I am starting this blog at the request of my sister. Science, and specifically chemistry, impacts all our lives in a very important capacity everyday. But many people are unsure of how this chemistry works and when you ask some chemists, or the omnipotent Google, the answers are often rather complex and full of jargon. So this blog is designed to answer your science and chemistry questions without being too technical or condescending. Hopefully I will be able even get some of you realising how awesome chemistry is! So if you have a question, leave me a comment and I will make it the subject of my next post and there you will find your answer!
This is such a cool blog idea!! :)
ReplyDeleteOk, I'll try it out.
Why is it bad to mix bleach and ammonia cleaning products - what is that resulting awful gas and how is it produced? Are there any other common cleaning products that are bad to mix?
Another one - not sure if you cover the impact of chem on creatures, but in case you do - what makes some products antibacterial, and not others? Is it true that most soap, vinegar, etc is also antibacterial, or is there something special about "antibacterial" products?
Another one - this one might really be outside your purview - stuff is coming out about pharmaceutical products blocking the pathway of vitamins in the body, because they use the same receptors. How does this work in terms of chemistry? Do pharmaceutical products look like natural ones, in terms of structure? If that's too vague, here's one of many examples: they say anti-seizure meds use the same pathway as folic acid.
Thanks so much! Even if you could answer one of these, that would be cool! :)
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI'm enjoying your blog and I have a question for you.
I've noticed a lot of people posting this David Suzuki link on Facebook:
http://www.kintera.org/c.5oIBJOPyGiIUF/b.5897307/k.BBBE/Take_action_for_smarter_regulation_of_chemicals_in_cosmetics/siteapps/advocacy/ActionItem.aspx
What types of chemicals in cosmetics should we be concerned about?
V
Hello,
ReplyDeleteI am trying to create a teaching tool that shows how blood separates in a centrifuge. I want to be able to shake up three liguids and then have them separate into three component levels after a minute or so. I can do this with water and red food coloring (representing red blood cells)and vegetable oil (representing blood plasma), but I can't fgure out what a third white liquid (representing white blood cells) would be. Any ideas?
Thanks.
I am at a loss for a third liquid. However, it might be worth while knowing that the cellular components (white, red, platlets) are all removed together. This is how Canadian Blood Services (or the Red Cross-depending on where you are from) will collect plasma donations. I am a plasma donor and the process of separating the cellular components (hemotocrit) and the plasma is actually quite neat to watch because you are actually hooked up to a centrifuge during your donation. It is also interesting that the universal plasma donor is actually AB+ (which I am), where as they are the universal whole blood receiver. This has to do with the fact that the plasma contains the proteins and therefore the antibodies, and AB+ has no antibodies.
DeleteI have been wanting to ask a chemist a somewhat strange question for a while now, so here it goes. I have been using Blue Cross Cuticle Remover for years to remove dead skin around the nail area. After using it for a while, I noticed that it worked remarkably well to remove calluses on the bottom of the feet, and even worked amazingly well as a shaving lubricant and general skin exfoliant. I love using it, but worry that it may not be safe to use on larger areas of the body (legs, etc) since it is only intended for cuticle removal. From what I understand, the active ingredient is Caustic Potash / Potassium Hydroxide. Here is the ingredient list as printed on the bottle: Water, Castic Potash, Calcium Carrageenan, Oil & Lanolin (yes, printed is "caustic potash", not sure if this is a typo). Here is a link to the MSDS sheet: http://www.dosha.org/msds/Blue%20Cross%20Cuticle%20Remover.pdf
ReplyDeleteI have been using this product on larger areas of the body for a couple of years now, and have never experienced any burns or discomfort to speak of, other than extra "pruney" hands when using in the shower if I do not rinse them within a short period of time. So the question is, how unsafe would you say it is to use this product on larger ares of the body as I have been? Also, is it completely unsafe to use this product in conjunction with sugar or salt as a scrub to aid in exfoliation (I read in the MSDS sheet that mixing potassium hydroxide with food or beverage items can produce carbon monoxide and could be very dangerous)? I understand that you may not feel comfortable answering this question from a liability standpoint, but I'm just curious to see what a chemist would say about this. Thank you for your time!
Basically potassium hydroxide works by "melting" your skin. In the low concentrations, like the 3% solutions of H2O2, I am sure that it is fine for external use, otherwise manufacturers would not be able to sell it. If you have had no skin irritations or bad reactions, I am sure it is fine. It is awesome that you had a look at the MSDS. Do remember though that the concentrations listed on an MSDS are for large amounts of the chemical. If you ever want to freak yourself out, have a look at the MSDS for caffeine. I am trying to think off the top of my head any food items that would result in the formation of carbon monoxide, but my bigger concern about mixing this with food would be the actual ingestion of KOH.
DeleteAnyway, this seems to be a really long winded way of saying: don't worry about it too much. It is something harsh for your skin, but if your skin isn't really sensitive you should be fine.
Thank you so much for you question!
Thanks so much for the answer! Very cool website by the way.
DeleteLove the idea of this blog!
ReplyDeleteMy question is -
Is there any danger in melting deodorant stick substance that has the following makeup:
Isoeicosane 30 % 30 g
Triglyceride 16 % 16 g
Meadowfoam Seed Oil 4 % 4 g
Almond Oil 2 % 2 g / 0.07 oz
Cetyl Alcohol 14 % 14 g
Ceteareth- 20 3 % 3 g
Glycerin 2 % 2 g / 0.07
Aluminum Chlorohydrate 15 % 15 g
Talcum
I want to pour it into an alternate applicator to test how it works.
Thanks so much!
Hi There!
DeleteThere should be absolutely no problem melting are remoulding of this product, though I am curious to know why this would be necessary. One of the things I will say is that things don't always solidify as nicely because it is possible that the mixtures may settle out differently. It actually reminds me of a funny story of one of my lab mates who accidentally brought a tupperware of margarine for lunch instead of his actual lunch and stuck it in the microwave before realising it. Trying to re-solidify a tub of liquified margarine didn't leave it in an appetising form. Yes it was solid, it just wasn't as functional.
I would melt it slowly, at low heat.
Is alpha lipoic acid considered to be cationic?
ReplyDeletehttp://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lipoic_acid
Thanks!
No it is not cationic. Cations are ions (charged particles) that are positively charged. This compound isn't even ionised. It is possible to ionise this acid by removing the acidic H, but this would leave it negatively charged or anionic. It would also change the name of the compound to something like sodium alpha lipoate (or potassium alpha lipoate).
DeleteOK. Thanks for the explanation.
DeleteI was also wondering if you had ever heard of Thomas Riddick? He wrote an interesting book on zeta potential. There is a chapter of it published on the web about his thoughts on ZP as it relates to blood plasma.
Would love to hear your thoughts on it.
Thanks again!
I have not read this particular book on zeta potential. I know a little about zeta potential and how it relates to nanoparticle size, but I am by no means an expert. My area of research and expertise is more organic synthesis and sustainable chemistry.
DeleteHi!
ReplyDeleteI wanted to ask, if elemental boron is soluble in water? And at what temperature will cotton turn to carbon, and how pure? Thank you very much, your time is appreciated.
Karim
Hi Karim,
DeleteSince carbon is my favourite element, I'll start there. The specific temperature, I could not tell you, but this is what happens when you burn things. The ash is carbon, and generally more of a hydrocarbon mixture, so it won't be very pure at all. Interestingly though, in the lab of James Tour at Rice University they developed away to take cheap sources of carbon (they used cookies, cockroach legs, grass, and dog feces) and make graphene (a single-atom thick layer of carbon) by heating the earlier mentioned carbon sources in a furnace on a copper foil at 1050 degrees C and under a flow of hydrogen-argon gas. It was published in ACS Nano in 2011 DOI: 10.1021/nn202625c
Now Boron. It is not soluble in water. It would react with water though. It is rarely seen in its pure form. It is quite hard, but also quite brittle, making elemental boron not overly practical.
Title: Cialis purchased from online pharmacy, when tested by police Chemist showed MDMA or ecstasy possible explanations?
ReplyDeletemore detailed:
I am not looking for a lecture or about how law enforcement lie to protect their lively hood. Long and short a "friend" purchased Cialis pills purchased from online pharmacy. Law Enforcement Chemist tested said pills and are testifying that they contain MDMA. What are the chemical reasons or expiation that this turned up positive for MDMA?? besides for someone just adding it too the mix in the country it was manufactured in??
This whole story is sounding fairly sketchy to me. Who is this "police chemist"? Why did they test the pills? Where was this found? From what country? There are a ton of urban legends that zip around the internet to freak people out on pharmaceuticals; however, that being said, the only way that MDMA would be found in Cialis is if it is completely counterfeit. Based on what information you have provided here, I would be willing to bet a beaker this story is an urban internet legend.
DeleteThe legislation that pharma has to go through to sell anything to consumers is unreal. ( I actually wrote about this in a different entry: Pharmaceuticals-How Are They Produced?)
hi.. how do u determine quantitatively the amount of sodium benzoate in soft drinks quantitatively by using a titration ?
ReplyDeleteAre you looking to test this in a high school class or something? One of the challenges with this is the sheer amount of other things that are in soft drinks (the technical term for this would be the "sample matrix"). Anything that has a complex sample matrix is difficult to determine by titration, especially if it isn't a very specific titration. For example, sodium benzoate would be easily titrated using a solution of hydrochloric acid; however, there may be other things that will react and therefore give you a higher calculation than what is really present. Though, as a lab exercise to demonstrate sample matrix complications, it might be fun.
Delete
ReplyDeleteAccidentally Discovered that Washing Soda and Bac Out Biolkeen
Have really cut both grim and hard water staining
I added them in equal amounts to warm/hot water laundry separately
Are these creating a harsh chemical together? Cloth diapers need caution due to
elastic and waterproof qualities. Even vinegar can be too rough. If possible, I would like
this to be my main detergent.
1 part Washing Soda (Sodium Carbonate)
1 Part Bac Out (Water, Glycerin(vegatable), Caprylyl/Capryl Glucoside(plant based surfactant),
C10-16 Alkyl Glucoside(plant based), Laureth 7(plant based surfactant), CITRUS TERPENES,
Dipropylene Glycol, Benzisothiazolinone, Viable Bacillus Cultures)
1. Are these creating a harsh chemical acid that could eat at rubber and plastic?
2. Would I be able to mix these in advance, diluted, and expect the same results?
allergic to most main stream detergents while using cloth diapers, if I use anything other than
home-made detergent we deal with diaper rash.
I have extremely hard, rusty water. The bar of soap in my detergent that I most recently
made has solidified in the hard water and doesn't do the job.
So many swear by Tide, but because of the dioxines and our allergies, we wont' do that.
These compounds are basic not acidic, so no they aren't creating an acid.
DeleteWhen you have very sensitive skin (something I deal with all the time and have seen allergists and dermatologists for) you want to be careful of things that say "natural" because these are generally comprised of botanicals, such as your citric terpenes listed above. These are more likely to promote an allergic reaction. I personally stick with the detergents that are dermatologist tested, such as Tide free-I am also a big fan, and had to switch to this when it turned out that I was allergic to most other detergents, especially the ones that said "natural" because they used coconut oil derivatives. I don't know what you mean by dioxines? Do you perhaps mean dioxins? If this is the case I can assure you that there are none in consumer products, especially detergents. They are a banned compound.
All of my friends who also use cloth diapers are a fan of the Tide free and have not had any problems with there babies.
Cloth diapers are also manufactured to take a great deal of abuse because of what they are used for and the conditions needed to make sure that they are disinfected between uses. I would not worry about anything that you would bring into your household being to "harsh" for the diaper itself. Anything that you are going to put in water will have no effect on plastic, so bleach, vinegar, any detergents, all of these will not harm the plastics. If you are noticing issues with the plastics, it is probably related to the temperature and agitation of the water.
If you water is this hard, probably what is happening is that you are using too much detergent and it is not getting rinsed out properly and that is what is causing the rashes. Try maybe hand rinsing after washing-I know that is a pain, but it might help.
Good luck with your washing.
Similar to other questions you've fielded re: detergents, I've been trying to come up with a general purpose spray cleaner that is safe for use around exotic birds. There are many statements online saying that washing soda (sodium carbonate) produces no fumes and the same for borax (sodium tetraborate decahydrate). There are numerous recipes calling for both of these agents combined. I did also encounter one, unsourced, document which said care must be taken when using both washing soda and borax together as it can give rise to "sudden fumes." That sounds like hogwash to me, but I'd hate to be wrong. Would any gas released via such a combination? Thanks much for your time!
ReplyDeleteSounds like hogwash to me too. Even if you do see bubbling, the gad that is released from the washing soda is carbon dioxide and will not hurt anything. I have no clue what is good for the birds, but you sound like you have done your research. Soda is perfectly safe.
DeleteIs there a chemical that will change color when reacting to different sound frequencies?
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no idea. I will look into that, because that would be really cool, and make a great demo.
DeleteHi
ReplyDeleteI'm having trouble calculating the mg per ml for a lugol's iodine solution.
What I need is a simple mathmatical formula that i can use to calculate mg of per ml.
Lugol's iodine is a solution of Distilled water mixed with iodine prills and potassium iodide.
If:
W = 1000 ml Water
A = Amount of Potassium Iodide added in Grams ( 20g )
D1 = Density Of Potassium Iodide ( ? )
B = Amount of Iodine prills added in Grams ( 10g )
D2 = Desntity Of Iodine ( ? )
I'm not sure if i need 1 equation or 3 because I need to calculate:
1) the mg KI per ml
2) the mg of I2 per ml
3) the total combined iodine and iodide.
The reason I need an equation to follow rather than a simple answer is that the recipe I have given here is for a 3% strength solution, but there is also s 7% and a 15% solution obviously with different measurements being added to the 1000ml water.
Hope you can help.
Kind Regards
Seth
Hi Seth,
DeleteI suppose I need a little more context to be sure on what you are doing. However, what I can tell you when you are making percent solutions, you need to know whether that is percent by weight or percent by volume. Generally if your solute is solid than you are measuring percent weight, therefore a 3% solution of potassium iodide is 3 grams of KI in 100 grams of water. Because 1g water = 1ml water, it works out to being 3 grams KI for 100 mL water.
I work in the oilfield and deal with various chemicals. One of the chemicals we work with is roughly 60-100% ammonium acetate and 10-30% acetic acid. The designed pH is between 5.0 and 5.5. My question is: what compounds could contaminate this to cause it to crystallize? Thank you for your time.
ReplyDeleteIn order to answer you question, I need a little bit more information. Are you asking about ammonium acetate or are you asking about acetic acid? Is it the ammonium acetate that you are saying is crystallising out? How old is the solution? How much of the solution do you have? What temperature is the solution?
DeleteI am a Star Trek fan and in one episode, a beverage was prepared, called a Tzartak aperitif. This drink had a boiling point exactly 0.5 degrees below the temperature of the drinker's mouth. When the beverage was taken into the mouth, it immediately evaporated and the flavor was carried by the vapor. Is this possible? Is there any edible liquid that would evaporate upon contact the tongue?
ReplyDeleteThank you.
Theoretically this is possible. If your body temperature is higher, especially a lot higher, than the boiling point of the liquid then it will evapourate on contact. This is what happens with liquid nitrogen. You can pour it over your hands and it will not do any immediate damage. That being said, if you were to immerse your hand in liquid nitrogen for a significant period of time (or you are wearing your wedding ring) you can do damage. I can think of lots of solvents that would do this, but none that I would be willing to put in my mouth especially if you wish to live long and prosper.
DeleteMy question is this, I am doing a personal project to benefit myself that I saw online. It was essentially cooling down a soda can with CO2 in a designated amount of time. I was trying to replicate this motion by using home materials I can use instead of fancy equipment they had.
ReplyDeleteI guess I was thinking that in a closed space. I would somehow get rid of the oxygen..put the pressurized CO2 in a closed space..and just use a vaccum seal to quickly have the CO2 exit. Would that make the can cold? I tried using one of those air dutsers you use on your keyboard and the can get cold when you use it..so if I can replicate that then maybe I can make my little project work.
If you can help i would greatly appreciate it
This isn't something you can do with random materials at home. The rapid decrease in pressure will result in a rapid decrease in temperature as a result of the equation PV=nRT. This is actually essentially the opposite of how a compression engine (diesel) works, where the rapid increase in pressure results in enough heat to ignite the fuel, but I digress. You won't have a household vaccum strong enough to make a significant impact on the temperature, especially because you more than likely will be unable to get a true seal. On top of that, the process is entirely inefficient. These types of demonstrations are used more for teaching purposes to illustrate the relationship between temperature and pressure and not for practical use.
DeleteIf you are looking for a way to rapidly cool a soda can with materials at home, make a salt ice bath. Make an ice bath and add table salt (NaCl) in a 3:1 ratio. This will plunge the ice bath temperatures to -10 to -20C. As there will be liquid present you will get fast cooling compared with placing your can in your fridge or freezer because heat transfer is more effective between a solid and a liquid than a solid and a gas.
Wishing you many cold beers!
Hi! Do you have any idea why frozen vegetables spark and catch fire when you cook them in the microwave? They seem to spark in the first few seconds and then the flames follow.
ReplyDeleteThanks!!
I have never seen that happen! I don't know specifically why, but I can offer a few insights: first, anything that is high in carbon (like veggies) can be burned. Second: your microwave provides localised heating of water molecules within whatever you are heating, so likely the high water content of frozen vegetables is creating enough heat to light the carbon in the veggies on fire. But that is just my most educate guess as to the actual reason.
DeleteHello! Hope you are still doing this because I am super curious about some things. Non-chemistry background.
ReplyDelete1) When I pour nail polish remover into a styrofoam cup, the cup disappears. What on earth is happening? Where does the material go? What are the byproducts that result?
2) Fire is essentially a chemical process, right?
3) I recently poured some salt by accident on a hot glass stove burner (electric, not gas or induction). It made the coolest patterns. What was happening, and why?
Thank you so much!
Hi! I am still working on the this blog, but I had to take a little break so that I could defend my Ph.D. but the upside of that means that my blog posts are now by someone who is has a Ph.D. in chemistry: Dr. Brenna Brown.
DeleteYour questions are great! I think to answer them I will make them into their own posts rather than just simply addressing them here.
Please, the following is no joke. I have chemical sensitivity and because of that I stumbled upon a secret, high-tech form of chemical dumping being done by the military. They seem to be making waste chemicals super-volatile so that when they are sprayed into the air or dumped in a river, they evaporate in a few minutes and leave no trace. One time I was in the path of one of these streams of chemicals and I could feel thousands of tiny droplets bursting and disappearing as soon as they touched my skin. I felt like I was being sprayed with a fire hose, yet I was completely dry. Can you tell me how they are making these chemicals super-volatile? It seems as though they can do this to any chemical.
ReplyDeleteWebsite: http://mcsguy.tripod.com
Curious what comes over to the receiver when distilling urea. My guess is ammonium carbonate. Can you confirm?
ReplyDeleteWhat is in the mixture?
Delete