ask a chemist

  • Science

    #AskAChemist: Is a NFL QB’s fancy water just BS?

    In this episode of Ask A Chemist… https://twitter.com/artologica/status/636660266327912448 “Help him with what?,” you might be asking… I believe @Recovery_Water helped prevent me from getting a concussion based on a bad hit! ? #NanoBubbles — Russell Wilson (@DangeRussWilson) August 26, 2015 As you may imagine, Russell Wilson’s assertion (and subsequent clarification) that Recovery Water helped prevent a concussion was treated with… ummmm……

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  • Featured

    #AskAChemist: Turn distill for what?

    In this episode of #AskAChemist, I answer a question for mammalogist and field biologist @DNLee. She works with pouched rats and, very shortly, a fog machine. The not-so-secret recipe Dr. Lee’s fog machine uses to generate fog requires distilled water. “Why can’t I just use tap water? It’ll work in the recipe the same,” said Dr. Lee. Water is water, right?…

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  • Science

    #AskAchemist: Poison. Not the band. Or the Bell Biv DeVoe song.

    In this installment of #AskAchemist, we’ll be talking about a favorite of mine… No, not Idris Elba. @DrRubidium What is a poison? How is it defined by chemists? #AskAChemist — Will Robertson (@anthrowill) April 9, 2015 Poisons! I love talking about poisons. Not because I’m some sort of supervillain, but because poisons highlight the complexity of chemistry. And biology. And…

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  • Science

    #AskAChemist: Bear snake shark edition!

    _________ Have a chemistry question? Ask a chemist! _________ featured image made by the author using PowerPoint

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  • Science

    #AskAChemist: How natural is Astroglide Natural Liquid?

    This week on Ask A Chemist, an anonymous inquiring mind asked, “what makes Astroglide’s Natural Liquid ‘natural’?” Well, that’s a short one. Of course not! Allow me to wax chemical… let’s start at Astroglide Natural Liquid website… So… what makes this Astroglide product ‘natural’ is what it doesn’t contain and that it does contain some plant extracts? Okay. Let’s get…

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  • Science

    #AskAChemist: What’s the deal with fabric dyes?

    This week on Ask A Chemist… @skepchicks @DrRubidium Why is wool dyed in acid, but cotton dyed in base? #AskAChemist — Robert Coolman (@PrimeViridian) January 14, 2015 Short answer: Longer answer: Wool fibers are basically bundles of protein, specifically the protein alpha-keratin. All proteins are polymers of amino acids, have the general structure shown below. Protein fibers like wool respond really well to…

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  • Science

    #AskAChemist: Does a rose by any other name smell as sweet?

    Want to know more about the chemicals that make the Damask Rose (Rosa damascena) smelly? Check out this great post from @PictureItChem, from the University of Bristol’s School of Chemistry. _________ Have a chemistry question? Ask a chemist! _________ featured image made by the author using PowerPoint  

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  • Anti-Science

    #AskAChemist: What’s making up my make-up?

    This week on Ask A Chemist… I recently purchased bareMinerals’ liquid foundation ‘BARESKIN’ at Sephora. The package insert says it’s “formulated without” water, oil, or silicone. What the hell is in this stuff that makes it a liquid foundation? My first answer to the friend that sent me this text was “unicorn tears”. This is a bad answer for two…

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