Questions tagged [everyday-chemistry]
Applications of chemistry to reagents, reactions and processes of everyday life. Use this tag for question on chemistry in an out-of-laboratory/class context. DO NOT use this tag merely because the question is about simple chemistry.
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In What Order are Electrons and Ions Contained in the Cathode? [closed]
At the cathode, do electrons and positive ions go in the same order as in the picture (-+, +-, -+, etc.)? If they go some other way, please explain which.
Image Source
The picture just means there ...
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Can Sugar reduce corrosion rate of acid (vinegar) on metal? [closed]
I have two glass jars of pickles with pH $2.5$. Both contains acetic acid from vinegar. One has sugar content of $10$%wt. The other one has NO sugar. As a part of standard testing for food packaging, ...
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What are these plates in LixC6?
I'm completely new to chemistry. I can’t personally figure out the basic issues myself, so I’m asking for your help. I became interested in how lithium-ion batteries generally work. As a result, I ...
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What chemical makes the ‘smoky’ flavour in smoked paprika?
I really detest ‘smoky’ flavours eg smoked paprika. It tastes like fumes to me. What chemical/ substance do these contain that causes this please
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Sodium hypochlorite bleach and chromium mop handle [closed]
I have been using sodium hypochlorite bleach as a cleaning method in my house. During a two week period when I was at home I left the mop handle in the bucket with bleach in it. I did not know it was ...
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Is a realistic chemistry system viable for video game design (restrictions apply)? [closed]
I assume this might be an unusual question, and I'd like to first make a note as to why I'm asking here, on Chemistry Stack Exchange and not somewhere more relevant to video games. This is because we'...
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Non-toxic alternative to borax for use in slime chemistry?
I understand that sodium tetraborate decahydrate ($\ce{Na2B4O7•10H2O}$) and water is the primary binder for PVA glue based slimes.
We have learned borax is not good for the ground water, or marine ...
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How's the formula mass of a molecule calculated? Is it the mass in it's empricial formula or molecular formula? [closed]
Like glucose, butane and benzene. How would you calculate their formula mass? Would you calculate it as the mass of their empricial formula or their molecular formula (basically same as molecular mass)...
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How to clean naphtha of non-saponifiable fats
My dad has been using naphtha to degrease some animal bones, which based on the MSDS is probably some random jumble of hydrocarbons, mostly heptanes. He's trying to be environmentally friendly so he ...
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What is that substance coming from tractor tire?
I have old tractor with Bridgestone tires. When I press a clean white tissue against the tire, a black spot show on the tissue. Is that substance carbon black and it’s harmful to soil?
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Integration of Artificial Intelligence in Chemistry [closed]
How is Artificial Intelligence impacting the design and discovery of new compounds and medications?
Given the rapid advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning methodologies over the ...
user137106
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Chemistry behind cleaning with vinegar vs citric acid; do they work differently? Should I prepare the same pH solutions to compare them?
I noticed a pack of "Mysterious Citric Acid" while out shopping so I picked it up to see what the big deal was. Several palates of the stuff had just arrived at a local outlet store. I ...
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How does the heat-activated blowing agent in foaming plastic filament survive the manufacturing process?
Special 3D printer filaments are available with blowing agents mixed in. These blowing agents cause the filament to foam as it is extruded, causing the resulting structure to have a much lower density....
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Creating Chloramines
I'm currently conducting some testing related to indoor pool environments.
Here I believe, airborne chloramines are responsible for stress corrosion cracking in austenitic stainless steels.
...
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Why does brandy have a higher methanol-to-ethanol ratio than beer, despite the distillation?
From my googling, beer tends to contain around 16mg/L of methanol. While for brandy, typical methanol content is around 1000mg/L (give or take a factor of 3, depending) The distillation that brandy ...
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Which part of a soap molecule is the hydrophilic part? [closed]
Is the hydrophilic part of the soap both the cation ($\ce{Na+/K+}$), just the $\ce{COO-}$, or both of those sections together like the picture shown below? Do the cation and the anion dissociate from ...
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Is it possible to electroplate iron onto nickel in a sodium chloride solution?
Over the years I have salvaged many laptop and power tool batteries and collected a lot of metal strips, but I don't know if they are made of nickel or nickel-plated steel.
I have a piece that I know ...
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Question about percentage purity and percentage yield [closed]
While doing questions on percentage yield, this one took my attention
As a result of the reaction of 20 grams of hematite with a purity of 60% with a sufficient amount of pure aluminum, how much ...
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Is a Sodium Chlorite Product Safe for Car Odor-Removal? [closed]
I would like to ask the science community's opinion about the safety of sodium chlorite for use as an odor-eliminator in an automobile's interior.
While the ingredient in the product is sodium ...
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betamechaptoethanol smell [closed]
I am doing my masters in science and today one of our neighbors from the other lab came to heat his samples on a heating pad. the samples were in small tubes which contained Betamechaptoethanol, when ...
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Does an ionic bond have a dipole?
Is an ionic compound like NaCl considered a dipole? It has a positive side (Na+) and a negative side (Cl-). Or is it true that an ionic bond does not have a dipole because a dipole is, by definition, ...
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Why Does Milk Seal Sidewalk Chalk?
I work at a public library and we recently had a sidewalk chalk hour for families. Someone gave us a tip that if we brush milk with a paintbrush over the finished chalk drawings, it helps seal them ...
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Can H2CO3 and NaHCO3 be in the same solution at the same time?
In my opinion they can't. Because the product of reaction will have $\ce{H2CO3}$, and end up with $\ce{H2O}$ and $\ce{CO2(g)}$. And gas can not be part of a solution.
$$\ce{H2CO3 +2NaHCO3 -> Na2CO3 ...
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Why does color of substances not disappear after some time?
Some compounds are colored due to HOMO-LUMO transition. We see the complimentary color to the frequency which the electron absorbs to get the high molecular orbital. But after some the electron should ...
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If Qc> Kc how can forward reaction can take place
If Qc>Kc then there will be a net backward reaction but still forward reaction will take place. My problem is if Qc>Kc forward reaction will become non spontaneous right. So how can that happen, ...
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What if kc=1 will reactants concentration equals to product concentration [closed]
I read a book, it says if kc=1 it mean reactant concentration equals to product concentration at equilibrium. But I'm wondering that in kc expression we dont just use concentration of an element we ...
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Small amount of sulfuric acid down drain - questions [closed]
Bought some drain cleaner from my local hardware store, the guy at the counter said its powerful stuff that barbers use to clear hair from drains. Said to not put my head above the drain while using ...
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Is breaking something an irreversible change? [closed]
The science textbooks say that, unlike change of state, not all physical changes are reversible. For this, the example provided is grinding wood into sawdust or tearing off paper. They say that we ...
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For radical polymerization reactions, azobis(isobutyronitrile) (AIBN) can also be used as a radical initiator
Draw the mechanism of radical formation if you know that N2 is formed as a by-product.
The solution they give us is
I know what radical polymerization is. The free electron of a molecule binds with ...
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Why did it take so long to figure out what made Roman concrete so durable?
I'm no chemist, but it feels like there should have been more than enough motivation to discover the recipe for strong concrete and it should have been discovered ages ago. Why were the details only ...
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What household objects are made of metals with a high degree of purity?
I've looked into this briefly and from what I've understood, the kind of copper that's used to make electric copper wire is generally of a high purity (well above 99%). What are some other household ...
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Ethylene Glycol in Wall Primer [closed]
No scientific background here!
Due to a chemical sensitivity, and general concern for healthier indoor air quality in a home I am renovating, I opted to choose "greener" alternatives in ...
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post-treatment of silicon surface after silanisation
I recently attempted to make a silicon oxide surface hydrophobic using trimethoxyoctylsilane and methanol as a solvent in ambient air conditions. I left the silicon in the solution for 24 hours, but ...
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Is cleaning silverware with tinfoil and salt dangerous?
Premise: I'm not a chemist and I've already had a look at this and this but they don't fully answer my question.
I have read that you can clean silverware using tinfoil, salt and water, though from ...
user133482
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How are gravimetric analyses of particulate matter performed, in order to determine particulate matter concentration in air?
I've been surfing Google Scholar a bit and learned that a common and comparatively less expensive method of measuring particulate matter concentration in air was analysis through gravimetric methods. ...
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Is there any chemical that has a fire diamond (NFPA 704) of 3-4-2 COR OXY? [closed]
At Walmart the other day I spotted this fire diamond. It was randomly there on a wall on the side of the store, with seemingly no explanation. There were no chemical tanks or anything near the sign, ...
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how to quickly dissolve sea shells?
Our condos are by the bay and seagulls are ubiquitous,so is their detritus. The shells they drop have been drawn by gravity and rain water to the down spouts and gutters of our buildings for 40 years ...
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What results from the neutralization of copper citrate with Na2CO3
I found this question that describes PCB etching with citric acid. The answer to that question explains how hydrogen peroxide, salt, and citric acid can be used to ionize copper metal in water, which ...
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Does Propylene Glycol cause motor oil to coagulate?
It is well known that ethylene glycol when mixed with motor oil will cause catastrophic engine failure. The mix coagulates to a brown-mud that fails to lubricate. But, will a Propylene Glycol / ...
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Experiment to crush soda can by air pressure
You put a can with water at its base on a hot plate and allow the water to heat. Once steam is visible from the opening on top of the can, you quickly flip the can upside down into a bowl of water ...
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Do leaked potassium hydroxide from AA alkaline batteries, eventually become potassium bicarbonate?
I understand that liquid leaked from AA alkaline batteries is an aqueous solution of potassium hydroxide (which is highly alkaline). It becomes potassium carbonate (which is less alkaline than ...
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The edge case of an edge case: Vapor emissions of the descaling agent Sulfamic acid
I am wondering about the following scenario:
What happens if ready bought sulfamic acid descaling (usually 15% cont. + $\ce{H2O}$) is vaporized or at least steam develops while very briefly descaling ...
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Flash point of naptha and propanol
I filled a Zippo lighter with 2-propanol and it lit up easily when the ambient temperature was around 6-7 degrees Celsius.
It was impossible to light it up when the temperature was around 3-4 degrees ...
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Permanent water marks etched onto glass
We are noticing some permanent marks etched onto various glass parts we use in lighting products that cannot be removed. These appear regardless of the type of water (tap, DI etc. Our DI water is ...
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Is there any chemical that can react with two different chemicals to generate heat or cold? [closed]
For example. There are three chemicals. Chemical A,B,C
Chemical B react with Chemical A = heat
Chemical B react with Chemical C = cold
Is there any chemical available like this? And is it safe to ...
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How to calculate number of all atoms in rings in a molecule?
Is there a way or a formula to find number of all atoms in all rings?
EDIT : I wanna explain it with pictures :
this is an anthracene which have 14 atoms in ring.
what thing it has that is 14?
2nd ...
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Creating resilient (non-brittle non-water-soluble) verdigris (blue-green copper patina)
First off, I checked and there are indeed a number of questions on copper patinas, but none which deal with resilience.
Context
I own a number of copper writing utensils, which I'd like to get a nice ...
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Why does my sand dissolve in citric acid?
I soaked and washed white Darice decorative sand in distilled water. I added food-grade citric acid to different distilled water, then I sprinkled in a few grains of the sand. The sand bubbled and ...
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Relationship between grams of root and content in a tea
When we make a tea from a some herb, what exactly is the relation between the weight of the herb/root stepped in hot water and how many grams/milligrams are in the tea.
For context and giving a ...
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How to dissolve beeswax/carnauba wax to spray
I’m trying to make an edible hydrophobic coating for a tart shell. If anyone knows of a way to lower the viscosity of an edible wax enough to make it sprayable I’d really appreciate it.
I have a paper ...
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