The science of matter and the changes it can undergo.
Questions tagged [chemistry]
151 questions
22
votes
2 answers
Is an ice-cream tub made of a single molecule?
Background
In my answer to another question, I repeated a claim made to my class by my high school chemistry teacher. I didn't reference it, because the relevant FAQ suggests high school science can generally be assumed. However, the claim was, to…
Oddthinking
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Would drinking a glass of glyphosate be harmful
In an interview Dr. Patrick Moore claimed that:
You can drink a whole quart of it and it won’t hurt you.
He then declined the offer to drink a glass of the herbicide to prove his claim, saying:
No. I’m not stupid
Given the fact that Roundup…
user
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21
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1 answer
Do harmful chemicals migrate from the container into the food if you microwave the food in a plastic container?
In a comment to the best answer to question 582, Muhd writes: "I would add that it is also unhealthy if you microwave in something that is not microwave safe as toxic chemicals could migrate into the food from the container (e.g. from most…
Henry
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21
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3 answers
Man using "water as fuel" for a welding machine? (H₂O → "HHO")?
I saw a while back a YouTube video that appears to show a news report of a man who patented technology to turn water into "HHO".
The video makes some big claims — 161 km (100 mi.) on 0.1 L (4 oz.) of gas, developing water-powered Hummers, something…
SeanKilleen
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21
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2 answers
Is water calcification bad for your health?
I have a friend, who adamantly believes that water calcification causes a number of problems, including poor health. He also said it made the water taste disgusting. He had recently installed a demagnetiser (or whatever it is - some kind of quack…
Thomas O
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21
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2 answers
Has carbon dating indicated that live humans are 4000 years old?
A friend of mine told my wife that carbon dating is unreliable because it has been performed on live humans and indicated that the test subject(s) are 4000 years old.
Is there any truth to this claim? I'm having a hard time finding anything about…
Big McLargeHuge
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20
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Is Cesium-137 detectable in all wine bottled after the 1940's?
In the White Collar TV Episode Bottlenecked it was claimed that a test of all vintage wines bottled before the ABomb would not contain any Cesium-137 but wine bottled in the years since all contain detectable amounts of Cesium-137.
A search shows…
Chad
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20
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Is the Coca-Cola recipe a secret?
Is the Coca-Cola recipe a secret?
I would like to draw attention to the distinction between a recipe and composition:
Composition: a list of all ingredients, including quantity/proportion.
Recipe: a list of steps one can take to create the final…
RomanSt
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20
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1 answer
Do airplanes release biological or chemical agents, forming trails?
Since the topic of the week is conspiracy theories, here's one that I've had re-iterated at me a few times. Supposedly these white stripes after airplanes is created by airplanes releasing biological or chemical agents on a global scale for various…
Kit Sunde
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20
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1 answer
Can table salt damage a dishwasher?
The manual for my dishwasher as well as the warning sign on a box of dishwasher salt says that you should never load food salt into the water softener because it will damage the ion exchanger.
Given that table crystal salt (with no iodine and/or…
Quassnoi
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19
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Is Roundup weed killer carcinogenic?
Monsanto have been found liable for the terminal cancer of a former groundskeeper exposed to glyphosate and other chemicals in their Roundup herbicidal product.
On Friday, a California jury hit Monsanto with $289 million in damages in a lawsuit…
GordonM
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19
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2 answers
Can eating rhubarb kill you?
I've heard that rhubarb leaves are poisonous, and that you can even die from rhubarb poisoning. Is that true?
brian
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19
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1 answer
Will fluoride and chlorine dissipate from tap water left to sit overnight?
One common recommendation for watering house plants with tap water is to allow the water to sit overnight before watering, so that the fluorine and chlorine that are commonly added to tap water (which can be harmful to certain plants) will…
Matt
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Does lemon juice slow the oxidation of guacamole?
It is common belief that adding citrus juice (or in some claims, any acid, including ascorbic acid/vitamin C, vinegar, tomatoes, etc) to guacamole will reduce browning. Examples of the claim:
Seasoned Advice
You can stop this reaction dead in…
Flimzy
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Is tomato juice useful for removing skunk smell?
It's a common belief that you should use tomato juice to remove the smell after you get sprayed by a skunk. Does it work?
Apreche
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