bp's science: attraction (v.1)

First, Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is full of lots of love for and from the people you love. Last night I made a stop at the grocery store. It was uncommonly busy for a Monday evening. People were buying all sorts of things and it was fun to think about all the ingredients that were about to make scrumptious breakfasts, dinners, and desserts for loved ones.

Valentine's Day scone

Second, I'm going to talk about attraction for today's post. I'll keep it short, and I'm sure many of you know this already, but I'm sharing it anyway. Elements are attracted to each other because they each carry a specific charge (the most stable and least reactive being the noble gases). So, let's talk hydrogen and oxygen for example. Hydrogen can exist as a gas made up of two atoms (H₂), this molecule is uncharged. Oxygen can exist as a gas made up of two atoms (O2), this molecule is uncharged. Now, if you took hydrogen gas and oxygen gas and mixed them together, water would not be created. However, if you took these gases and broke them apart so they stand alone and have a charge (H has a positive charge of +1 and O has a negative charge of -2), they are strongly attracted to one another. And how is it that you break their gaseous bonds and get them to bond to one another? Add a little energy into the mix: a spark, and it's done.

2H₂ + O₂ 2H₂O

And that's why we talk about couples having that "spark". Opposites may attract, but you need a spark to bring them together. Haha, there's my cheesy/nerdy Valentine's Day fact. Man, I know it's pretty bad, yep, but I am publishing the post.