Monthly Archives: August 2015

Vodka is used for science experiments because it is a relatively inexpensive form of ethanol in water. (photo credit: Andrew Cheal)
I’m commonly asked why many chemistry ‘recipes’ call for vodka or Everclear as opposed to medical-grade ethanol (alcohol). The answer is simple: It’s easy and inexpensive to obtain vodka, while obtaining medical-grade ethanol, even if you have a permit, can be expensive. Aside from the regulations surrounding ethanol, it’s a […]

Why People Use Vodka for Science Experiments

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Periodic Table Chart - Dark Background
New Color Periodic Chart This periodic chart is a colorful addition to the periodic table wallpaper collection. Each element group is represented by a different colored cell containing the element’s atomic number, element symbol, name and atomic mass. The full-sized image is 1920×1080. This makes it perfectly suited to use […]

Color Periodic Chart

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Chemistry Cat
It’s commonly believed that taurine is an amino acid. There are a few reasons for the misconception. The chemical name for taurine is 2-aminoethanesulfonic acid, so it has an amino group and is an acid. Taurine has the “-ine” ending that is common with other amino acids, plus it is […]

Why Taurine Is not an Amino Acid

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Clothes Hanging Out To Dry (schermpeter42)
Have you ever wondered whether washing clothes may make them dirtier rather than cleaner? Here’s an interesting e-mail I received: “I am hoping you may be able to answer a question that seems to have everyone staring into space. It appears we are all focused on what pollutants are in […]

Washing Clothes May Make Them Dirtier

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Apple With Seeds (Böhringer Friedrich)
Apple seeds, cherry pits, and other seeds from the Prunis family contain a natural substance called amygdalin, which can be enzymatically degraded into glucose, benzaldehyde, and hydrogen cyanide. Hydrogen cyanide is toxic. Here’s the first MSDS I found on hydrogen cyanide when I ran a search, which says ingesting less […]

Laetrile, Amygdalin, and Vitamin B17

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Soy Sauce with Wasabi (Melissa Doroquez)
The news services sometimes include unusual stories that relate to chemistry. For example, Snopes collected a series of news reports about the use of potentially carcinogenic soy sauce made using human hair instead of soy beans. I learned that the amino acids in human hair can be used to make a […]

Soy Sauce Made From Human Hair

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