The chemistry blog
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Extra benefits of the hot pack
Cold therapy is helpful for reducing swelling and inflammation. Heat therapy helps relieve pain, including localized arthritis pain. Pain relief is important for people with arthritis. Products which are convenient and easy to use are best. Gel packs, designed for heat and cold therapy, replace old-fashioned hot water bottles and electric heating pads. If you don't have one, consider one of these - including a gel pack which can be customized and personalized
Uses of hot or cold packs
Chemicals can store energy and release it in the form of heat. A chemical reaction that releases heat is called an exothermic reaction. But chemical reactions can also absorb heat from the environment and get cold. These reactions are called endothermic reactions. When chemicals are dissolved in water, sometimes heat is released, and sometimes heat is absorbed.
Hot/cold packs are used by athletes to minimize swelling of injuries such as muscle and joint sprains. They are constructed of a large pouch containing a dry chemical plus an inner pouch of water. The hot/cold pack is activated by breaking the seal on the pouch of water and shaking the pack vigorously. This action mixes the water with the chemical starting the exothermic or endothermic reaction.
Hot/cold packs are used by athletes to minimize swelling of injuries such as muscle and joint sprains. They are constructed of a large pouch containing a dry chemical plus an inner pouch of water. The hot/cold pack is activated by breaking the seal on the pouch of water and shaking the pack vigorously. This action mixes the water with the chemical starting the exothermic or endothermic reaction.
The Science behind the cold pack
The cold pack is actually filled with ammonium nitrate and water. The reactions of the two elements causes an endothermic reaction. An endothermic reaction means the reaction absorbs heat from the surroundings. When you hit the cold pack, it breaks the tube so that the water mixes with the fertilizer. This mixture creates an endothermic reaction -- it absorbs heat. The temperature of the solution falls to about 35 F for 10 to 15 minutes.
Chemistry ACE
This will be used to post about the chem ace that I will be doing. I will be mainly doing about thematic studies that is about cold packs. Why does a cold pack turn cold suddenly when hit. A cold pack feel that it is filled with water so what are the mysterys surrounding the cold pack. What causes the cold pack to turn cold suddenly. We also be looking at where the heat goes.
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