which was formed right after acetaldehyde was dropped into the reaction mixture. The following is the mechanism of the self-condensation of acetaldehyde, which was minimized by the procedure carried out: Addition of 3. 00-milliliter portions of 15% sodium hydroxide solution, a dilute base, was done to compensate for the combination of benzaldehyde and sodium hydroxide, before adding acetaldehyde.Benzaldehyde reacts with strong, concentrated bases to form benzenecarboxylate and hydroxymethylbenzene; this is known as the Canizzarro reaction. Canizzarro reaction (mechanism shown below) was minimiz ed by the addition of the strong base in small portions, before adding the acetaldehyde, and using a dilute solution of it. Cooling of the mixture in ice bath was done to favor the reaction aldol condensation of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde, a spontaneous reaction due to the higher degree of conjugation of the product, while disfavoring the self-condensation of acetaldehyde, a heat-requiring reaction (Fox and Whitesell, 2004).Dropwise addition of the enolizable compound, acetaldehyde, was performed to minimize the drastic formation of ethenolate ions while unreacted acetaldehyde molecules still exist in the mixture. The phenomenon was prevented since it would have entailed the self-condensation of acetaldehyde, which could have caused lower yield in the experiment since the reagent would have been consumed in the unnecessary reaction just stated. The microreflux was shaken while the mixture was still being prepared to distribute the ethenolate ions formed though the mixture for the m to react with the electrophile, benzaldehyde.This procedure was also done to minimize the possibility of the self-condensation of acetaldehyde since the ethenolate ions generated were expected to have reacted with benzaldehyde since they were distributed with the aid by shaking before the next drop of acetaldehyde came in contact with mixture. Furthermore, since the reaction mixture was cold, the reaction was expected to be slow; thus, shaking can compensate for the slow movement of molecules and ions in the mixture by somehow supplying the energy needed for the slow-moving benzaldehyde molecules and ethenolate ions to collide.Refluxing was done to: (1) react the still unreacted benzaldehyde molecules and ethenolate ions; and (2) promote the dehydration of the 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanal to finally form the 3-phenyl-2-propenal or the cinnamaldehyde. Refluxing intimately mixes substances by increasing the contact between the reactant particles through boiling and evaporation, follow ed by the condensation in the reflux condenser (due to the removal of heat by the cold water flowing in the condenser) and restoration of the synthesized compound and the little (expected) amount of the unreacted reagents on their original vessel (Mayo, Pike and Forbes, 2001).Refluxing the mixture was very advantageous to the conducted experiment since it ensured higher yield and faster dehydration of the 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanal, though the stated reaction was expected to be spontaneous due to the higher degree of conjugation of the product (3-phenyl-2-propenal) compared to the 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanal. The synthesized cinnamaldehyde was readily separable (solubility of cinnamaldehyde in water=4. 09? 10-4gram/milliliter) with the lower aqueous layer; however, cooling of the mixture was done first to decrease the solubility of the cinnamaldehyde to achieve higher recoverable amount of the product.Liquid-liquid extraction to recover the solvated cinnamaldehyde was not done since the maximum amount of solvated cinnamaldehyde was just 0. 098% of the theoretical yield (see Sample Calculations), thus the recovery of such little amount of product would be wasteful in terms of effort and reagents. Graduated cylinder was used directly as the receiver of the organic layer separated to determine right away the amount of synthesized cinnamaldehyde. The determination of the amount of product in this kind of manner was performed to minimize the loss of products due to the adherence of the very viscous product on the sides of different containers.The amount of the synthesized cinnamaldehyde was found to be 3. 46 milliliter, 91. 6% of the theoretical yield which was computed as 3. 776 milliliter. Possible sources of error in the experiment were: the losses of minimal amount of reagents due to their adherence on the sides of the Pasteur pipets and 50-milliliter beakers; and the losses of the synthesized cinnamaldehyde caused by its adhesion on the sides of the microreflux , surface of the boiling chip and the inside surface of the separatory, caused by the high viscosity of cinnamaldehyde.The lack of further purification process on the cinnamaldehyde, which could still contain traces of benzaldehyde, acetaldehyde and other side products, could also be a factor, leading to the incorrectness of the results of the experiment. The synthesized cinnamaldehyde was expected to be constituted of the cis- and trans- diastereomers; however, it was expected that the trans-isomer was the major component of the product. The reason for the claim was that higher possibility of existence of its trans-isomer-forming transition state conformation compared to the cis-isomer-forming transition state conformation.Elimination to a trans double bond from the staggered conformation of the 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanal transition state, wherein the carbonyl group and the phenyl group are in the anti position to minimize the steric effects on the molecule, was still favored, thou gh the carbonyl group is relatively small, compared to the energetically less stable gauche conformation (due to steric interactions of the carbonyl group and the large phenyl group) of the 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanal, which can cause the cis-isomer formation (Carey and Sundberg, 2001). (a)(b) Figure 1.Balls and sticks representation of 3-hydroxy-3-phenylpropanal in the conformations for the formation of (a) trans-cinnamaldehyde and (b) cis-cinnamaldehyde. Carbon 2 shadows carbon 3 to show the anti-conformation in (a) and the gauche conformation in (b) of the phenyl and the carbaldehyde groups. Further proof that the formation of the trans-cinnamaldehyde was favored in the reaction was the coplanar arrangement of the highly conjugated aldol condensation product. According to Fox and Whitesell (2004), extended conjugation of the benzene ring with the alkene double bond and carbon-oxygen double bond of the carbonyl group in the ? ? -unsaturated aldehyde product leads to the flat, copla nar arrangement of the product. The p orbital overlap of extensive ? system of the carbonyl group and the alkene is greatest as the ? systems arrange in a single plane, which leads to higher stability of the molecule in terms of the conjugation present. Having a flat product would cause the increased torsional strain on the molecule due to the very close distance of the carbonyl group and the benzene ring. Therefore, cis-benzaldehyde, given the stated situation, is highly unstable and is not preferentially formed over trans-benzaldehyde. (a) (b) Figure 2.Balls and sticks representation of (a) trans-cinnamaldehyde and (b) cis-cinnamaldehyde, viewed at different perspectives to show the differences in the flatness of the two molecules that contribute to their stabilities. Possible side reactions in the experiment conducted were the self-condensation of acetaldehyde and Canizzarro reaction as previously stated along with the preventive measures exercised to minimize their occurrence. S elf-condensation of acetaldehyde was expected to be greatly minimized by the procedure employed and the fact that it is energetically unfavorable, according to Fox and Whitesell (2004).Furthermore, even if the reaction took place, it would have been very minimal since it is a reversible reaction, which was competed with a more favorable reaction that is followed by an irreversible somehow spontaneous dehydration reaction. Depletion of the ethenolate ions (due to the consumption in the addition of benzaldehyde and ethenolate ions, then conversion of the intermediate to cinnamaldehyde) causes the competing self-addition of acetaldehyde to proceed backwards, forming back the acetaldehyde and ethenolate ions, which can be consumed in the aldol condensation of cinnamaldehyde and acetaldehyde.Simple distillation was done to determine the boiling point of the synthesized cinnamaldehyde; however, decomposition was observed in the middle of the procedure, causing the failure of the melting p oint determination attempt; but supported that it was possible that cinnamaldehyde. The observed decomposition can be attributed to the instability of cinnamaldehyde, usually denoted by thickening and decomposition, when exposed for a long time to air at elevated temperatures but lower than its boiling point (>70 °C) (Gholivand and Ahmadi, 2008).Decomposition of natural cinnamaldehyde, however, is not observable in baking and cooking due to the presence of eugenol impurities on cinnamon oil, which has antioxidative properties that protect cinnamaldehyde from heat-induced decomposition (â€Å"Cinnamaldehyde Content†). The chemical tests performed were reaction with nitric acid, formation of the sodium bisulfite addition complex and derivatization with 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine.Reaction with nitric acid is a test for the differentiation of aromatic and aliphatic aldehydes. Aromatic aldehydes undergo nitration with concentrated nitric acid under normal conditions. Positive t est results can are color changes and/or heat production. The general equation for the nitration of aromatic aldehydes is: Results of the reaction with nitric acid were shown in Table 4. Figure 3. Test results for the reaction of nitric acid with acetaldehyde (left), benzaldehyde (middle) and cinnamaldehyde (right).Positive test results were observed with benzaldehyde and with cinnamaldehyde by the production of colored mixtures, yellow and brown, respectively, accompanied by heat production as shown by the following specific mechanism: 1. Formation of nitrosonium ion 2. Electrophilic addition of the nitrosonium ion to the aromatic aldehyde (a) Cinnamaldehyde Ortho attack Para attack (b) Benzaldehyde (Meta attack) (c) Acetaldehyde Reaction with alcoholic sodium bisulfite solution is a confirmatory test for aldehydes and ketones, having the following reaction and mechanism: Mechanism:Results of the reaction of the compounds with alcoholic sodium bisulfite solution were listed in Tabl e 4. Positive results were observed with acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde, which were denoted by the formation of transparent accumulation which turned to white precipitate, white precipitate and brown precipitate, respectively. Figure 4. Test results of the reaction of alcoholic sodium bisulfite with cinnamaldehyde (left), benzaldehyde (middle) and acetaldehyde (right). Sodium bisulfite addition complexes were the observed precipitates of the following reactions:Derivatization with 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine was done to support the identity of the cinnamaldehyde by the determination of the melting point of the hydrazone formed in the derivatization since the boiling point of the cinnamaldehyde was impractical to measure given that it is relatively high and the product, being impure can undergo decomposition. Derivatization with 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine was performed by dissolving the test compound (cinnamaldehyde, acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde) in 4. 00 milliliter of ethanol and adding 3. 0 milliliter 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine solution. The formed precipitate was then filtered and then recrystallized using minimum amount of 95% ethanol solution. The general equation and the mechanism of the reaction can be proposed as: Mechanism: Results of the derivatization, with 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine, were shown in Table 5. The following are the equations for the derivatization of each aldehyde with 2,4-DNP in the experiment: Colors of the derivatives obtained were qualitatively different due to the differences in their degrees of conjugation.Decomposition of the cinnamaldehyde hydrazone was observed, which hindered the determination of the melting point of the hydrazone. Deviations from theoretical melting point values of the two other hydrazones were observed on the experimental melting points gathered. The observed discrepancies maybe ascribed to the efficiency of the Fisher-Johns melting point apparatus and/or the quality of the reagents (benza ldehyde, acetaldehyde and 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine) used.To compensate for the failure in the melting point determination of the cinnamaldehyde hydrazone, the RGB (Red, Blue, Green) values or the web color keywords used by computer monitors to generate colors (McFarland, 2009), of the three hydrazones were determined and tested for significant differences using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). Figure 5. Isolated and purified hydrazones of benzaldehyde (left), acetaldehyde (middle) and cinnamaldehyde (right). Mean RGB values obtained for cinnamaldehyde, acetaldehyde and benzaldehyde were shown in Table 5.Results of the Analysis of Variance revealed significantly differences among the red values and among the green values of the three hydrazones and no significant differences among the blue values of the hydrazones. Having significantly different values on at least one of the RGB values proves that the composition of the hydrazones was significantly different, thus implying that the p robable presence of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde in the product was negligible and that cinnamaldehyde can be the compound present.Results of the combustion test were shown in Table 6. Combustion is a chemical reaction between a substance and oxygen that proceeds with the evolution with heat and light as flame (Stoker, 2009). It can be complete, where all of the substance totally undergoes combustion with carbon dioxide and water as the product (general) or incomplete, caused by several factors, which brings about carbon monoxide and elemental carbon formation (soot).Observed differences in the sootiness of acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde and cinnamaldehyde were due to the differences in the number of carbon atoms and the differences in the degrees of unsaturation of the molecules of each of the compounds. Incomplete combustion is generally observed in long chain hydrocarbons and other organic compounds given that oxygen is limited (Johnson, 1999; Macomber, 1996) since oxygen is consume d along with the carbon of the organic compound to produce carbon dioxide while hydrogen atoms are utilized, also along with oxygen, to produce water.Furthermore, unsaturated organic compounds (having as much carbon-carbon double bond) favors incomplete combustion since the number of carbon atoms is relatively higher than the number of hydrogen atoms; excess carbon atoms cannot be used up in the combustion process to produce carbon dioxide (when oxygen supply limited) and thus soot forms (Lister and Renshaw, 2000). It has been show in the balanced equations of the combustion each compound that cinnamaldehyde requires the highest amount of oxygen, followed by benzaldehyde and, lastly, by acetaldehyde.Given that, in the combustion test conducted, oxygen supply was almost uniform among the three, soot formation was predicted to be observed more prominently on cinnamaldehyde (product), followed by benzaldehyde and lastly by acetaldehyde due to the amount of carbon atoms and the relative number of unsaturations on each molecules. The same arrangement was also the experimental arrangement of the compounds with respect to the observed degrees of sootiness after the carried out combustion test.The structure of cinnamaldehyde was supported by the positive reaction of cinnamaldehyde with nitric acid and with alcoholic sodium bisulfite. Though it can be inferred that the detected compound can also be benzaldehyde, the cinnamaldehyde color (yellow to brown), viscosity and the cinnamon aroma of the compound (which are qualitatively different from the color, viscosity and odor of benzaldehyde), the characteristic decomposition of cinnamaldehyde below its boiling point and the results of the combustion test can be used as further evidence of the identity of the compound produced.Possible sources of error in the experiment were the quality of the reagents used, intervals of dropping acetaldehyde on the mixture, lack of further purification process, lack of more evident physic al and chemical characterization method for the product, efficiency of the melting point apparatus utilized and the storage of cinnamaldehyde product for too long prior to derivatization. I. Summary and ConclusionThe special synthesis experiment, entitled â€Å"Mixed-Aldol Condensation: Synthesis of Cinnamaldehyde†, was conducted to synthesize cinnamaldehyde from the base-catalyzed mixed aldol condensation of benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde; and characterize the synthesized product using its boiling point, results of simple chemical tests and derivatization reactions, along with the determination of the melting points of the hydrazones and comparison of the hydrazones using their RGB values.The synthesis of cinnamaldehyde through mixed-aldol condensation was done by mixing, in a cooled microreflux, benzaldehyde, portions of 15% sodium hydroxide solution and acetaldehyde, added in a dropwise manner, and then refluxing the mixture for 15-20 minutes. Isolation of the synthesized c innamaldehyde was done simply by separating the water insoluble cinnamaldehyde layer from the aqueous layer. Determination of the volume of the synthesized substance was then performed.Chemical test carried out were test for aromatic ring (reaction with nitric acid), test for aldehydes (reaction with alcoholic sodium bisulfite) and derivatization with 2, 4-dinitrophenylhydrazine while the physical characterization test done were boiling point determination using simple distillation and melting point determination of the derivatized hydrazones. RGB values of the isolated and recrystallized hydrazones were obtained and tested for significant differences using Analysis of Variance (ANOVA). It was shown that positive test results were exhibited by cinnamaldehyde and benzaldehyde in their reactions with nitric acid.It was also shown that positive test results were displayed by cinnamaldehyde, benzaldehyde and acetaldehyde in their reactions with alcoholic sodium bisulfite. The boiling po int of the isolated product and the melting point of the cinnamaldehyde hydrazone were not obtained due to the decomposition of the stated compound. However, RGB values of the hydrazones were obtained. Results of the Analysis of Variance of the RGB values of the hydrazones revealed significantly differences among the red values and among the green values and no significant differences among the blue values of the hydrazones.Based on the results, it can be concluded that that synthesized product was different from the starting materials and that it was possible that the product was cinnamaldehyde due to the highly colored hydrazone formed. Though chemical tests were successfully done, boiling point determination of the product and melting point determination of its hydrazone were unsuccessfully performed due to the decomposition of both product and its hydrazone; however, chemical tests done and physical properties exhibited by the compound were considerable as enough indicant of the identity of the compound.Based on the readily perceivable physical characteristics of the compound produced and the results of the chemical tests performed and observed, it can be concluded that the synthesized compound was genuinely cinnamaldehyde. Based on the results of the experiment, it was proven that cinnamaldehyde, constituted primarily of trans-cinnamaldehyde, with a percent yield of 91. 6%, was successfully synthesized using the described procedure of the student.Furthermore, the procedure constructed and performed was proven to have minimized the possible side reactions which could have impeded the yield, physical properties and authenticity of the executed chemical tests. Possible sources of error in the experiment were the quality of the reagents used, intervals of dropping acetaldehyde on the mixture, lack of further purification process, lack of more evident physical and chemical characterization method for the product, efficiency of the melting point apparatus utili zed and the storage of cinnamaldehyde product for too long rior to derivatization. II. References ABOURASHED EA and KHAN IA. 2011. Leung’s Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients: Used in Food, Drugs and Cosmetics. Germany: J. Wiley and Sons. ATTOKARAN M. 2011. Natural Food Flavors and Colorants. Germany: J. Wiley and Sons. BABU P, PRABUSEENIVASAN S and IGNACIMUTHU S. 2006. Cinnamaldehyde: A Potential Antidiabetic Agent. Phytomedicine. 1:15-22. CAREY FA and SUNDBERG RJ. 2001. Advanced Organic Chemistry Part B: Reactions and Synthesis. 4th Ed. USA: Plenum Publishers. COUNCIL OF EUROPE. 008. Natural Sources of Flavorings. France: Council of Europe. FOX MA and WHITESELL JK. 2004. Organic Chemistry. 3rd Ed. USA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers. GHOLIVAND MB and AHMADI F. 2008. Simultaneous Determination of Trans-Cinnamaldehyde and Benzaldehyde in Different Real Samples by Differential Pulse Polarography and Study of Heat Stability of Trans-Cinnamaldehyde. Analytical Letters. 41: 3324-3341. JOHNSON W. 1999. Invitation to Organic Chemistry. USA: Jones & Bartlett Learning. LISTER T and RENSHAW J. 2000.Understanding Chemistry for Advanced Level. China: Nelson Thornes. MACOMBER R. 1996. Organic Chemistry. USA: University Science Books. MAYO D, PIKE R. and FORBES, D. 2001. Microscale Organic Laboratory: With Multistep and Multiscale Syntheses. USA: John Wiley and Sons, Inc. MCFARLAND, DS. 2009. CSS: The Missing Manual. 2nd Ed. USA: O’Reilly Media Inc. MCMURRY J and SIMANEK E. 2008. Fundamentals of Organic Chemistry. 6th Ed. Singapore: Thomson Learning. MOORE JT and LANGLEY RH. 2010. Organic Chemistry II for Dummies.USA: Wiley Publishing. STOKER S. 2009. General, Organic and Biological Chemistry. USA: Cengage Learning. â€Å"Cinnamaldehyde Content Foods Determined Gas Chromatography-Mass Spectrometry†. Retrieved from APPENDIX A Randomly Selected RGB Values of Different Hydrazones Table 7. Sample RGB values of acetaldehyde, benzaldehyde and cinnamald ehyde hydrazones and their mean values. Sample No. Acetaldehyde| Benzaldehyde| Cinnamaldehyde| | Red| Green| Blue| Red| Green| Blue| Red| Green| Blue| 1| 202| 90| 52| 203| 168| 25| 185| 107| 22| 2| 189| 85| 50| 239| 170| 17| 173| 106| 53| 3| 195| 97| 58| 233| 185| 25| 185| 114| 22| 4| 206| 101| 54| 236| 171| 43| 174| 102| 18| 5| 199| 80| 40| 232| 176| 19| 173| 109| 37| 6| 201| 81| 57| 236| 181| 29| 174| 123| 40| 7| 201| 99| 59| 236| 179| 28| 170| 103| 24| 8| 198| 92| 42| 232| 178| 18| 164| 105| 45| Mean Values (decimal)| 199| 91| 52| 231| 176| 26| 175| 109| 33| Mean Values (hexadecimal)| C7| 5B| 34| E7| B0| 1A| AF| 6D| 21|APPENDIX B Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) of the RGB Values of the Hydrazones RED Source| DF| SS| MS| FC| FTAB| Treatment| 2| 12682. 75| 6341. 375| 90. 76086216| 3. 466800112| Error| 21| 1467. 25| 69. 86904762| | | Total| 23| 14150| | | | GREEN Source| DF| SS| MS| FC| FTAB| Treatment| 2| 32406. 08| 16203. 04| 328. 5193| 3. 4668| Error| 21| 1035. 75| 49. 32143| | | To tal| 23| 33441. 83| | | | BLUE Source| DF| SS| MS| FC| FTAB| Treatment| 2| 2888. 083| 1444. 042| 1. 039985| 3. 4668| Error| 21| 29158. 96| 1388. 522| | | Total| 23| 4899. 958| | | |

Friday, January 10, 2020

Sociology in Everyday Life

Sociology in Every Life One central and important study of sociology is the study of everyday social life. Everyday life and sociology are definitely two distinct terms and situations, but they hold a close relationship. While sociology studies human interaction, everyday life consists of everyday human interaction. Everyday life is filled by human beings interacting with one another, institutions, ideas, and emotions. Sociology studies the interactions with all of these and shows how mere interaction resulted in things like ideas and institutions.Everyday that you wake up and come into contact with what you do and the people you speak to is sociological. You wake up and interact with objects. Some of these objects you see yourself in such as your clothes, and your music, would be called the sociology of identification. If you live with your parents and siblings, you wake up and interact with them, by saying good morning and having breakfast with them. You recognize and participate i n the family institution. When you go to school, or church, or your job, you know what's expected of you and you know how to act in the way that is labeled normal.Therefore, you interact with a set of norms by conforming to them or breaking them which is deviance. The fact that we have an everyday life in which there are patterns in ways of living is what sets a foundation for sociological analysis and for being a witness in what we do, in order to understand ourselves better. You use sociology in many ways everyday. Race and ethnicity are important concepts in the field of sociology and are ones that are studied a great deal.Race plays a large role in everyday human interactions and sociologists want to study how, why, and what the outcomes are of these interactions. There are several sociological theories about why prejudice, discrimination, and racism exist. Current sociological theories focus mainly on explaining the existence of racism. The three major sociological perspectives are, functionalist theory, symbolic interaction theory, and conflict theory they each have their own explanations to the existence of racism. The Structural-Functional theory  argues that in order for race and thnic relations to be functional and contribute to the conduct and stability of society, racial and ethnic minorities must assimilate into that society. Assimilation is a process by which minorities gradually adopt patterns of a dominant culture. It is believed that deviance encourages social change. A good example of this would be how race and ethnicity are strongly linked to crime rates. The amount of African Americans that were involved in crimes was a higher proportion than any other race. African Americans makes up 13 percent of the population but were accounted for 28. percent of the arrest. There are several reasons why arrest for African American could be this high but the main cause would probably be because of social standing. Some disadvantages to the African Ame rican population are that white people have an overall higher occupational standing and they also receive schooling beyond high school. Many people of this race are brought into single parent homes which lead to a huge gap in wealth and these children receive less supervision which puts them in a greater risk of living in poverty.Over 40 percent of African American children grow up in poor families leaving the high crime rates to not be a surprise. Prejudice is also another factor to the high crime rates because white police tend to arrest black people more readily. If crime involved drunk driving, business fraud, embezzlement, and cheating on tax returns the white population rate of crime would rise dramatically. These factors have made many people of this race strive for the best while others are still not trying at all.Although we operate from a class system it seems like many African Americans are stuck between a rock and a hard place. Individual achievement isn’t happeni ng. If more people would aim for individual achievement, social standing wouldn’t be such an issue in today’s time. I believe categorizing people according to their color, sex, or social background is wrong. The only way to overcome these negative stereotypes is to stand above the descriptions that have been applied to your race. I have learned that hardwork is the key to success, whether it is in life, work, or your social standing.Even though social stratification carries over from generation to generation it doesn’t mean you have to have the same life your parents had. Everyone is able to achieve a better life if they work for it. Social stratification is found everywhere and what is equal and unequal is different in all societies. In my society it seems like wealth and power is the key element of difference. People who are poor or have lower position are downed on. While writing this paper, I learned many things. I learned society has a huge impact on my lif e and those around me. Related post: Social Studies SBA on Teenage PregnancyI learned that personal issues can manifest into a social issue that affects the whole society as a whole, just as the major social issues can affect my personal life. Overall, writing this paper has benefited me to look closer at society and see how different issues affect me in my life. References Macionis, J. (2009). Society the basics. (12th ed. ). The sociology of race and ethnicity  . (n. d. ). Retrieved from http://www. trinity. edu/mkearl/race. html Winant, H. (n. d. ). Race and race theory. Retrieved from http://www. soc. ucsb. edu/faculty/winant/Race_and_Race_Theory. html