Acetic Acid

 When you hear the word 'acid,' you certainly don't think about drinking it.. but what if I told you it was in your cupboard right now? Acetic Acid is the chemical that is used in low concentrations to make vinegar! Vinegar, as you probably know it, is a condiment that finds its way in salads, on fries and even in cleaning products. How can this chemical be used in so many different ways? 

Well, since it's an acid, it has disinfectant and antimicrobial properties which is why it's used in many cleaning products, and the acidity is also what gives it its vinegary taste. Acetic acid is also used in glue, paint, fertilizer, soaps, shampoo and conditioner, and much more. In its original form, acetic acid is a colourless liquid with a very strong smell. It can be irritating on the eyes, skin and lungs, but only in high industrial concentrations. The stuff you have in your house is essentially harmless. Production of acetic acid consists of a chemical reaction called methanol carbonylation. That may sound complicated, but it's really just mixing a couple chemicals together to give us the chemical we want. 

One final reminder, just because we can consume acetic acid does not mean you can go around eating all the acids and cleaners you can find. We're very lucky that this one is tasty and harm-free in low concentrations, but that is not always the case. 

Docusate Sodium and How it gets rid of Stains!

     Just like in the label of Goo Gone products, Docusate sodium works to soften up grime and clean up the crime! What is docusate sodium you ask? It is an anion salt, which means that it is a negatively charged chemical, and what that does is that it would be attracted to positive substances. With that attraction, it would pick up the solids and break apart the stains and whatever you use it on! Now a brief history about how it was discovered and what were the uses that people discovered docusate sodium could be used for! The chemical was first patented in 1937 by Coleman R. Caryl and Alphons O. Jaeger for a company called American Cyanamid. With this patent, they became able to commercialize it into a detergent called Aerosol OT. Later on, two people by the name of James L. Wilson and David G. Dickinson realized it can be used as a treatment for people who had trouble using the washroom. 

    Today, this chemical is used in household products like febreeze and stain removers for wood and glue removers like Goo gone. There are also common health warnings on docusate sodium like it is not recommended to be used for young children, and it could cause stomach pains if used in excess. Lastly, there are some concerns from scientists with the use of this product like for example, that Docusate sodium doesn't actually help you with going to the washroom, but instead is more like a false boost of confidence for you to go yourself, this is called a placebo. Another concern from scientists is that some people use this chemical to lose weight quickly and scientists heavily do not recommend you do this as it may be harmful to your health without helping you lose weight effectively and safely.

Questions for exam:

1. What is Docusate sodium's main useful property?

2. When was Docusate sodium 1st used?

3.  Should you use Docusate sodium to lose weight?

Petroleum and how it is important to you!

     Petroleum is so common in our day to day lives that it can almost go unnoticed where petroleum may pop up. Some products that contain petroleum are Chewing gum, clothing, dentures, hand cream, lipsticks, toothpaste and so much more even the aspirin you take when you have a headache comes from petroleum. Petroleum is deadly in low concentrations with it only taking 50 grams to kill 50% of a population if ingested in its pure form. All these products are made with a safe amount of petroleum but it is weird why companies decide to use petroleum. For toothpaste and mouthwashes petroleum is used in these products to give it that minty fresh taste that attracts people to the brand. 

    However petroleum will do anything but make you feel minty fresh it is quite harmful for anyone ingesting it and will be deadly. Some side effects of drinking petroleum will include cancer, respiratory issues as well as problems with your brain function. Petroleum is safe to the touch however and is quite crucial when it comes to things like gasolines and cars or even planes. Petroleum has a low ignition point meaning it is really easy to catch on fire and when it is on fire the petroleum converts itself completely into vapor allowing for petroleum weight to disappear. The loss of weight from petroleum is vital for operations where weight it a critical part of the equation the biggest example being a space ship. Allowing the weight of the fuel to be burned off allows the spaceship to become lighter giving the astronauts inside the best chance to make it to the moon and beyond! Petroleum is finite however but knowing how petroleum works gives us the best chance to find substitutions for this miracle liquid.

Questions on SLS -Ashton Skrlik

 What type of surfactant is Sodium Lauryl Sulfate?

How does Sodium Lauryl Sulfate work?

What is the conspiracy around Sodium Lauryl Sulfate? 

Sammy SLS -Ashton Skrlik

Have you ever seen that adorable commercial where the cute little ducks are pulled out of an oil spill and cleaned with Dawn Soap? If you haven't, I recommend it. If you have seen it, have you ever wondered how Dawn cleans the precious ducklings? Well, let me let you in on the secret, it's Sodium Lauryl Sulfate; or SLS for short. This molecule is used in soaps and detergent to suck up and trap dirt. SLS looks like a balloon except that the string is carbons and the balloon is a sulfate with 4 oxygens. When there are a lot of SLS molecules they create a ball where balloons make up the outside with the strings on the inside. The ball then sucks in the dirt and traps it there.

At this point you're probably thinking, give this molecule a movie! It fights bacteria, dirt and germs! I can see it now... A microscopic metropolis in peril! A new gang has showed up reeking havoc on the sterile city. Dirt. Grease. Germs. Who will save them?? A rag tag group of SLS's must ball together to round up the gang and save the city. Sounds like a new Osmosis Jones if you ask me!

Now, this molecule is not without its challenges, it can dry out your skin, it can make your skin irritated and itchy. But, is it probably worth it? I'd say so. Any cleansing or cleaning product you use might irritate your skin, but most likely that can be solved with lotion, or maybe you can treat yourself with a hand mask. 

Methyl Anthranilate - Timothy Pulfer

 Methyl anthranilate may just be your favorite chemical that you didn't even know existed. This compound is an ester, these are chemical compounds with specific structures which give them some amazing properties. Unlike other chemical compounds such as acids, esters usually have a pleasant odor that they give off. Methyl anthranilate happens to be one of the esters that gives off a grape smell. The reason I mentioned that this may just be your favorite chemical that you don't know about is because it is a key ingredient in artificial grape flavoring. Artificial grape flavoring found in candy, medicine and drinks like Kool Aid is a divisive topic. Some people absolutely love this taste while others say it tastes like bad medicine from their childhood.

Fortunately for the grape candy lovers, this compound is non toxic and it would take a large amount of it to cause damage to the average person. However, it may affect some ocean dwelling animals, so think twice before pouring your grape Kool Aid in a pond. Beyond candy and Kool Aid, methyl anthranilate can be used as a bird repellent for crops and flowers. Since this compound is non toxic to humans and pets, it makes for an excellent alternative to more dangerous repellents.

The production of methyl anthranilate is relatively quite simple, and is commonplace in high school laboratories. However, the production of this compound does require a small amount of sulfuric acid, which is very dangerous and needs to be handled with extreme care. But other than this acid, the reaction requires only common chemicals such as methanol, sodium chloride and sodium bicarbonate. It is important to note that the pure form of the compound is labeled as an irritant, meaning that it should not be exposed to skin or the eyes.

Test Blog Post

 This is a test blog post. Here is a picture of my cat doing chemistry:

Lovallo, C.C. (Photographer). (2013). Amina with Beaker Mug [photograph]. Calgary, Canada. 


Answer the following question as Practice Assignment #3 (on Google Classroom):

What is 1+1+1x0?