How to Handle Adoption in the Family Tree

How to Handle Adoption in the Family Tree Almost every adoptee, no matter how much they love their adopted family, experiences a twinge when faced with a family tree chart. Some are unsure whether to trace their adopted family tree, their birth family, or both - and how to handle the differentiation between their multiple families. Others, who for various reasons have no access to their own personal family history prior to their adoption, find themselves haunted - Â  by the family whose names will never be documented in their genealogy, and the family tree somewhere in the world with an empty space on the branch where their name should be. While some people insist that genealogies are only meant to be genetic, most agree that the purpose of a family tree is to represent the family - Â  whatever that family might be. In the case of adoption, the ties of love are generally stronger than ties of blood, so it is absolutely appropriate for an adoptee to research and create a family tree for their adopted family. Tracing Your Adopted Family Tree Tracing the family tree of your adoptive parents works pretty much the same way as tracing any other family tree. The only real difference is that you should clearly indicate that the link is through adoption. This in no way reflects on the bond between you and your adopted parent. It just makes it clear for others who may view your family tree that it is not a bond of blood. Tracing Your Birth Family Tree If youre one of the lucky ones who knows the names and details of your birth parents, then tracing your birth family tree will follow the same path as any other family history search. If however, you do not know anything about your birth family, then you will need to consult a variety of sources - your adoptive parents, reunion registries, and court records for nonidentifying information that may be available to you. Options for Combined Family Trees Since the traditional genealogy chart does not accommodate adoptive families, many adoptees create their own variations to accommodate both their adoptive family as well as their birth family. Any way you choose to approach this is just fine, as long as you make it clear which relationship links are adoptive and which are genetic - something that can be done as simply as using different colored lines. Other options for combining your adopted family with your birth family on the same family tree include: Roots Branches - A slight variation of the typical family tree is a good choice for someone who knows little about their birth family, or who doesnt really want to trace their genetic family history. In this case, you can include the names of your birth parents (if known) as the roots, and then use the branches of the tree to represent your adopted family.Double Family Trees - A good option if you want to include both your adoptive family and your birth family in the same tree is to use one of several variations on the double family tree. One option includes a trunk where you record your name with two sets of branching tops - one for each family. Another option is the double pedigree chart, such as this Adoptive Family Tree from Family Tree Magazine. Some people also like to use a circle or wheel pedigree chart with their name in the center - using one side for the birth family and the other side for the adoptive or foster family.Classroom Alternatives for Young Children - Adoptive Families Together (ATF) has developed a series of free printable worksheets for teachers to use in place of the traditional family tree for classroom assignments. These alternative family trees are appropriate for children of all ages, and can more accurately accommodate a wide variety of family structures. The most important thing for you to keep in mind when faced with creating a family tree is that how you choose to represent your family really doesnt matter that much, as long as you make it evident whether the family links are adoptive or genetic. As for the family whose history you choose to trace - thats an entirely personal decision best left up to you.

Hydrogen Bond Definition and Examples

Hydrogen Bond Definition and Examples Most people are comfortable with the idea of ionic and covalent bonds, yet unsure about what hydrogen bonds are, how they form, and why they are important. Key Takeaways: Hydrogen Bonds A hydrogen bond is an attraction between two atoms that already participate in other chemical bonds. One of the atoms is hydrogen, while the other may be any electronegative atom, such as oxygen, chlorine, or fluorine.Hydrogen bonds may form between atoms within a molecule or between two separate molecules.A hydrogen bond is weaker than an ionic bond or a covalent bond, but stronger than van der Waals forces.Hydrogen bonds play an important role in biochemistry and produce many of the unique properties of water. Hydrogen Bond  Definition A hydrogen bond is a type of attractive (dipole-dipole) interaction between an electronegative atom and a hydrogen atom bonded to another electronegative atom. This bond always involves a hydrogen atom. Hydrogen bonds can occur between molecules or within parts of a single molecule. A hydrogen bond tends to be stronger than van der Waals forces, but weaker than covalent bonds or ionic bonds. It is about 1/20th (5%) the strength of the covalent bond formed between O-H. However, even this weak bond is strong enough to withstand slight temperature fluctuation. But the Atoms Are Already Bonded How can hydrogen be attracted to another atom when it is already bonded? In a polar bond, one side of the bond still exerts a slight positive charge, while the other side has a slight negative electrical charge. Forming a bond doesnt neutralize the electrical nature of the participant atoms. Examples of Hydrogen Bonds Hydrogen bonds are found in nucleic acids between base pairs and between water molecules. This type of bond also forms between hydrogen and carbon atoms of different chloroform molecules, between hydrogen and nitrogen atoms of neighboring ammonia molecules, between repeating subunits in the polymer nylon, and between hydrogen and oxygen in acetylacetone. Many organic molecules are subject to hydrogen bonds. Hydrogen bond: Help bind transcription factors to DNAAid antigen-antibody bindingOrganize polypeptides into secondary structures, such as alpha helix and beta sheetHold together the two strands of DNABind transcription factors to each other Hydrogen Bonding in Water Although hydrogen bonds form between hydrogen and any other electronegative atom, the bonds within water are the most ubiquitous (and some would argue, the most important). Hydrogen bonds form between neighboring water molecules when the hydrogen of one atom comes between the oxygen atoms of its own molecule and that of its neighbor. This happens because the hydrogen atom is attracted to both its own oxygen and other oxygen atoms that come close enough. The oxygen nucleus has 8 plus charges, so it attracts electrons better than the hydrogen nucleus, with its single positive charge. So, neighbor oxygen molecules are capable of attracting hydrogen atoms from other molecules, forming the basis of hydrogen bond formation. The total number of hydrogen bonds formed between water molecules is 4. Each water molecule can form 2 hydrogen bonds between oxygen and the two hydrogen atoms in the molecule. An additional two bonds can be formed between each hydrogen atom and nearby oxygen atoms. A consequence of hydrogen bonding is that hydrogen bonds tend to arrange in a tetrahedron around each water molecule, leading to the well-known crystal structure of snowflakes. In liquid water, the distance between adjacent molecules is larger and the energy of the molecules is high enough that hydrogen bonds are often stretched and broken. However, even liquid water molecules average out to a tetrahedral arrangement. Because of hydrogen bonding, the structure of liquid water becomes ordered at lower temperature, far beyond that of other liquids. Hydrogen bonding holds water molecules about 15% closer than if the bonds werent present.  The bonds are the primary reason water displays interesting and unusual chemical properties. Hydrogen bonding reduces extreme temperature shifts near large bodies of water.Hydrogen bonding allows animals to cool themselves using perspiration because such a large amount of heat is needed to break hydrogen bonds between water molecules.Hydrogen bonding keeps water in its liquid state over a wider temperature range than for any other comparable-sized molecule.The bonding gives water an exceptionally high heat of vaporization, which means considerable thermal energy is needed to change liquid water into water vapor. Hydrogen bonds within heavy water are even stronger than those within ordinary water made using normal hydrogen (protium). Hydrogen bonding in tritiated water is stronger still.