All Questions
Tagged with everyday-chemistry biochemistry
46 questions
3
votes
0
answers
103
views
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 ...
- 39
0
votes
0
answers
56
views
How to draw delayed picture on the concrete wall?
I have a concrete (stone) vertical wall. I want to put a picture on it.
I have several limitations:
I want to make it in a security, so I want to place something on the wall, that would be ...
-4
votes
1
answer
580
views
How does protein denaturation speed change with temperature? [closed]
So this is something that I had been wondering since middle school. We "roughly" know that protein denaturation occurs above a temperature of 72 degrees Celsius, and is the reason why it is ...
1
vote
0
answers
114
views
Why don't ant bites kill us?
So, methanol is supposed to be toxic even in minute quantities because it is oxidised in our body to methanal and then methanoic acid. This can cause blindness and even death.
Interestingly, ants ...
- 421
-4
votes
1
answer
107
views
How Bread is made with yeast, sugar and luke warm milk? [closed]
Materials and Apparatus:
wheat flour
sugar
dry yeast
glass bowl
covering plate
milk
Procedure:
Lukewarm milk is taken in the glass bowl and sugar is added to it. Then, yeast is added to the same.
...
- 101
16
votes
1
answer
6k
views
Why do green bell peppers become bitter when cooked?
Why do green bell peppers taste sweet raw, but become bitter when cooked (steamed)?
What chemical process is responsible for this? I don't believe the temperatures are high enough for the Maillard ...
- 519
-1
votes
1
answer
171
views
Is selenite (hydrous calcium sulfate) dangerous when you grind it up?
I was wondering about the safety of a specific mineral, Selenite. From my research, I have read that selenite is the crystalline form of gypsum, which is hydrous calcium sulfate. I was wondering if I ...
- 11
31
votes
1
answer
4k
views
Why is heroin a more potent drug than morphine, despite having a similar structure?
The structures of heroin and morphine are quite similar, with heroin being formed by acetylation of morphine:
Why is heroin so much more potent than morphine, when their structures are so similar? ...
- 6,338
0
votes
0
answers
32
views
Calculate amount of enzyme needed for in vitro phosphorylation?
I have 100 micrograms of STAT1 and its molecular weight is 90 kDa. I calculated the number of moles to be 1 nmoles. The specific activity of JAK1 (the kinase) is 110 nmoles of phosphate per minute per ...
- 1
-4
votes
1
answer
75
views
Disinfectant production [closed]
One of my friends says that he made a disinfectant. These are the materials:
83% methanol
isopropyl alcohol
propylene glycol
and the others are: citral, geraniol, linalool, dlimonene, l alpha ...
-1
votes
1
answer
125
views
What ratio of bicarb to sugarcane juice with a pH level of 4.5-5.5 to neutralize pH level? [closed]
I am thinking of adding baking soda to sugarcane juice to eliminate the fruity acid that is present. The pH of sugarcane juice ranges from 4.5-5.5. I wonder how much baking soda should I incorporate ...
1
vote
0
answers
86
views
Cationic Detergent with no odor [closed]
I am looking for a cationic detergent for a project. Unfortunately most ( or all?) cationic detergents are quaternary ammonium that smell like rotten fish or even worse
The product I am working on ...
- 2,141
6
votes
1
answer
285
views
Could muscarine be an antidote to atropine poisoning?
According to Wikipedia,
"Muscarine poisoning is characterized by miosis, blurred vision, increased salivation, excessive sweating, lacrimation, bronchial secretions, bronchoconstriction, ...
0
votes
2
answers
659
views
Is consumption of chlorine, like fluorine, harmful to bones? [closed]
Is consumption of chlorine harmful to bones ?
I know fluorine consumed with water can cause fluorosis to bones and joints.
Can chlorine, a similar halogen like fluorine, also cause damage to bones ...
- 17
13
votes
1
answer
429
views
What are the chemical process responsible for the warping of wood?
Background:
According to this Wikipedia article:
Wood warping costs the wood industry in the U.S. millions of dollars per year. Straight wood boards that leave a cutting facility sometimes ...
- 17.7k
0
votes
1
answer
3k
views
Making artificial sweat
I'm currently working on a chemistry investigation wherein I need to dilute a compound with artificial sweat. I have looked at various forums, including this, which gave answers, but is very outdated.
...
- 31
0
votes
0
answers
85
views
Where does the water in an egg go on boiling? [duplicate]
Our textbook says that boiling an egg causes coagulation and denaturation of the proteins present in it. Where does the water in it disappear?
- 953
0
votes
2
answers
10k
views
Lugol's iodine 5 % aqueous solution
There is Lugol's 5 % solution with 5 g of pure iodine and 7.5 g of potassium iodide.
In one ml there should be 12.5 mg of iodine in sum.
But there are suggestions telling that two drops of this ...
- 103
31
votes
4
answers
10k
views
Why is the Vitamin B complex, a "complex"?
I often come across the term "Vitamin B Complex" in my biology classes and innumerable times on the back of multivitamin packets, but what does the term "complex" here, even mean?
I'm still in high-...
- 18.8k
2
votes
1
answer
2k
views
How does boiling water extract dyes from vegetables?
Why does boiling water always seem to release and become the colors of whatever vegetables I am boiling?
For example, beet root and red cabbage both vividly color hot water.
I'd assume it's ...
user30492
0
votes
1
answer
117
views
Coconut oil vs Olive oil: Spray dynamics
Ps: If this would better fit Physics then please move it there or let me know. I put it here based on fact that viscosity and colloids were part of chemistry curriculum 10/15 yrs back in school.
Let'...
- 123
1
vote
0
answers
61
views
Does Beta-ionone posses the same anti-ageing properties as Retinoids if applied topically to the skin?
I read a scholarly article on oxidisation and collagen structure in the dermis and they mentioned the use of Retinoids topically. so I looked into retinoids (admittedly on Wikipedia) for an overview (...
- 11
36
votes
4
answers
18k
views
Effect of drinking ultra-pure water
What would be the effect if someone were to drink ultra-pure water with an electrical resistivity of $18 \, \mathrm{M} \Omega \! \cdot \! \text{cm}$?
Would they immediately die? Would they just ...
- 403
2
votes
1
answer
333
views
Water in the ultrasonication bath
Why something jelly forms in the water if it is kept in in a ultrasonication bath for long periods?
When water is exposed to ultrasonication for say a month, some jelly substances form in the ...
- 91
2
votes
1
answer
228
views
Do sugar alcohols have the potential to get a person drunk?
From what I understand is ingesting high amounts of sugar alcohols can lead to various effects such as abdominal pain and diarrhea, my question is, is there a certain amount of sugar alcohol if ...
- 21
4
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Which chemical reactions occur between my tongue and the food I eat?
There are various chemical reactions that can occur between materials.
Which chemical reactions occur with the tongue?
How come all reactions are reversible (nothing sticks to my tongue)?
What's ...
- 4,285
12
votes
1
answer
252
views
Is Acrylamide carcinogenic? Why?
Recently concerned with health effects by common chemicals existent in food I've been rather busy reading article after article; and just an interesting one came around:
Acrylamide (or acrylic ...
- 10.8k
3
votes
1
answer
6k
views
What compounds exist in the bitter peel of specific fruits?
Actually, my original question was: What makes a pith of pomegranate so bitter?
Then I decided to be more generic. You'll hardly find someone that consumes pomegranate and doesn't nag about the bitter ...
- 10.8k
1
vote
1
answer
163
views
Aspartame poisoning: Can it modify aminoacids?
I just accidentally closed a webpage (and did not find it later) which described that somehow, Aspartame poisoning victims had faults in the vital proteins of their body due to the reaction of ...
- 10.8k
33
votes
4
answers
14k
views
Why is methanol toxic?
There are two points of view for the answer of this question:
The biological view, the only one that I faced during my research, states that since it can trigger perilous conditions like metabolic ...
- 10.8k
1
vote
0
answers
167
views
Grapefruit and sugar gelatin like substance
More or less I am trying to figure out how this reaction occurred, so I can reproduce it.
On a plate I had an excess amount of sugar with a fair amount of grapefruit juice which was stuck to the ...
5
votes
1
answer
1k
views
Sodium benzoate in soft drinks reacting to produce benzene?
Regarding chemical synergies, I read: if someone ingests various products containing sodium benzoate (for example soft drinks that exist) AND if one has had some quantity of vitamin C there might be '...
- 371
16
votes
1
answer
9k
views
What are these crystals on my champagne cork?
I opened up a bottle of champagne that was left in a wine cooler for approx. 8 years. To my astonishment there were small crystals at the underside of the cork.
The crystals are colorless, odorless ...
- 10.9k
1
vote
1
answer
211
views
Psychoactive ingredients in this soap?
Could any ingredients from this product be psychoactive in some people, if the are sensitive to them?
https://www.lush.co.uk/products/honey-i-washed-kids
I have found the product to be relaxing as ...
- 125
26
votes
2
answers
37k
views
Is sodium chloride really odourless? If yes, what do I smell?
I just had to read some general descriptions of sodium chloride and it was always classified as odourless (e.g., by Wikipedia). However, large amounts of table salts (around 1 kg) have a clearly ...
- 509
88
votes
5
answers
111k
views
Does water really 'go bad' after a couple of days?
Among my friends it is a sort of 'common wisdom' that you should throw away water after a couple of days if it was taken from the tap and stored in a bottle outside the fridge, because it has 'gone ...
- 6,750
12
votes
1
answer
2k
views
What molecular features create the sensation of sweetness?
There are many compounds that taste sweet. Many of the artificial ones taste much sweeter than natural sugars (which is why they contribute little to energy intake when use as sweeteners).
A range ...
- 37.8k
12
votes
2
answers
28k
views
At what amount is digesting soap unhealthy?
Several of my friends, when they do the dishes manually, do not rinse the dishes after cleaning but merely dip them in the dishwater and then dry them (using a towel or a dish rack). I myself on the ...
- 10.9k
8
votes
1
answer
13k
views
Why does heat solidify cake batter?
Increased vibration causes the atoms in an object to spread out farther away. Thus, with added heat, and object goes form a solid to a liquid to a gas (and then to plasma, with enough heat). Why is it ...
Hmir
2
votes
1
answer
280
views
Do proteins bind to carbon? If so how?
Can someone explain me whether a protein (like an antibody) would bind to carbon? The carbon arises due to electron beam induced deposition of Polyethylglycol (PEG). The carbon molecules that arise ...
- 21
4
votes
1
answer
412
views
Best way to dissolve and consume cysteine HCl monohydrate powder
Does cysteine break down in filtered water? Should this made more acidic?
If I mix cysteine powder in juice (something acidic maybe), does it remain at cysteine? It seems that it can oxidize into ...
- 165
18
votes
2
answers
1k
views
Why do chalcogens (Group VI) stink so badly?
For more fun with Dr. Derek Lowe, see this for a primer: Things I Won't Work With - Carbon Diselenide. The short of it is that we carbon-based life forms generally like oxygen. However, move just one ...
- 6,734
3
votes
3
answers
13k
views
Homemade preservative for natural aloe-vera gel?
I suppose this question can be extrapolated to food in general, but it is the case that I would like to know if there are any methods that would help me to keep the aloe gel fresh, i.e. avoiding it to ...
- 133
10
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why is tin(II) fluoride more effective in turning apatite into fluorapatite?
In more powerful toothpastes, like Crest Pro-Health, stannous fluoride is used in place of sodium fluoride.
According to Wikipedia:
Stannous fluoride converts the calcium mineral apatite into ...
- 3,005
9
votes
2
answers
15k
views
Why does milk flake?
While drinking milk (or better 'while seeing the milk I'm gonna drink') a question came up to my mind:
Why does the milk sometimes flake, even if not in contact with some other substances?
I guess ...
- 201
8
votes
2
answers
2k
views
Why do lipids in a cell hydrolyze into glycerol and fatty acids?
Most Lipids in a cell have ester bonds (made up of glycerol and fatty acids).
I have learned in my chemistry class that we can hydrolyze an ester by simply adding water to it.
$$\ce{CH3COOCH2CH3 + ...
- 2,768