Questions tagged [applied-chemistry]
Chemical processes and theories being used in practical and experimental applications.
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Why can we still breathe in valleys? [duplicate]
Air is 1% argon. Argon is heavier than air.
Why doesn't the argon concentrate in low-lying areas, choking out life there?
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Are there any significant uses of the compound formed by magnesium and anthracene?
In an unusual reaction, magnesium reacts with anthracene in THF to form a grignard-like compound called, prosaically, magnesium anthracene:
I remember using it briefly in the 1980s. At the time there ...
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How could I cause metal to rust rapidly?
I'm writing a novel set in the mid-nineteenth century. One of my characters needs to cause an iron padlock to rust rapidly, ideally within a matter of hours.
The lock doesn't need to rust away ...
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Ceramics in "bullet proof" vests?
Kevlar is an aramid fiber that is used in ballistics protection vests. From the structure (structure shown from Wikipedia article), you can see why it would work to dissipate the energy from a bullet ...
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Can we process waste just by decomposing it to homogenous mass and extracting the elements from it?
I. e., what if we just burn trash completely or dissolve it in acid, get the resulting paste and extract pure chemical elements out of it by applying some physics and/or chemistry to it until no more ...
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Can olivine be used to make glass?
This concerns ongoing work to find a plausible approach to large-scale production of clear glass on the Moon. It's for an ultra-hard science fiction project and I really want to get it right.
Olivine ...
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Research-backed articles on cast iron seasoning
I've always seasoned my cast iron pans with vegetable oil because that was what I was taught. I'd done some research before, and even came across this StackExchange post on asking the best oil for the ...
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Can glass be made with anorthite?
The lunar highlands are made mostly of anorthosite (90% anorthite, the rest oxides of magnesium, iron, a little titanium, and traces of others), and pretty pure anorthite ($\ce{CaAl2Si2O8}$) is common....
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Constructing a grenade (for a novel I'm writing.)
Ok, before any eyebrows get raised, this is for a novel that I'm writing and inspired by this answer from worldbuilding and this reference answer. I just want to make sure the device I'm trying to use ...
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Are there any significant industrial processes that use liquid ammonia as a solvent?
There are some interesting laboratory reactions that use liquid ammonia as a solvent (for example, the Birch Reduction where an alkali metal is dissolved in liquid ammonia).
There have also been some ...
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New finding in cobalt compound that absorbs oxygen - is it really a breakthrough?
Very recently Chemical Sciences published results of the discovery of a new cobalt compound that can absorb oxygen at presumably a higher capacity than what has been achievable before. The paper is ...
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Lithium batteries a reality - why not sodium, pottasium batteries?
Lithium batteries seem to be mainstream now, offering high energy density, high output current capability.
Stepping down the periodic table there are alkali metals with greater electronegativity than ...
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What is the difference between wet paint, dry paint, and in between those stages?
A day after painting a closet, I set a piece of wood on the wall of the closet that was painted a day ago as well. Within minutes, both of their layers of paint fused together (please correct me if ...
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How might ammonia be created in this mechanochemical reaction?
Can mechanical agitation catalyze reactions? It appears so (thanks to Mithoron for the pointer!).
We observed the following: We were using 10-micron hBN powder to impact-plate copper bearings (e.g., ...
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Is there a known chemical that makes it possible to control the opacity of a large surface?
I have this idea of creating a large domed ceiling/roof for a building that can be made clear to see the actual sky, or made fully opaque/dark grey/black to project an artificial sky onto.
I know ...
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Selective etchant for Al2O3 (Does not etch Al, Cu, Zn, Sn)
I'm looking for a wet-etchant to remove aluminum oxide created by anodizing, but not etch the unoxidized metal (with greater than 10:1 selectivity)
I know about chromium(IV) oxide and fluorine-based ...
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How does (E)CA glue ("super glue", "crazy glue", etc.) cure?
I use CA glue† very frequently in my shop, but I'm not entirely sure how it works. I've noticed three main modes of curing, I've emphasized the key observations:
When dispensed, it will remain fluid ...
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How can I make a better whiteboard cleaning solution?
I just started work as a lab assistant in a chem lab. The whiteboard the instructor uses for classes gets very dirty very quickly. The woman who started at the same time as I did spent over 3 hours ...
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Food-grade antifungal preservatives for alcohol-containing aqueous non-food product that won't UV-yellow when dried?
I need a broad-spectrum antifungal (yeast and mold) agent for an aqueous non-food product (pH $\simeq$ 6) that contains 20% v/v alcohol (ethanol or isopropanol). A key requirement is that it not UV-...
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Could a lead-acid battery electrolyte be replaced by hydrochloric or nitric acid?
Hydrochloric acid, as well as nitric acid, are also strong acids like sulfuric acid. So, why are not they used commercially in lead-acid batteries?
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How are piezoelectric crystals made?
I want to know how the powdered formed of piezoelectric material is converted to crystal like used in quartz watches. I know that some more chemicals are mixed with the material and then it is pressed ...
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Where is my antimony going?
I work in a trace metals laboratory operating an ICP-OES. I've been having some trouble with the recovery of antimony in a weak $\ce{HCl}$ solution post-digestion.
The antimony is part of a mix of ...
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Why is my rusting metal chainlink fence glowing bright orange and sparking?
This is a really practical question, but I can't find anything on Google.
My metal chainlink fence is rusting and I have noticed that where the metal from one wire makes contact with another wire ...
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Are there any STP liquids not containing large amounts of hydrogen and oxygen that are safe for human contact?
I'm working on a science fiction short story and was wondering if there were any liquids that would be safe to bathe in while traveling on a space craft with artificial (spin-based) gravity. In such ...
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How does oxygen fight odors? (Deodorant ad)
I saw an ad on tv last night for Mitchum deodorant that showed big text on the screen that said "OXYGEN eliminates all odors!" or something similar. Their website indeed claims "Our exclusive formula ...
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Why is antimony oxide used as a flame retardant?
What is the mechanism of action of antimony oxide as a flame retardant? Is this to do with radical absorption?
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How do I perform a gravimetric analysis of Portland cement?
To determine the silica ($\ce{SiO2}$) content in Portland cement by gravimetric analysis it is digested in $\ce{HCl}$ and the silica residue is eventually measured.
The chief constituents are $\ce{...
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How may the water from rain be tested to determine it is natural, or from cloud seeding?
This article lists several mechanisms that may be used to control the weather and/or induce rainfall. Apparently many states, other than the one listed in the headline, have experimented with such ...
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Carbohydrate Chemistry for Candy Making
I am trying to understand the different behaviors of sugar syrups when it comes to candy making. Specifically, maple syrup vs molasses.
In making maple candy, pure maple syrup is heated to soft ball ...
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Is it possible to make Spider-Man like web fluid? [closed]
Is it possible to make a substance which has similar properties to that of the web fluid e.g. High tensile strength, sticky (can attach to most of the surfaces), evaporates within few hours etc. If so ...
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ZnO spontaneous combustion during transport
I found your contact information researching $\ce{ZnO}$ reactions. I was hoping you could please help me or orient me in the right direction to find an answer to my problem.
The company I work for ...
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Does selenium sulfate corrode or otherwise react with metals?
I was just watching a cartoon called Motorcity, and they featured a real compound called selenium sulfate.
While I'm sure that the compound blowing up a detached steel [car part] on contact is just ...
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What does a radical mean here?
I'm really confused as none of the definitions of radical on the internet compare to this.
This is from my college textbook of Applied Chemistry-
Radicals
Every inorganic compound is made up ...
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How Does The Mordant, Ferric Acetate, Interact With Tannins When Ebonizing Wood?
Ferric Acetate (II) and (III) are "mordants," which intensify wood staining in direct proportion to the tannin concentration in the wood. Some wood stainers add tea to increase the tannin content and ...
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Lubricants and rubber
I've been reading a lot of conflicting articles/threads pertaining to which lubricant is compatible with rubber/plastics and I'm stumped.
From what I've come across, the consensus is that silicone ...
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How to determine fire hazard of heating ethylene glycol to dissolve borax and boric acid
I am looking to replicate instructions provided in the last paragrph of this article that requires dissolving borax (Sodium Tetraborate decahydrate ($\ce{Na2B4O7·10H2O}$)) and boric acid in ethylene ...
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Particle size-energy distribution
I am not chemist, I am mathematician and interested in Population Balance Equations. I have a question about particle size-(breakage) energy distribution which mentioned in this article: http://www....
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Coating applied to plastic (polymer suitable for straws) to repel carbon dioxide to prevent "floating"
We are four students currently finalizing our last exam-project before our bachelor.
We confirmed our hypothesis that straws floating to the top of your drink is a "problem" from our survey.
Our ...
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Graph of compounds/reactions used on the industrial scale
I'm looking for a machine-readable database describing industrially useful reactions in terms of inputs, outputs, and (possibly) catalyzers etc. for a large portion of, or (much more preferable) the ...
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Why was rhenium used as an igniter in flash bulbs?
It looks like it typically had a current passed though it to ignite zirconium threads.
What properties of rhenium made it the best metal to use for this?
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"Chemicals" released in headphone with burned cable
My friend works at a headphone company at the support service and today she came across someone who claimed that he threw his broken headphone away because he had heard dangerous chemicals could be ...
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How do I make a paper white again?
Suppose I have a white paper originally. Then it is placed in a trunk, where soda spills occasionally and gasoline gas/gasoline also spills due to no gas tank cover. Over time, this paper becomes ...
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Synthetic ruby - damaged by heat less than its melting point?
A bit of a jewellery question but chemistry related. I want to encase a synthetic ruby (corundum, Al2O3) in silver by melting the silver around it. Either in a furnace or by casting. The MP of silver ...
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Is N-methylimidazole an unusual solvent, or are there more common substitutes for it?
I want to test a process that was documented in the literature using N-methylimidazole.
I am not doing academic research, but rather testing a documented reaction for application to an industrial ...
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Baking soda + oil solubility
I have a question regarding the solubility of baking soda (bicarb soda) in oil. I am pretty sure that it has poor solubility, but I have a chemistry dilemma and cannot seem to solve it.
I make all-...
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experimentally determine oxidation state of Iron compound
I need to make several Iron compounds but I am having a bit of trouble finding a decent way to determine the oxidation state of Iron.
I'm starting with a Iron(II) compound that I try to oxidize using ...
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Working with stainless steel in 3 M HCl solution
We are trying to mix a material using 316 stainless steel blades in a $3~\mathrm{M}\ \ce{HCl}$ solution for 4 hours in a PE container? Will the blades stand for 4 hours or do they start to corrode in ...
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How to create the equivalent of luminol for a compound?
How would you go about creating a compound, like luminol, that would visibly react with monomorine I (5-methyl-3-butyloctahydroindolizine) on a household surface (like a kitchen floor)?
It is ok if ...
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gas chamber for calibrating gas sensors
I have $\ce{CO2}$, $\ce{CO}$, $\ce{O2}$ sensors and need to calibrate them. Can anybody help me to produce the $\ce{CO2}$, $\ce{CO}$, $\ce{O2}$ in laboratory for calibrating the sensors (the gas ...
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Why do cookies prevent toothpaste from foaming?
If I eat cookies and subsequently brush my teeth such that there is still small amounts of cookie material stuck to my teeth, the toothpaste will not foam as well as usually, making the process less ...
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