Unanswered Questions
229 questions with no upvoted or accepted answers
8
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Why does a sealed plastic bag of dish soap, water and air expand when shaken?
I've noticed that when I put dish soap, water and a little air into a sealed plastic bag, and then shake the mixture, it forms soap suds and the bag expands significantly in volume. Why does it expand?...
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8
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0
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295
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DIY hand sanitiser solution forms spongy substance
I am trying to make my own hand sanitiser since it’s sold out everywhere. The formula I use is 1 part aloe vera gel in 2 parts 100% isopropyl alcohol. The problem is when mixing the two, the solution ...
- 261
8
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0
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1k
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Sugar burning with the assistance of ash
If a plain pile of sugar (or a sugar cube) is heated with a torch, it just melts and gives off smoke. However, if some paper or wood ashes are added, it burns quite easily. What are the ingredients of ...
- 1,528
8
votes
1
answer
8k
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Storing alcohol in a thermos bottle
My thermos bottle's instructions say:
Füllen Sie keine kohlensäurehaltigen Flüssigkeiten oder Trockeneis in das Produkt. Füllen Sie keine alkoholischen oder öligen Flüssigkeiten in das Produkt.
...
- 1,528
7
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About Smoke Grenades and Sugar Rockets
The most common formula for smoke grenades and sugar rocket fuel is $60\%\ \ce{KNO3}$ (potassium nitrate) and $40\%\ \ce{C12H22O11}$ (sugar). This is a 3:2 ratio, but I've also seen 2:1 and 5:3 with ...
6
votes
0
answers
209
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Are all humectants sticky?
While using a topical lotion based on ethanol, water and propylene glycol, I noticed that it becomes sticky while drying. Propylene glycol is a humectant and is used for this purpose in ...
- 519
6
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How to dissolve slime jelly?
Suppose I have a small kid that had two cans of slime jelly (a Jelly made of water, glycerin, thickeners, dispersant, flavorings and pigments).
And that two cans were inside a backpack, and somehow ...
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6
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How to dissolve a strong resin in difficult situation?
The resin is made up from two components:
Component A: silicic acid, sodium salt (less than 10% sodium silicate)
Component B: Diphenylmethane-4,4'-Diisocyanate, isomers and homologs (MDI,Polymer-MDI)...
5
votes
0
answers
115
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How much oxygen is used up by the browning of an apple?
This is inspired by a recent popular question on Cooking.
Let's assume that I take some apples, cut them up, and place them in a hermetically sealed container. Then the container goes into the fridge. ...
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5
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0
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647
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Is there an adhesive that is not dissolved by acetone?
I am trying to glue glass sheets together to make a sealed 13" x 13" x 13" box. Inside this box there would be acetone gas used to melt 3D printed parts to make them more durable. Acetone will remove ...
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5
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Reaction of Rubidium with vacuum system viewport
I have a vacuum system ($<1\times10^{-7}$ mbar) filled with Rubidium ($^{87}$Rb) vapour, at room temperature.
We also have a viewport near the Rubidium source, made of a stainless steel flange ...
- 269
5
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235
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What makes "Color-Safe Bleach" color safe?
The ability of bleach ($\ce{NaOCl}$) to change the color of garments and introduce "bleach stains" is a well-known issue. In this question:
Does bleach turn a substance white or colorless?, the ...
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4
votes
0
answers
75
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Why do vessels get a better shine when tea-leaves are soaked overnight in it before washing?
The other day I dumped consumed tea leaves into a brass utensil because I needed the tea-pan urgently. The vessel with the tea leaves didn't get around for cleaning until the next day. Ergo, the tea ...
- 38.4k
4
votes
0
answers
2k
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Can hydrogen peroxide dissolve rust?
WD-40's "help page" on "How To Loosen Rusty Bolts, Screws And Nuts" states:
Hydrogen peroxide can dissolve rust. Applying hydrogen peroxide to the
fasteners and letting it sit is ...
- 44.3k
4
votes
0
answers
71
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Why wouldn't a standard addition fluorometric method return the same starting concentration of a solution used to make the standards?
I am trying out a new standard addition method and having some very basic problems. I am hoping someone could point me in the right direction.
I am using a fluorometric method to quantify ammonium in ...
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