Author: Erich Simko

Learning how to make Mexican paper flowers such as those that you see in some of the stores around town or on some of the television shows on the T.V. is not as hard as you might think. Although after I was involved in a devastating car accident a while ago, and had been bed ridden for many months with no transportation, I thought that learning to make these and other paper flowers might be something difficult for me because of no prior interest. I began looking for alternative activities to get involved in (besides watching television!) and I eventually discovered how interesting and gratifying making Mexican paper flowers can be.

Mexican paper flowers gave me an outlet of how to express myself through creativity. Not only is it an inexpensive hobby, but it also is very relaxing and when you finally have a finished product it is exceptionally rewarding. I thought that it would only be an activity I would perform during my recuperation period, but I was wrong. Making these Mexican paper flowers has now become one of my favorite pass times.<br />

Here is your first lesson learning how to make Mexican paper flowers:

1) First, you want to make the leaves, so you cut a pile of 6 to 10 pieces of paper 10 inches wides, and 14-20 inches long.<br />
2) Next, you want to make approximately 1 inch folds in the layers (accordion style).

3) Then you need to tie the middle or the accordion with a twisty wire tie. Then you get to use your creative mind and trim all the edges with your scissors.

4) Then, start at the outside of the flower and start to bend each piece of tissue paper in half (be very gentle with this step).<br />
5) The last step is use the pipe cleaner for the stem of your festive Mexican paper flower and as a special additive you can also spray that Mexican paper flower with perfume to make it perfect.

A situation arose in my own life where friends of my family commented on how original and gorgeous the Mexican flowers I made were. This made me feel extremely good inside. I then began to explain how easy and inexpensive it was to do and the enjoyment I felt while doing it. Later that year, my family and I were at their house and sure enough they had a vase full of Mexican paper flowers displayed in the middle of their dining room table.

Even if making Mexican paper flowers is not your preferred style, making other types of flower crafts such as paper flowers or origami flowers might be. Discover what countless other people have who have enriched their lives creating beautiful paper flowers either for a living, as a regular hobby or even just as a skill in their arsenal to expand their minds. Don’t delay and get started making beautiful and gratifying paper flowers today!

About the Author:
and other kinds of paper flowers. I am positive that at this point you could use some more step by steps with images to guide you. Erich invites you to visit his free site with images, instructions, videos and more plus this other web site on <a href=”http://www.paper-flowers.org/”>How to Make Origami Flowers which is his #1 recommended resource.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/art-articles/how-to-make-a-mexican-paper-flower-450318.html

Related posts

• No related posts.

Author: sachinkokil

CATHARANTHUS ROSEUS FLOWER EXTRACT AS NATURAL INDICATOR IN ACID BASE TITRATION

Authors: Kokil S.U.*1., Joshi D.G.2., Jadhav R.L.3

1, 2 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,Tatyasaheb Kore College of Pharmacy, Warananagar Tal-Panhala Dist-Kolhapur. 416113.

3 Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry, GES’S Satara College of pharmacy, Satara. 415004.

* Address for correspondence:

Kokil S.U.

Department of Pharmaceutical Chemistry,

Tatyasaheb Kore College of Pharmacy, Warananagar,

Tal-Panhala Dist-Kolhapur.

416113.

Ph- 9422600264., 9423867464.

E-mail- sachinkokil@rediffmail.com

ABSTRACT:

Catharanthus roseus, family Apocynaceae is a large deciduous plant. The present work highlights the use of vinca flower extract as acid base indicator in different types of acid base titration. The equivalence points obtained by the fruit extract coincident with the equivalence point obtain by standard indicator. In case of weak acid and weak base titration, the results obtained by the flower extract matched with the results obtained by mixed indicator. This natural indicator is found to be a very useful, economical, simple and accurate for said titration.

KEY WORDS: Catharanthus roseus, vinca, acid base titration, natural indicator.

INTRODUCTION:

Catharanthus roseus is known as Madagascar periwinkle. This plant was formerly classified as the species Vinca rosea, Lochnera rosea and Ammocallis rosea1. This periwinkle is a perennial evergreen herb in the dogbane family (Apocynaceae) that was originally native to the island of Madagascar. It has been widely cultivated for hundreds of years and can now be found growing wild in most warm regions of the world, including the Southern U.S2-3. The plants grow one or two feet high have glossy, dark green leaves (1-2 inches long) and flowers all summer long. Horticulturists have developed varieties with colors ranging from white to hot pink to purple. The plant has historically been used to treat a wide assortment of diseases. It was used as a folk remedy for diabetes in Europe for centuries. In India, juice from the leaves was used to treat wasp stings. In Hawaii, the plant was boiled to make a poultice to stop bleeding. In China, it was used as an astringent, diuretic and coughs remedy. In Central and South America, it was used as a homemade cold remedy to ease lung congestion and inflammation and sore throats. Throughout the Caribbean, an extract from the flowers was used to make a solution to treat eye irritation and infections. The plant contains a mother lode of useful alkaloids (70 in all at last count). Some, such as catharanthine, leurosine sulphate, lochnerine, tetrahydroalstonine, vindoline and vindolinine lower blood sugar levels (thus easing the symptoms of diabetes). Others lower blood pressure, others act as hemostatics (arrest bleeding) and two others, vincristine and vinblastine, have anticancer properties. Periwinkles also contain the alkaloids reserpine and serpentine, which are powerful tranquilizers.

In the 17thcentury chemist Robert Boyle, described indicators extracted from roses and other plant materials in his book “The Experimental History of Colors” published in 16644. Boyle included the ability to turn plant juices red among the properties of acids. The possibilities listed were only a few of many. Almost any highly colored fruit or vegetable or flower petal has the potential for use as an acid base indicator. Acid-base indicators are commonly employed to mark the end of an acid-base titration or to measure the existing pH of a solution. These are substances that reveal, through characteristic color changes, the degree of acidity or basicity of solutions. Indicators are weak organic acids or bases that exist in more than one structural form (tautomers) of which at least one form is colored. Intense color is desirable so that very little indicator is needed; the indicator itself will thus not affect the acidity of the solution. Care must be used to compare colors only within the indicator range. The indicator range is the pH interval of color change of the indicator. Some are most common indicators used for beginning chemistry, because its color change is very obvious which makes it easy to use.

A pH indicator is a halochromic chemical compound that is added in small amounts to a solution so that the pH (acidity or alkalinity) of the solution can be determined easily. Hence a pH indicator is a chemical detector for hydronium ions (H3O+) (or Hydrogen ions (H+) in the Arrhenius model). Normally, the indicator causes the color of the solution to change depending on the pH5.In this study we observed the reaction of flower extract in different pH conditions and compared natural indicator to commercial indicators with measurement of pH.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Analytical grade reagents were procured from Tatyasaheb Kore College of Pharmacy, Warananagar Tal-Panhala Dist-Kolhapur.Reagents and volumetric solutions were prepared as per I.P. The flowers of vinca were collected and authenticated. The petals were separated from whole flower and used for further study. Four gm of petals were macerated for 15 min with 20 ml methanol6. After pressing the mark, filtrate was collected. By repeating same procedure with same solvent the extract was concentrated. Finally extract was filtered and used as indicator.

The experiment was carried by using the same set of glassware for all type of titrations. As the same aliquots were used for both titrations i.e. titration by using standard indicators and flower extract, the reagent were not calibrated. The equimolar titrations were performed using 10 ml of titrant with three drop of indicator. All the parameters for experiment are given in Table1. A set of five experiments was carried out and mean and standard deviation was calculated from results.

The flower extract was screened for its use as an acid base indicator in acid base titration7, and the results of this screening were compared with the result obtained by standard indicators (methyl red, phenolphthalein and mixed indicator) for strong acid strong base (HCl and NaOH), Strong acid weak base (HCl and NH4OH), weak acid strong base (CH3COOH), weak acid weak base (CH3COOH and NH4OH) titrations. The results of screening were listed in Table1.

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS:

For all titrations the equivalence point obtained by the fruit extract coincident with the equivalence point obtain by standard indicator while in case of weak acid and weak base titration, the results obtained by the flower extract matched with the results obtained by standard indicator. But it is noted that the flower extract is beneficial for weak acid and weak base titration because it involves use of mixed indicator, while the fruit extract can be used alone in such titrations.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT:

The authors would like to thank Principal Tatyasaheb Kore College of Pharmacy, Warananagar Tal- Panhala Dist- Kolhapur for providing laboratory facilities.

REFERENCES:

1) Dobelis, Inge N. Magic and Medicine of Plants. Pleasantville, NY; 1989.

2) Heywood VH, Flowering Plants of the World. New York, NY, Oxford University

Press; 1993.

3) Simpson, Beryl B, Molly CO. Economic Botany: Plants in Our World. New York,

NY: McGraw-Hill Publishing Co; 1986.

4) www.google.com

5) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PH_indicator.

6) Wagner H, Bladt S. Plant Drug Analysis A Thin Layer Chromatography. 2 nd ed. Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidenberh, munchen: Atlas ;1996.

7) Untwal LS, Kondawar MS. Indian journal of pharmaceutical sciences.2006; 68(3):399- 401.

Table1: Parameters used for experiment and the results of screening.

Sr.no Titration

(Titrant v/s titrand) Strength in M Indicator S.D. (+/-) pH Color change

1

HCl V/S NaOH

0.1 Methyl red 11.0+/- 0.15 5.15 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 11.1+/-0.15 4.99 Greenish-yellow to colorless

0.5 Methyl red 10.2+/- 0.12 4.38 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 10.3+/-0.17 4.94 Greenish yellow to colorless

1 Methyl red 10.0+/-0.15 5.15 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 10.1+/-0.16 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

5 Methyl red 9.9+/-0.12 5.15 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 9.9+/-0.16 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

2

HCl V/S NH4OH

0.1 Phenolphthalein 4.2+/-0.11 8.47 Pink to colorless

Flower extract 4.2+/-0.10 6.54 Greenish yellow to colorless

0.5 Phenolphthalein 4.7+/-0.16 8.31 Pink to colorless

Flower extract 4.7+/-0.11 5.70 Greenish yellow to colorless

1 Phenolphthalein 4.5+/-0.18 5.15 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 4.6+/-0.09 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

5 Phenolphthalein 4.5+/-0.12 5.15 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 4.5+/-0.14 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

3

CH3COOH V/S NaOH

0.1 Methyl red 11.1+/-0.05 8.47 Pink to colorless

Flower extract 11.1+/-0.12 6.54 Greenish yellow to colorless

0.5 Methyl red 10.8+/-0.16 8.47 Pink to colorless

Flower extract 10.7+/-0.13 6.54 Greenish yellow to colourless

1 Methyl red 10.2+/-0.12 5.15 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 10.2+/-0.13 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

5 Methyl red 9.8+/-0.13 5.15 Yellow to orange red

Flower extract 9.9+/-0.02 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

4

CH3COOH V/S NH4OH

0.1 Mixed indicator 4.5+/-0.05 5.15 Blue green to orange

Flower extract 4.5+/-0.05 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

0.5 Mixed indicator 4.4+/-0.16 5.15 Blue green to orange

Flower extract 4.4+/-0.15 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

1 Mixed indicator 4.4+/-0.12 5.15 Blue green to orange

Flower extract 4.4+/-0.18 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

5 Mixed indicator 4.4+/-0.06 5.15 Blue green to orange

Flower extract 4.4+/-0.05 4.99 Greenish yellow to colorless

About the Author:

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/science-articles/catharanthus-roseus-flower-extract-as-natural-indicator-in-acid-base-titration-236311.html

Related posts

• No related posts.

Author: Christopher Byrnes

Understanding the best ways to take care of your flower garden can be the difference between a garden that you can be proud of, and a garden that is nothing more than mediocre. Following are some simple tips to make your garden bloom with health, color and vitality.

1. These essentials should always be given major consideration.

Your flower garden needs to have an adequate supply of water, sunlight, and fertile soil. Ant deficiency in these basic necessities will greatly affect the health of your plants, and, consequently, the overall appearance of your garden. Remember to Water your flower garden more frequently during dry spells.

When planting bulbs, make sure you set them at the correct depth. When planting out shrubs and perennials, ensure that you don’t pile up soil or mulch up around the stem of your plants. If you do so, water will drain off instead of sinking in, and the stem could develop rot through overheating.

2. Mix and match perennials with annuals.

It is not necessary to replant perennial flower bulbs because they grow and bloom for several years, whereas annuals grow and bloom for just one season. If you mix a few perennials along with the annuals, it ensures that you will always have something blooming in your garden.

3. Encourage blossoming through deadheading.

Deadheading simply means snipping off the flower head after it wilts. This will cause the plant to produce more flowers. The one point to watch out for here is to ensure that you don’t discard the deadhead on the garden because mildew and other plant disease will likely attack your plants.

4. Learn which insects are good for your garden, and which are bad.

Perhaps surprisingly, the majority of garden bugs do more good than harm. Butterflies, beetles and bees are known pollinators. They fertilize plants through the unintentional transfer of pollen from one plant to another. Interestingly enough, 80% of all flowering plants rely on such insects for survival.

Sowbugs and dung beetles together with fungi, bacteria and other microorganisms are vital in aiding in the decomposition of dead plant material, thus enriching the soil and allowing more nutrients to be available to growing plants.

Other insects such as lacewings and dragonflies are natural predators attacking and neutralizing the bugs that inflict the real damage on your plants, like aphis.

An occasional application of liquid fertilizer when plants are flowering will have them blooming for longer.

Always prune away any dead or damaged branches. Fuchsias are particularly prone to snapping when you brush up against them. However, if you do snap a branch, don’t worry because it can be potted up and grown, in time, into a new plant, so it won’t be wasted. Virtually any gardening course will tell you how to do this.

About the Author:
Take your gardening to new heights with my FREE gardening report Click here to download it now!

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/how-to-look-after-your-flowers-38607.html

Related posts

• No related posts.

Author: Maureen Cook

Perennials are not difficult to grow and maintain (after all, they regrow year on year), and they positively thrive in very difficult sites, such as shady corners or areas with permanently moist soil. But does that mean we can have a beautiful perennial garden that is maintenance-free? Well, not quite: in this world you don’t usually get something for nothing. Follow a few simple plant care guidelines, however, and your perennial garden will delight you with a healthy, vigorous display for a minimum of work.

Before we look at the different aspects of maintaining a healthy perennial garden, just a few words about the importance of careful planting. The greater the care taken with soil preparation, selection of healthy plants and adequate watering at the very outset, the less work you will have further down the line. You will be able to spend more time relaxing in your garden enjoying the wonderful display if, initially, you have given your perennials the optimum growing conditions in which to thrive.

Both feeding and watering established plants in your perennial garden should definitely not be time-consuming chores. Established perennials, grown on well-cultivated land and well-watered when first planted, require little in the way of feeding and watering. An annual application in the spring of general purpose granular fertilizer or blood, fish and bonemeal should supply all the nutrients your plants will need. Care should be taken to avoid scorching leaves, flowers and stems when applying the fertilizer.

Watering of mature plants should be minimal. Not only does this make sense in terms of conserving precious water, but also in saving you hours of work. Of course, prolonged periods of drought might call for some watering of your perennial garden. Try, though, to use “grey”, recycled water or rainwater collected in a water-butt. Remember, too, when you do need to water do so later in the day and direct the water down into the roots. As with fertilizer, keep water away from the foliage: water droplets on leaves evaporate under an intense sun to leave brown scorch marks.

From watering to the dreaded weeding - an audible groan immediately goes up for this onerous chore! But is this really so bad? Why not uproot weeds when they’re small? This way you make the job easier and, importantly, avoid disturbing your plants’ roots. Better still, why not apply an organic mulch in spring or summer when the soil is moist? You’ll suppress weeds while, at the same time, you’ll also be helping to retain the soil’s moisture and improve its structure. Shredded bark and stone chips make a good, decorative, weed-suppressing soil covering.

Perhaps, though, from a plantsman’s point of view, the best solution to weed suppression is planting. Columbine, for example, is a natural colonizer and self-seeder: if allowed to spread quite freely weeds are naturally suppressed. Low-growing, creeping perennials, like catmint, fulfil the same function. A luxuriant, naturalistic planting scheme in a perennial garden is the best weed-suppressant of all; easy on the eye and easy on the back!

Of course, there is a difference between luxuriant growth and congested growth. Foliage and flowering displays can be improved by:

1.Thinning or picking out shoots: delphiniums, lupins, and michaelmas daisies benefit from this treatment.

2.Cutting back old flowered stems to promote regrowth: delphiniums, catmint and salvias
respond well and will give a second display.

3.Deadheading, or removing, flowerheads as they fade: chrysanthemums, phlox, lupins, and panstemons will produce a second flush of flowers.

4.Dividing vigorous perennials every three to five years e.g sedums, irises and bergenias. Replant the healthiest, newest sections.

All the above are hardly arduous jobs and, in the case of division, infrequent. These gentle tasks, carried out regularly throughout the summer, exemplify the more relaxing and enjoyable aspects of maintaining a healthy, aesthetically-pleasing perennial garden. “Little and often” is the key.

Staking perennials is, for many, as much a chore as weeding. Different types of perennials have different requirements:

1.Delphiniums and other tall-stemmed perennials should be tied loosely to a cane when 8-9 ins. tall.

2.Clumps of perennials, tall asters and astilbes for instance, bebefit from link of ring
stakes which can be raised as the plant grows.

But, as with weeding so with staking: why not obviate the need for staking in the first place by choosing free-standing perennials such as hardy geraniums, day lilies and columbine? Alternatively, look out for the newer, more compact versions of old favorites like delphiniums and asters which, when used together with free-standing plants, will still provide you with a wonderful display but little work.

Finally, when plants have finished their display, the dead foliage and stems need tidying up and cutting back to the base. But is this all strictly necessary in the fall? Why not leave attractive stems and flowerheads to overwinter in the garden? The rimed forms of asters, sedums and phlomis look truly spectacular in a winter landscape as do the tough plumes and spikelets of grasses. If given a little protection, grasses, like miscanthus offer a welcome sight of warm beiges and browns while the yellow-striped carex and red-tinged hakonechloa persist throughout the winter. In keeping with the principle “little and often”, finish tidying up before new shoots appear. That’s not too bad, is it?

So, to sum up: plant with care and choose your plants with care. In this way you will enjoy a perennial garden that offers the best of both worlds: maintenance-lite but still offering a visual delight even in the depths of winter.

About the Author:
Maureen Cook shows you how you can enjoy a
perennial garden that’s maintenance-lite but still
offers a visual delight.
Find out more about Perennial
Garden, Click Here.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/gardening-articles/your-perennial-garden-a-maintenancefree-zone-23599.html

Related posts

• No related posts.