“Oh, Say Can

You See, CO?”

Paul Jebb

Chemistry Teacher

Ticonderoga High School

Puzzle

What do these terms have in common:

Gases

Carbon monoxide

NevermoreCherry lips

Orphan

“The Philosophy of Furniture”

Rapid Pulse

Death

“Murder in the Rue Morge”

“The Tell-Tale Heart”“Once upon a midnight dreary”

“Quoth the raven, “Nevermore!”

Answer

Edgar Allan Poe

http://artfiles.art.com/images/-/Edgar-Allan-Poe-Print-C10209526.jpeg

The Ravenby Edgar Allan Poe (1845)

Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary,

Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore,

While I nodded, nearly napping, suddenly there came a tapping,

As of someone gently rapping, rapping at my chamber door.

" 'Tis some visitor," I muttered, "tapping at my chamber door;

Only this, and nothing more."

Stanza 2

Ah, distinctly I remember, it was in the bleak December,

And each separate dying ember wrought its ghost upon the floor.

Eagerly I wished the morrow; vainly I had sought to borrow

From my books surcease of sorrow, sorrow for the lost Lenore,

For the rare and radiant maiden whom the angels name Lenore,

Nameless here forevermore.

Stanza 3

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me---filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,

" 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.

This it is, and nothing more.”

Brief Biography of Poe

• Born in Boston in 1809 to Elizabeth Arnold Poe

• His father abandonded the family and his mother died before he reached the age of two

• Raised by a tobacco merchant named Allan

• Studied in England and the University of Virginia

• Joined the army and was discharged after two years

• Appointed to West Point then quit

• Published poetry and prose

• Gained fame in 1845 by publishing “The Raven”

• Prone to drinking problems

• Married twice

What we know about Poe’s Last Days

• In 1849, had a drink at a birthday party then disappeared for three days.

• He was found in Baltimore very sick and delirious

• He died in hospital and was buried in Baltimore

… But, how did he die?

Theories on Poe’s Death

Beating Epilepsy Dipsomania Heart condition Toxic disorder Hypoglycemia Diabetes Alcohol dehydrogenase Porphyria Delerium tremens Rabies and...

Or Possibly?

He is not dead - he is alive and well in Memphis with his good friend Elvis

Our theory on how he died

Carbon monoxide poisoning

Look at the portrait carefully. The drooping right eye and mouth are symptomatic of CO poisoning.

http://www.mcsrr.org/graphics/poeposter.jpg

Work in pairs

Handout: “Quotes from Poe”

Handout: “Symptoms of carbon monoxide poisoning”

Below each quote, write-in the symptom that you think best matches with the content of the quote.

And the silken sad uncertain rustling of each purple curtain

Thrilled me---filled me with fantastic terrors never felt before;

So that now, to still the beating of my heart, I stood repeating,

" 'Tis some visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door,

Some late visitor entreating entrance at my chamber door.

This it is, and nothing more.”

Example

Rapid Pulse

Symptoms of CO Poisoning

• Confusion

• Headache

• Emotional changes

• Vision changes

• Rapid Pulse

• Dizziness

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Coma

• Drowsiness

• Shortness of breath

• Cherry red lips

• Breathing difficulty

• Bluish discoloration of skin

• Chest Pain

• Weakness

Share

Tape your results around the room and carousel to view the findings of other groups.

Research “Poe-ster” Topics

• Physical Properties of CO

• Symptoms and Treatment of CO Poisoning

• Physiology of Oxygen and CO Transport

• Sources of CO Poisoning

• Detection and Chemistry of CO Detectors

• Recommendations on CO Detectors in the Home

• Uses of CO

Physical Properties

http://www.ucc.ie/academic/chem/dolchem/html/comp/co.htmll

Symptoms and Treatment of CO Poisoning

• Confusion

• Headache

• Emotional changes

• Vision changes

• Rapid Pulse

• Dizziness

• Shortness of breath

• Nausea

• Vomiting

• Remove from source immediately

• Seek hospital care

• Administer Oxygen

• Reduce activity level

• No available medicines

Symptoms Treatment

Physiology

http://www.kacr.or.kr/img/gene_expression/hemoglobin.jpg

Sources of Carbon Monoxide

• Bottled gas• Domestic gas to houses for stoves, dryers..• Coal burning• Oil furnace• Fires• Cars• Boat engines• Solid fuel-powered water heaters• Barbecues

Chemistry of CO Detectors

Chemistry of CO Detectors

Types of CO detectors:

• Biomimetic - They mimic the action of hemoglobin

• Semiconductor - Uses electronics to monitor CO levels

• Electrochemical - Uses a redox reaction to detect CO levels

Biomimetic

http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_ent.html?id=04dd47d40b8211d7f0856ed9fe800100

Hemoglobin-like gel

Infrared sensor, connected to alarm

Infrared light

Biomimetic

http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_ent.html?id=04dd47d40b8211d7f0856ed9fe800100

Carbon Monoxide

Biomimetic

http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_ent.html?id=04dd47d40b8211d7f0856ed9fe800100

Carbon Monoxide binds to the gel. This causes the gel to turn dark.

Biomimetic

http://www.chemistry.org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_ent.html?id=04dd47d40b8211d7f0856ed9fe800100

The more carbon monoxide binds

to the gel, the darker it becomes.

This will eventually block the

infrared light, which sets off an

alarm.

Semiconductor

http://www. org/portal/a/c/s/1/feature_ent.html?id=04dd47d40b8211d7f0856ed9fe800100 chemistry.

Semiconductor

Semiconductor

Semiconductor

Semiconductor

The more electrons that are in the sensor, the lower the resistance.

At a certain resistance, the alarm will go off.

Semiconductor

Electrochemical

Recommendations on CarbonMonoxide Hazard Reduction

• If you smoke, quit

• Test/check your CO monitor annually (never remove the batteries)

• Install CO monitors on all living levels, especially sleeping areas (within 10 feet of bedrooms doors)

• Provide good airflow around heating appliances

• Make sure that gas appliances like dryers vent outside

• Never use a barbecue or generator in the home or closed garage

• If you smell gas or a detector goes off, exit the building and call 911

• Make sure natural gas, oil, wood, and kerosene appliances are in good working order

• Never use an oven or stove to heat your home

• Have heating system and chimneys cleaned and inspected annually

Uses of Carbon Monoxide

http://mattson.creighton.edu/CO/CuO-COExpt.jpg

Student “Poe-ster” Session

Give each pair of students a piece of poster paper, and a box of coloring pencils.

Randomly hand them a topic from the following list:– Physical Properties of CO– Symptoms and Treatment of CO poisoning– Physiology of CO transport– Sources of CO – Detection and Chemistry of CO Detectors– Recommendations on CO Detectors in the home– Use of CO

(Use folders with one topic on each folder, there may be more than 1 or 2 groups working on the same topic)

Every “Poe-ster” should show:

• Title of Sub-topic• Student names • A graphic to help convey

the topic• A poem to convey

information about the topic

John SmithEllen Rumball

“Twas brillig and theSlythy toves Did gyre and gimball In the wabeAll mimsy were theBorogrovesAll the momeraths Outgrabe- Lewis Carroll

“Poe-ster” Session

• Have students present their “Poe-ster” and then post it on the wall.

• Students should read their poem, and interpret it for their classmates.

A poem about Hemoglobin by Roald Hoffman

Nobel laureate in Chemistry

This biconcave bialy platelet of the erythrocyte, the red heart of the blood, holds the oxygen carrier, hemoglobin.

Four coiled polypeptide chains, four subunits changing pairwise twice in the fetus to let it soak up placental O2 steadily.

Each chain a globular protein, juxtaposed twining of helical segments, predestined kinks, sequences of amino acids alike in sperm whale and horse…

The last stanza from “The Raven”

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the pallid bust of Pallas just above my chamber door;

And his eyes have all the seeming of a demon's that is dreaming.

And the lamplight o'er him streaming throws his shadow on the floor;

And my soul from out that shadow that lies floating on the floor

Shall be lifted---nevermore!

And the raven, never flitting, still is sitting, still is sitting

On the palladium bust by the furnace door

And his eyes have all the seeming of a CO detector that is gleaming

And the furnace gases streaming CO2 and nothing more

And my soul from that CO shadow

Shall be lifted – evermore!

Modified last stanza from “The Raven”

• The end

(or is it?)