Thoreau And Emerson Comparison Essays - Lecturers, Free Essays

Thoreau And Emerson Comparison Essays - Lecturers, Free Essays Thoreau And Emerson Comparison A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emersons Beliefs Essay written by Kelly Cooper A Comparison of Henry David Thoreau and Ralph Waldo Emersons Beliefs concerning Simplicity, the Value and Potential of Our Soul, and Our Imagination. Henry David Thoreau tests Ralph Waldo Emersons ideas about nature by living at Walden Pond, where he discovers that simplicity in physical aspects brings deepness to our mind, our soul to its fullest potential, and our imagination to be uplifted to change our lives. These two men believe that nature is what forces us not to depend on others ideas but to develop our own. Nature is ever changing so we must keep searching for explanations about human life. They feel that nature is the key to knowing all. Thoreau lives at Walden Pond to find the true meaning of life. He wants to experience things for himself. Thoreau says, I wanted...to know it by experience, and be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion (Thoreau 235). He takes Emersons advice who says, Let us demand our own works and laws and worship (Emerson 215). Emerson tells how modern generations live life vicariously through the stories and traditions foretold. We do not experience things for ourselves. We take what our ancestors and others before us have said and do not think twice about whether we should try things for ourselves. Emerson decides not to conform to modern ways, but to be an individual. Furthermore, in Nature, Emerson says, Standing on the bare ground - my head bathed by the blithe air and uplifted into infinite space - all mean egotism vanishes. I become a transparent eyeball (Emerson 215). Here, he is saying that being in such a simple environment he is able to see things more clearly. He has deeper thoughts. Like Emerson, Thoreau also wanted to live a simple life, in order to find deeper meaning in life. Thoreau says, I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartanlike as to put to rout all that was not life, ... and reduce it to its lowest terms (Thoreau 235). Thoreau also says, We do not ride on the railroad; it rides upon us (Thoreau 237). This means that some things which we believe make our lives simpler actually make it more complicated. Both Emerson and Thoreau believe that in order to find deep meaning in life, you must live simply. In addition to living simply, both men believe in the value of the soul. Thoreau goes to the woods to contemplate life and to get in touch with his soul He wants to get in touch with his soul. He wants to, get the whole and genuine meanness of it (Thoreau 235). Emerson similarly says, the one thing in the world of value is the active soul (Emerson 218). He also tells of the souls boundless

Actinium Facts - Element 89 or Ac

Actinium Facts - Element 89 or Ac Actinium is the radioactive element that has atomic number 89 and element symbol Ac. It was the first non-primordial radioactive element to be isolated, although other radioactive elements had been observed before actinium. This element possesses several unusual and interesting characteristics. Here are the properties, uses, and sources of Ac. Actinium Facts Actinium is a soft, silver-colored metal that glows pale blue in the dark because the radioactivity ionizes air. Actinium reacts with moisture and oxygen to form a white coating of actinium oxide that protects the underlying metal from further oxidation. The shear modulus of element 89 is estimated to be similar to that of lead.Andre Debierne claimed discovery of an element he named actinium, working from a sample of pitchblende supplied by Marie and Pierre Curie. Debierne was unable to isolate the new element (which modern analysis reveals might not have been element 89, but rather protactinium). Friedrich Oskar Giesel independently discovered actinium in 1902, calling it emamium. Giesel went on to become the first person to isolate a pure sample of the element. Debiernes name was retained because his discovery had seniority. The name comes from the Ancient Greek word aktinos, which means ray or beam.The actinide series of elements, a group of metals between actinium and lawrencium possessing similar properties, takes its name from actinium. Actinium is considered the first transition metal in period 7 (although sometimes lawrencium is assigned that position). Although the element gives its name to the actinide group, most of the chemical properties of actinium are similar to those of lanthanum and other lanthanides.The most common oxidation state of actinium is 3. Actinium compounds have similar properties to lanthanum compounds.Natural actinium is a mix of two isotopes: Ac-227 and Ac-228. Ac-227 is the most abundant isotope. It is primarily a beta emitter, but 1.3% of decays yield alpha particles. Thirty-six isotopes have been characterized. The most stable is Ac-227, which has a half-life of 21.772 years. Actinium also has two meta states.Actinium occurs naturally in trace amounts in uranium and thorium ores. Because its difficult to isolate the element from ore, the most common way to produce actinium is by neutron irradiation of Ra-226. Milligram samples may be prepared in this manner within nuclear reactors.To date, there has been minimum industrial use of actinium because it is rare and expensive. The isotope actinium-227 might have use in radioisotope thermoelectric generators. Ac-227 pressed with beryllium is a good neutron source and may be used as a neutron probe for well logging, radiochemistry, radiography, and tomography. Actinium-225 is used for radiation cancer treatment.  Ac-227 may also be used to model water mixing in the ocean. There is no known biological function for actinium. It is both radioactive and toxic. It is considered slightly less toxic than the radioactive element plutonium and americium. When rats were injected with actinium trichloride, about half of the actinium was deposited in the liver and one-third into the bones. Because of the health risk it presents, actinium and its compounds should only be handled with a glove box. Actinium Properties Element Name: Actinium Element Symbol: Ac Atomic Number: 89 Atomic Weight: (227) First Isolated By (Discoverer):  Friedrich Oskar Giesel (1902) Named By:  Andrà ©-Louis Debierne (1899) Element Group: group 3, d block, actinide, transition metal Element Period: period 7 Electron Configuration:  [Rn] 6d1  7s2 Electrons per Shell:  2, 8, 18, 32, 18, 9, 2 Phase: solid Melting Point:  1500  K   (1227  Ã‚ °C, 2240  Ã‚ °F)   Boiling Point:3500  K (3200  °C, 5800  °F)   extrapolated value Density:  10  g/cm3 near room temperature Heat of Fusion: 14 kJ/mol Heat of Vaporization: 400 kJ/mol Molar Heat Capacity:  27.2  J/(mol ·K) Oxidation States:  3, 2 Electronegativity: 1.1 (Pauling scale) Ionization Energy: 1st:  499  kJ/mol, 2nd:  1170  kJ/mol, 3rd:  1900  kJ/mol Covalent Radius: 215 picometers Crystal Structure: face-centered cubic (FCC)