Chemistry

See Answer What is fire made of?
See Answer What would happen to a substance if you brought it to absolute zero?
See Answer What is absolute zero?
See Answer Which type of ice is harder and makes liquids cold faster -- that from a freezer, or from a gas station or mini-mart?
See Answer What is dry ice?
See Answer What is H3O (hydronium ion)? What is it used for? What does it taste like? Where can I get it?
See Answer How was radiation discovered, and why is it so dangerous?
See Answer What is the most radioactive substance? (radioactivity)
See Answer How does an atom bomb work?
See Answer What makes things radioactive? (radiation)
See Answer What is cyclohexane?
See Answer How many hydrocarbons molecules are in a benzene ring?
See Answer How many carbon atoms are in a benzene ring?
See Answer How many double bonds in a benzene ring?
See Answer Which will freeze faster, hot water or cold water? (water, freezing)
See Answer Is H2O hard to make? If so, why is water hard to come by in some countries? (water, making)
See Answer Why is it important to be able to separate water? The project comes from the Nicholson/Carliasle experiment where, by using a battery hooked up with wire to metal rods in water, they found that gas bubbles would be released. This led, apparently, to electroplating. Why did they think to try this and for what were they looking? Is there anything else you can tell us? (water separation)
See Answer Explain the process of water purification step by step.
See Answer Since the elements of water are H2O is it possible to make a filter that is able to filter out the H2 part and only leave the oxygen part, so that we could breathe under water? If it is possible, can you send me the formula to make such a filter? (H2O filter)
See Answer Why do you get a ring when you put a glass of water on a table? (condensation)
See Answer What happens to the boiling point of water when it is mixed with antifreeze?
See Answer When you get out of the tub, why do you sometimes see steam coming from your body?
See Answer Does putting salt in water speed up or slow down the boiling process? (water, salt, boiling)
See Answer Does an octane booster really speed up hydrocarbon combustion?
See Answer Why is ignition quality important?
See Answer Why is hydrogen the first element?
See Answer What is the most dense substance in the world?
See Answer What is the strongest metal known to man?
See Answer Why is radon dangerous?
See Answer How can you separate sand, sugar, and fish gravel, using only water? (separation of mixtures)
See Answer What chemicals do you use to make a genie in a bottle? (dry ice)
See Answer What is ink made of?
See Answer What does chlorine do in the swimming pool?
See Answer Why do things that are so cold, like liquid nitrogen, feel hot on your skin?
See Answer Why doesn't an acid melt through its storage container?
See Answer What would happen if I swallowed acid?
See Answer What is the preservative in the Hostess Twinkie? Is it true that ingesting large amounts of it (and I don't mean eating more twinkies) would make our internal organs last longer?
See Answer Where does metal come from?
See Answer How did they figure out that certain metals put together make different metals?
See Answer How do you determine what percent of gold is in 14K and 10K chains, bracelets, and rings?
See Answer Why do gasoline and kerosene burn? (combustion)
See Answer What is the balanced chemical equation for the reaction in which sodium azide in a vehicle air bag decomposes to inflate the bag?
See Answer How does volume work?
See Answer Yellow Dye #5 -- What is it?
See Answer How do you make liquids?
See Answer Our project deals with hot and cold and the chemical reaction, such as when kernels of popcorn are placed in the freezer vs. those kernels at room temp. Which will pop faster? That is our question in the experiment. Can you comment on the "why" of this?
See Answer What is the strongest metal?
See Answer Who made the first synthetic diamond?
See Answer Why are pyridine and nicotine toxic?
See Answer Why is curare toxic?
See Answer What is Arsenic?
See Answer What is the primary ingredient of Fire Ant toxin?
See Answer My question is about radiation as a mutagen - how does it "poison" or mutate the cell?
See Answer Why is carbon monoxide so dangerous to humans?
See Answer For a school project, I am supposed to find out if it is possible to make solid oxygen, if so, could you tell me a little about it's temperature and the pressure it takes to make it?
See Answer If oxygen is released in space, what will it look like? Will it bubble like under water? Will it be visible at all?
See Answer I was explaining to some elementary school children that burning was combining with oxygen and also that rusting was combining with oxygen. This led us to wondering two things: If we pour some iron filings into water and they rust will: 1) The water temperature go up? AND 2) Hydrogen be released? (On the assumption that the oxygen came from the water.) If these effects are measurable then they might make a nice science project/demo.
See Answer My fifth grade daughter is learning about chemistry, and asked me are there any circumstances in which oxygen could bond to 3 hydrogen atoms to create H30. If it is possible for this to happen, she wants to write about it for the Science Fair.
See Answer If potassium is mixed with water, would there be a reaction? If so, what would the reaction be and why?
See Answer Is it possible to change smoke into a solid?
See Answer I am curious as to what the mechanism is, that accounts for the fading of some colors in sunlight. For that matter, what accounts for some colors to be reflected, and others to be absorbed.With the above in mind, how is it possible, that some materials or dyes are far more resistant to fading.
See Answer Interested in new ideas on the kinetic mechanism of crystal growth and dissolution of inorganic minerals i.e. calcium carbonate , barium sulfate, silica etc. and where such advances can be applied to new and improved commercial products.
See Answer I've read that brewed tea tastes better if you use cold water that was heated just short of boiling. The theory is that if you boil it, the oxygen will be somehow bubbled out. QUESTION? If the chemical formula for water is H2O, do you end up with a cup of "H" ? What oxygen is boiling out? Where does the oxygen come from to boil out? Subquestion: they recommend cold water to avoid using the water that has been sitting in the water heater "losing oxygen." Again, would you kindly explain the process? Second subquestion: I know that if the surface area of an aquarium is not large enough with respect to the size of the tank, you must use an air pump to add oxygen to the water. Does the chemical formula change? Is there "oxygenated water?" I don't imagine it's "heavy water," so what is it?

Ask a Scientist Ask a Scientist    Just For Kids Just For Kids    NSTW Home Page NTSW Home Page    NSF Home Page NSF Home Page