Researchers Dissolved Silver using Glucose Water
- The IIT-Madras researchers have found that silver can slowly dissolve m water if heated to about 70 C in the presence of glucose on June 5, 2016.
- Like gold, silver is a noble metal and is therefore supposed to be inert (resistant to chemical corrosion, especially to chemical reagents used in daily life).
- Metal dissolution leads to corrosion of the plate and nanoscale pits get formed on the plate. Further, dissolution occurs at the pits and as a result the pits get bigger, making a polished silvery metal appear black. Under favourable conditions, up to 10% of the metal can get dissolved in 90 days.
- This newly developed method can extract silver effectively by a simple and green method. It does not require any harmful chemicals or high temperature or expensive set-up.
- It helps in understanding the effect of metals in food and how toxic metals get into our food chain from soil, water and fertilizers.
Scientists Created Bionic Leaf
- The scientists created a bionic leaf that uses solar energy to split water molecules and hydrogen-eating bacteria to produce liquid fuels on June 3, 2016.
- The system can convert solar energy to biomass with 10% efficiency, far above the 1% seen in the fastest-growing plants.
- A jar is set-up containing little more than two electrodes, Ralstonia eutropha bacteria, and water. Electric current is passed through the electrodes, which then break down the water molecules, releasing hydrogen gas which is further used as a source of Energy.
Space
China Launched Second Shijian-16 Satellite
- China launched its second Shijian-16 series satellite on June 29, 2016.The satellite was carried by a Long March-4B rocket.
- The Long March-7 is a medium-sized rocket using liquid propellant that can carry up to 13.5 tonnes to low-Earth orbit. It will transport cargo for China’s planned space station and is expected to become the main carrier for space launches.
- The first Shijian-16 satellite was launched in October, 2013.
Mars Crater Named after Nepal Village Langtang
- The International Astronomical Union (LAU) named the crater after Langtang on June 20, 2016. At least 215 people were killed in Langtang when a quake-triggered avalanche submerged the village.
- Langtang was a scientifically important crater. The marks on the top of the crater wall were probably water flows, and below it ridges the remains of former glaciers are situated.
- The crater has diameter of 9.8 km. Along with Langtang, three other craters on the planet were named Bunnik, Nqutu, and Talu respectively.
