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.
1,786 questions
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Removing Naphthalene Odor caused by Snake-B-Gon [closed]
How to remove naphthalene's odor. Spread snake-b-gon in our basement. Didn’t realize for outdoor use only. House is full of odor now.
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Actives ph adjustments doubts
I hope someone can answer my question please.
Should I measure the pH value after each addition of active ingredients in my cosmetic formula to ensure that the active ingredient remains within its ...
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Does sulfuric acid in snow damage fabric?
Had to do an emergency work in deep snow, in results my black cotton clothes were soaked in it. To my basic knowledge “regular” snow may contain not only salts but also sulfuric acid.
Will snow-...
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How to tell the difference between paper made of wood pulp or cotton
I have two pads of 140 pound (300 gsm) watercolor paper.
One pad has a label saying it is acid-free and made of 100 percent cotton. The other pad also says it is acid-free but does not say what it is ...
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Does Oleyl Alcohol stain or discolor?
Will Oleyl Alcohol stain or discolor surfaces, just like short chains Ethanol or Isopropyl do?
There are many body or hair products containing Oleyl Alcohol (not volatile as ethanol is) which may rub ...
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What were the crystals I saw in a package of caffeinated mints?
I opened a package of caffeinated mints this morning, and I noticed that they seemed to sparkle in the light. When I examined it closely, I saw that the "empty space" in the package was full ...
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Does cooling a phone in a fridge or freezer damage the battery (lithium-ion battery)?
I saw a fair amount of Reddit and Quora posts on whether cooling a phone in a fridge or freezer damage the lithium-ion battery but they give contradictory answers without any evidence or scientific ...
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Why does bread soften when wet?
Why does bread structure weaken when wet (or cake, biscuit, corn puff, etc)?
This is really simple question, but I couldn't find answer myself for weeks.
First theory was that adding water dilutes ...
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Where to throw away water hardness tests?
I was recently at a relative's house where we tested the hardness of the water. The testing kit contained two bottles A and B. Addition of one drop of A followed by addition of drops of B until colour ...
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Why do homemade cleaning products often have both a base and an acid in them?
I received a kit to make DIY cleaning products. This kit contained a "recipes pamphlet" which, from a chemistry standpoint, I struggle to make sense of.
For example, the recipe to make ...
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Is there a reaction between rubbing alcohol and hot aluminum when they come together?
I was told by someone very persistent that there is a volatile reaction when rubbing alcohol comes in contact with hot aluminum (think rubbing alcohol squirted on a hot charcoal briquette chimney). ...
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Which agent is best for cleaning epoxyfloor from carbon black powder?
I have a question regarding carbon black powder. Which detergent/agent is best for removing carbon black powder from epoxy floors? large amounts of Carbon Black powder has leaked after production, all ...
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Please explain the difference between HFC technology and PEMFC technology
I understand how hydrogen fuel cells (HFCs) function, but what are the differences between them and PEMFC's?
I know that there are HT-PEMFCs and LT-PEMFCs, for low and high temperatures.
Do PEMFCs ...
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Mystery crystals exuded from eastern redcedar heartwood
A dead eastern redcedar (Juniperus virginiana) was recently cut and the wood saved for later woodworking. From the chainsawn face, a rime of acicular radii appeared only on the colored heartwood over ...
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I need to know whether Lead(II)Bisulfate is soluble because I couldn't find any information on it online [closed]
I need to know if Pb(HSO4)2 [Lead(II)Bisulfate] is soluble.
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In cooking does KCl draw water from food "same as" NaCl? [closed]
For medicinal/health reasons, cardiac and high blood pressure in particular, Potassium Chloride (KCl) is often used in place of Sodium Chloride (NaCl) AKA table salt for food purposes. It is offered ...
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Formaldehyde concentration checking in furniture
I have bought IKEA cabinet and it had terrible formaldehyde smell from day one! So terrible that it was difficult to keep it inside the room.
I have ever shifted that in the garage to off-gas as much ...
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What is the chemistry underlying chlorine recommendations in spa water care guides for UV/Ozone pools?
An example is here: https://alpinespas.co.nz/content/uploads/2021/01/2020-Water-Care-Guide-Spa-Supplies-SSDEC08-WEB.pdf
It recommends ignoring test strips, using a "shock dose" of chlorine ...
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Making sense of these recipes for removing anodized coatings of aluminum
Background:
There are several black anodized aluminum optical mounting components I'd like to use inside a high vacuum chamber (circa $1 \times 10^{-7}$ Torr or mbar) but several people including the ...
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Impact of ethanol vapors on surroundings
There’s a popular opinion that ethyl alcohol, when spot-applied to some fabrics or leather, may discolor or damage them.
But what about its vapors? Are these damaging as well?
On occasion, 70% ethanol ...
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Effect of heating alkyd enamel paint during drying/curing & maximum acceptable temperature
I will be painting some boat paddles with Solignum Marine Paint (Alkyd enamel) (compliant with new VOC regulations) for a relative. The label lists that it contains mineral spirits and Stoddard ...
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Calculation of concentration for standard curve
for my enzyme fluorescent assay measurements in soil samples I have to calculate my standard curves. In a protocol, I have found this table where I cannot comprehend the reasoning how the author has ...
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Amination of 2,4 dichloroquinazoline - role of dioxane as solvent and required temperature
In the compound of 2,4 dichloroquinazoline; if an amination reaction is done on 2,4 poitions, why is dioxane used as solvent? Why this solvent in particular (what are its properties, effect , and the ...
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Ascorbic acid disolved in carbonated water
I pour 1 gram of ascorbic acid (a white powder sold by the kilogram as food-grade thus hopefully dextrorotatory) at 25°C (it's hot in Paris) into a 1 liter bottle of carbonated water at 6°C (drinking-...
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Classification of elements into strictly anions and cations [closed]
I want to know elements of the periodic table which are strictly cations and anions, unlike H, C, Si, Ge, As, Sb, At,etc which can be both (i.e. amphoteric elements). Also, kindly add to this list of ...
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Will CO2 dissolved in water change the tds reading of the water?
I have filtered water reading between 0 and 4 ppm on a tds meter. I add CO2 using a soda stream. The water reads 27-34 ppm after adding CO2.
Is the change in tds readings due to the CO2 or due to ...
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Permeability of plastics to alcohol vapour
I was just wondering which plastics have the lowest permeability to alcohol vapour?
I am thinking about purchasing 70% isopropyl wipes for infrequent use around the home and worry that they may dry up ...
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Why is the Molar mass of CO2 different than the weight of the sum of its particles?
The Molar mass of CO2 is stated to be 44.009 grams per mol
But in a calculation of the weight of each atom's particles((Electrons,Protons,Neutrons) times Avogadro's constant
I get 44.36 grams per mol
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Why does pectin/agar jelly taste sweet, if they stay solid at 36.5 °C, entrapping sugar?
When we eat pectin jelly(fruit jelly) or agar jelly, they taste sweet.
This should imply that sugar entrapped in gel network is somehow exposed and dissolved to saliva.
However, pectin and agar gel ...
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Is the reaction product favoured in this equilibrium: H2(g)+I2(s)><2HI(g) when K=45? [closed]
Is the reaction product favoured in this equilibrium: H2(g)+I2(s)><2HI(g) when K=45?
or is the reaction reactant favoured? because I remember that if K>1 then the product is favoured. I am ...
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Why don't oils use plastic droppers?
As shown in the picture, most cosmetic oils and serums make use of glass droppers. However in the chemistry lab, scientists often also use reusable plastic droppers as well. My question was that, ...
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How can I make sure my oil do not contain salt
Vacuuming slightly wet wood with my vacuum pump resulted in making a mayonnaise with my pump oil - which turned out surprisingly stable. I mixed salt saturated water with it in order to break the ...
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what off the shelf chemicals break the factory adhesive bonding paper gaskets to a steel plate in an automatic transmission? [closed]
The adhesive chemical is unknown. This part is constantly exposed to temperatures from -20F to 300F, and is submerged is transmission fluid. The exact steel that the gaskets are bonded to is unkown, ...
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I left scented candles in a polypropylene container. How do I remove the smell?
I left scented candles in a polypropylene container, for many weeks.
How do I remove the smell?
I've tried:
Hand wash with Dish Soap (a few times)
Hand wipe with Isopropyl Alcohol (a few times)
...
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Could an airborne swarm of small insects explode? [closed]
I know that fine-grained organic matter such as flour or pollen can be quite explosive if ignited. It also seems logical to me that the explosiveness of such an organic powder is determined by many ...
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Is there not a strict definition of what naphtha vs petrol represent?
If you search for information about fractional distillation of petroleum, many sources place petrol above naphtha, while others do the reverse.
Is there not a strict definition of what these compounds ...
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Removing carbon matter from molten beeswax
In my candle manufacturing process, I melt down used candle stubs, filter the molten wax (heated to ~ $\pu{75^\circ C}$) and use this to create new candles (in addition to fresh beeswax). I'm ...
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About whitish layer that formed on chocolate bar
I noticed a whitish layer on the surface of a chocolate bar that I ate yesterday. I looked at the pack where it was mentioned that,
"Temperature and humidity changes may cause product to develop ...
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How did Sinclair Oil put "liquid nickel" into gasoline, and what were the chemical mechanism(s) by which it was supposed to reduce engine wear?
The April 22, 2022 Veritasium video The Man Who Accidentally Killed The Most People In History is worth a watch, and was the basis for the question Why would tellurium + sodium hydroxide have worked ...
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Why doesn't sodium bicarbonate dissolved in water spontaneously effervesce when carbonic acid does?
It's well known that if you put carbonic acid $\ce{H2CO3}$ into water it will dehydrate into carbon dioxide $\ce{CO2}$ and water $\ce{H2O}$. Indeed this is how modern fizzy drinks generate their fizz. ...
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Oxygen bleach discolored white tablecloth
My white polyester tablecloth got stained with red wine. Stains were about the size of a quarter.I proceeded to launder it several hours later. I used Chlorx2 ColorSafe Bleach and as per ...
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Purpose of sulphuric acid in archaic matchboxes
The first attempts at instantaneous matchboxes usually included some sort of oxidizer, usually potassium chlorate and an initiating fuel (first sugar was used then they moved on to $\ce{Sb2S3}$ etc.) ...
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Developing aluminum mirrors, similar to tollens reagent but with Al instead of Ag
Is there a chemical process to deposit an aluminum mirror onto a surface similar to the tollens reagent process for silver? I should add that any liquid process would satisfy my curiosity, it does not ...
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Making Sodium Citrate
I've been trying to make Sodium Citrate and I've seen online people saying just react sodium bicarbonate with citric acid in water (with correct ratios) and boil off/remove water once the reaction has ...
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What liquid mixture has largest negative excess volume?
Math teacher here. I’m trying to teach about types of sets that when you add them together, their sizes don’t add (called non-measurable sets). I came across the chemistry experiment where you mix 50 ...
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How to remove color from bromostyrene/dibromostyrene
Distillation under low heat can remove color (excess bromine) but this is time consuming and there is a danger of bromostyrene polymerization even with added TBC.
In aqueous, sodium thiosulphate can ...
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Mechanism of adhesion of particles on solid surfaces [closed]
What is the mechanism of adhesion of particles on solid surfaces?
How does anything stick to anything, for that matter?
Why does cigarette smoke stay so stubbornly on our bodies?
Why does perfume also ...
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Point group of trimethyl borate $\ce{B(OCH_3)3}$
What's the point group of trimethyl borate $\ce{B(OCH_3)3}$.
The answer that my teacher gave is $D_{3h}$ but I'm struggling to see the n perpendicular $C_2$ axes and the horizontal plane of reflection....
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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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