Talk:Oxidative stress

Starting Oxidative stress for Dec '07 Write-a-Thon

Plan today to add content first, then add source-citations as time permits today. Plan source documenting extensively for this article. --Anthony.Sebastian (Talk) 15:20, 5 December 2007 (CST)

Move part to separate article?

You wrote a few paragraphs about free radicals, structure of atoms, and covalent bonding. Would it not be better to move this away from under the heading "Oxidative stress", where nobody would look for this, to, for instance, an article "Free radical"? Or maybe to "atom" or "covalent bonding"? I could then add a few references to historic papers. As an additional remark: I think that it is very good that another "Citizendian" than myself writes about this sort of stuff. This gives another incidence angle and another style, e.g., I would never use a phrase like "eager atom", but it is OK by me. --Paul Wormer 02:12, 10 December 2007 (CST)

I understand your first point, about anybody looking for the abc's of atomic structure would not look under Oxidative stress. I agree it should have a home of its own. Yet, it need not be removed from the article on Oxidative stress to give it also a home of its own, where greater detail and important aspects can be included. People seriously interested in oxidative stress need to understand some abc's of atomic structure and bonding (not to mention redox), and I don't think we should send them elsewhere first and come back to Oxidative stress later. My thought was to have Oxidative stress be self-sufficient as much as practical to have a basic foundation for discussing the nature and implications of oxidative stress.

Besides, I always credited the aphorism, 'repetitio mater memoriae'.

Regarding your "additional remark", I write about "this sort of stuff" to learn more about it, it forces me to. I appreciate your editing, which also forces me to learn. --Anthony.Sebastian (Talk) 20:37, 10 December 2007 (CST)

OK, if you feel so, please go ahead. It is the essence of a computer encyclopedia that space is not an issue. If we were preparing something on paper we would have to argue on restricting the meters of bookshelf. Cheers. --Paul Wormer 02:18, 11 December 2007 (CST)

electron configuration carbon

You put one electron in p_x and one in p_y. However, in an atom there is no reason to single out p_z as empty. In fact there are three configurations of equal energy forming together a so-called P-state. They have respectively p_x, p_y, and p_z empty. An equivalent remark holds for oxygen. If we include spin and Pauli principle we get ³P (nine-fold degenerate). --Paul Wormer 20:14, 15 March 2008 (CDT)

Paul, thanks for keeping your expert eye on my elementary attempts. I do understand, to a degree, what you say, but my drawing of carbon's electron configuration seems to accord with most elementary treatments. I'm not sure, for my developing attempt to convey the ABCs of oxidative stress, how precisely mathematical we need need to go to give some traction to non-quantum students to the handles they need to understand the bioogical effects of radicals. However, a footnote by you that keeps us mathematicaly/physically sound would be welcomed.

I'm still not sure how to enter the biology, as I write to learn. Your help keeps me inspired if with difficulty informed ( e.g., nine-fold degenerate) due to my inadequate education. I love your piece on atomic orbitals, but worry whether it will have wide accessibility, not that that is a requirement or goal. Keep on pitching. --Anthony.Sebastian 22:25, 15 March 2008 (CDT)