Chemistry (including Biochemistry)/Questions Answered by Expert Dr. Henry Boyter, Jr.
| Subject | Date Asked |
| learn math science | 12/8/2010 |
| Q: i just want to know how i can learn algebra, chemistry, trig, and calc to the point its second ... A: If you are in a class already do the following: 1. Take good notes EVERY day. 2. Copy those notes ... | |
| Kidney Stones | 9/29/2009 |
| Q: -What is the chemical composition of kidney stones? -Can there be any chemical used for breaking ... A: Kidney stones come in several types. http://www.chemistrydaily.com/chemistry/Kidney_Stone There ... | |
| chemistry | 9/19/2009 |
| Q: suppose i wanted to collect and find the mass of gas produced in a chemical reaction. how could i ... A: Here is the best method. With the volume of water displaced, use PV=nRT to get moles and then ... | |
| Molarity | 9/7/2009 |
| Q: How do i determine molarity using ppm? A: There are two methods: 1. At low concentration water solutions (<1000 ppm), ppm is equal to mg/L. ... | |
| analytical techniques | 8/24/2009 |
| Q: is there any reason you can think of as to why HPLC-MS might be more appropriate for testing a ... A: If you have a preparation that is contaminated with metals, you may want to know which component is ... | |
| Bond lengths | 8/15/2009 |
| Q: Henry, This is not a homework question. I already know the answer to it but don't understand the ... A: One way to think about it is this. Look at each one not as a C-Cl bond but as a RC-Cl bond, where R ... | |
| solution percent problem | 7/12/2009 |
| Q: Dr. Boyer, I have tried multiple times to figure out this problem, but I still cannot come up with ... A: Let x be the volume of 18% needed The amount of sulfuric acid in each is x(18) and 360(10) ... | |
| Calcium chloride from water softener | 7/12/2009 |
| Q: I understand that calcium chloride is discharged from a ion exchange water softener. Instead of ... A: It is possible, but the problem is getting it down to a useable level. If my calculation is ... | |
| Bleach and urine reaction | 7/10/2009 |
| Q: Is it advisable to use a small amount of bleach in the toilet bowl to save on water usage? Say 1/2 ... A: Bleach should never be mixed with urine or any other nitrogen species (this include ammonia or ... | |
| car battery mishap | 6/23/2009 |
| Q: We accidently ran over a car battery with a "bush-hog"...no one was hurt...the battery and fluids ... A: Is it contained or on the ground? If on the ground, with very heavy rubber gloves pick up the ... | |
| Biochemistry | 3/23/2009 |
| Q: why a man come to the surface of the water after death A: A body in the water starts to sink as soon as the air in its lungs is replaced with water. Once ... | |
| Isomers | 12/6/2008 |
| Q: What is the reason that Isomers differ in chemical properties yet they have the same composition? Is ... A: You can make isomers that are different in isotopes, but that is done intentionally and is very ... | |
| Reduction potentials | 11/29/2008 |
| Q: Can you explain what reduction potentials are? Specifically, how do they relate whether a reaction ... A: Let's take a look at some. They are representatives of how atoms and molecules lose or gain ... | |
| Does the expansion of solvent dilute the solute concentration (i.e. by gentle heating)? | 11/24/2008 |
| Q: I work in a lab and am wondering if you could help me. I am making a 1 mg/mL standard that is not ... A: A couple of things you have left out. Is the solute volatile? If so you can not heat the solvent ... | |
| hydrocarbon | 11/23/2008 |
| Q: i was studyiung hydro-carbon chapter and when i reached nomenclature part ,,,i reached naming ethene ... A: The structure you drew is just 2-butene. Just like butane, the hydrogens are understood and not ... | |
| Moth balls and dog urine | 10/17/2008 |
| Q: I have a opossum living under my deck. I normally put moth balls out to rid them from under there. I ... A: My only concern would be urine on the deck will remove the sealant on the deck and cause places ... | |
| Titration Equation | 9/20/2008 |
| Q: I have always thought the titration equation is M1V1=M2V2, however, a question I recently answered ... A: First M1V1 = M2V2 is really the dilution equation for making solutions. It can also be used for ... | |
| Hydrogen | 9/6/2008 |
| Q: When you boil water you lose Oxygen. Is pure Hydrogen left? Can this water without oxygen be used ... A: When you boil water the oxygen you lose is the oxygen that is dissolved in the water. The water ... | |
| Titration | 8/19/2008 |
| Q: I am studying for the MCAT and I am in fact doing a practice problem but I am not asking you to ... A: Either you copied it funny or it is written funny. The problem is adding 1M HCl to 10 mL of 1 M ... | |
| We are working in small research and need some help | 8/1/2008 |
| Q: Henry Boyter: We are a chemistry teachers group from Syria And we are looking forward for your help ... A: 1. ICP or ICP-MS. Less desirable would be AA. 2. Would need more info. 3. See the references for ... | |
| Structure of Fe2O3 | 7/24/2008 |
| Q: I am teaching my 6-year-old some basics on the periodic table and how atoms make up molecules which ... A: It is a little complicated. Fe2O3 is a solid and so it exists in a crystal and the formula is the ... | |
| Initial Existence of Elements | 7/1/2008 |
| Q: Boyter, I took High School Chemistry this year and I've been kicking around a nagging question for ... A: If you call the big bang the beginning, there were very few elements then. ... | |
| Alcohols | 7/1/2008 |
| Q: Sir ! My questions are Islam based: 1. Alcohol used for drinking is necessarily ethyl alcohol or may ... A: All alcohol used for drinking is ethyl alcohol. All others are poisons when consumed. The denat ... | |
| baking soda + detergent or soap | 6/13/2008 |
| Q: Boyter, Just a quick and probably easy question for you: is there anything in soap or commercial ... A: This is one of those, "it depends" answers. If you look at Arm & Hammer's website they recommend ... | |
| Electricity and DNA | 3/5/2008 |
| Q: Since UV is a form of electromagnetism and can damage DNA is this the same with electricity and ... A: They are very different energies. UV is fairly high energy, while radio waves are very low energy. ... | |
| Gas and heat question | 3/3/2008 |
| Q: Boyter, I was tutoring a high schooler in chemistry today; he's covering gas laws and I was ... A: In the hottest part of summer in the tropics, it can feel hotter. The wind temperature has to be ... | |
| bleach and calcium chloride | 1/30/2008 |
| Q: We have a dental office and people are slipping on our floor. Our theory is that calcium chloride we ... A: Although the bleach may make things worse, the slippery nature of the calcium chloride is well ... | |
| Seperating NaCl | 1/25/2008 |
| Q: Hey, I am a high school science student and i was wondering how it would be possible to make ... A: Sodium is made by taking a mixture of NaCl (40%) and calcium chloride, CaCl2 (60%) and melting at ... | |
| chemisrty | 10/9/2007 |
| Q: Why is it on a hot day, Im talkin steamy humid, does salt in the salt shaker clump up. Thank you! A: Salt in its pure form will form a solid block or large clumps naturally. The reason the salt in the ... | |
| Sulphuric acid | 8/2/2007 |
| Q: I'm also an expert here (general cancer-oncology, brain tumors, breast cancer, colon cancer, history ... A: Your problem is going to be the high heat needed. Some sources say 1000C. You can never do that ... | |
| nitric versus nitrous | 7/11/2007 |
| Q: Are these complete synonyms, or is there a difference in meaning, please? Best wishes, Simon A: The naming of the acids goes: HNO3 - nitric acid HNO2 - nitrous acid The naming of the anions ... | |
| bioremediation of copper from distillery waste water | 5/21/2007 |
| Q: I am currently doing a research on Bioremediation of copper from distillery waste water. I have a ... A: If the copper is bound at all, the copper complexes may not form since the bound form will be more ... | |
| bioremediation of copper from distillery waste water | 5/19/2007 |
| Q: I am currently doing a research on Bioremediation of copper from distillery waste water. I have a ... A: In normal water systems, copper will be present as Cu(II) with very little Cu(I) present unless you ... | |
| water treatment | 5/16/2007 |
| Q: i am trying to make a water filter for my school project. I have searched google to find how can i ... A: If tap water, nothing in the kitchen will work. The levels will be so low that special chemcials ... | |
| isopropyl alcohol | 4/29/2007 |
| Q: This is not a homework question. This ia a practical question. I wish to ask a question about ... A: Even if tightly sealed with the original cap, the bottle will not be totally sealed and the contents ... | |
| Iron - Chelate Preparation / Synthesis | 4/1/2007 |
| Q: I use an iron chelate (Either FE-EDTA or FE-HEDTA on some trees that have iron chlorosis around my ... A: It is actually easy to make for a chemist. But there is a problem. The ingredients would cost you ... | |
| symbols for molarity and nomality | 3/12/2007 |
| Q: Boyter, I would like to ask (i) whether the sybmols for molarity and nomality, i.e. M and N, ... A: 1 - Depends on the editor of the writing, but usually not in italics. 2 - Normally no space, but ... | |
| follow on to :would atmosphere invite? | 3/5/2007 |
| Q: A few days back i asked "I heard this in a movie ("The Fantastic Four") and got curious. With a ... A: Let me try this a different way because you are comparing apples to baseballs. 1. Your ... | |
| Molecule of Caesar' breath | 2/25/2007 |
| Q: For decades I've heard that every time you breath in, you breath in a molecule exhaled by Caesar as ... A: It does take a bit of faith and science. The O2 Caesar breathed would be expelled as CO2, converted ... | |
| Predicting nature of electrolytes | 1/10/2007 |
| Q: When i said "nature of the salt" i was referring to the degree of dissociation of the salt.NOT its ... A: The answer is in general, no you can not predict. If you have the salt of a strong base and strong ... | |
| Predicting nature of electrolytes | 1/9/2007 |
| Q: Knowing what kind (i.e. strong or weak)of an acid and base a given salt is made of is it always ... A: Strong acids with strong bases give almost neutral salts. Weak acids with weak bases give salts ... | |
| Fire and water | 1/3/2007 |
| Q: Oxygen gives life to fire and hydrogen is highly flamable. But when the atoms of these two elements ... A: Start with this. The result of burning hydrogen is WATER !! Water is the result of burning ... | |
| Chemical analysis | 12/30/2006 |
| Q: I have read that the chemical analysis can be used to calibrate the instruments like thermometers. ... A: Here is a good reference on how thermometers are calibrated. ... | |
| Derivation Equilibrium constant? | 12/14/2006 |
| Q: The usual derivation of the equilibrium constant expression for a general reaction goes like this, ... A: You are correct and thankfully for teaching first year chemistry, things just work out. There are ... | |
| Electrons | 12/13/2006 |
| Q: What happens to the charge on an atom when it loses an electrons?Why? A: An atom is composed of electrons (negatively charged), protons (positively charged), and neutrons ... | |
| pipet spelling | 12/11/2006 |
| Q: 1) What do you think is correct for the past tense of act of using a pipet? a) I pipetted the ... A: This link should answer your question. ... | |
| consumer bottled water | 12/9/2006 |
| Q: I live in Toronto.I got into my car this morning and I had two half full bottles of water, one ... A: "Spring water" has minerals at low levels such as sodium chloride (salt), sodium carbonate, and ... | |
| hydrates | 11/14/2006 |
| Q: why aren't you able to heat all hydrates? A: I am guessing that you meant to add "to produce anyhydrous salts." at the end of your question. If ... | |
| H2O + and H2O - | 11/1/2006 |
| Q: I think H2O is noncharged compound. But I saw as H2O + (positive charge) and H2O - (negative charge) ... A: I would need to see the context they were used. They would not be stable species. What you will ... | |
| distilled water | 10/31/2006 |
| Q: Is using distilled water over tap water safe for plants? A: It shouldn't make a difference if you fertilize your plants. There will be some trace minerals in ... | |
| Solutions | 10/27/2006 |
| Q: This is not for homework, just something I always wondered: in chemical solutions, what is the ... A: A solution can be made of any liquid with something added to it. The liquid is called the solvent ... | |
| Daughter's school science project | 10/18/2006 |
| Q: My daughter's (9th grade)project involves finding out the lenght of time that it takes for a ... A: She will need a lab. By the time the bacteria are visible, they will have been on the toothbrush ... | |
| Chromium in wetlands | 10/16/2006 |
| Q: I work as an environmental engineer. My question is this: I have been trying to conduct a ... A: 1 cubic decimeter = 1 L Chromium water samples are normally collected in HDPE (high density ... | |
| racial determination | 10/11/2006 |
| Q: What experts should I ask about a question like this? Can a white male determine if he has any ... A: These websites will give you some information on what is done and what the results can tell you and ... | |
| BREAD & MOLD | 10/5/2006 |
| Q: So how does mold start the growth? Is it just a bunch of cells developing into a strong colony? and ... A: Mold spores are present in the air. They land on the bread and start a colony. They can grow from ... | |
| nat gas | 9/22/2006 |
| Q: I don't have a question to really be found in a text book or anything but...natural gas...using a ... A: For a fixed amopunt, it will just disperse through the air until it would be totally mixed and ... | |
| TC/TD | 9/17/2006 |
| Q: I searched Google/Wikipedia and couldn't find the answer. I'm a Freshman in college, class is Chem ... A: Another way to think about it. TC = To Contain = To Store TD = To Deliver = To Transfer A 50 mL ... | |
| Beer's law | 9/13/2006 |
| Q: What are some available methods that could be used to deproteinise serum samples prior to analysis? ... A: Beers law is A=abc, but if you write it out completely it is A (at wavelength lamda) = a (at ... | |
| Newspapers and windows | 8/30/2006 |
| Q: I am a high-school senior from Lexington, KY. Why are newspapers so effective in cleaning ... A: I believe that much of this is an Old Wifes Tale. This started before paper towels, but also one ... | |
| ammonia | 8/18/2006 |
| Q: sir, ammonia forms complex cations like Cu(NH3)4SO4 or cupriammine sulphate the tendency of NH3 to ... A: Ammonia is NH3. N has five valence electrons, so if three interact with the three electrons of the ... | |
| occlusion | 8/18/2006 |
| Q: dr henry, i tried to search on google nut didnt find anything about occlusion. large volumes of ... A: This is a pretty good summary. It is technical, as is the subject. Read this and get back to me ... | |
| Polonium being disposed of in WWTP | 7/6/2006 |
| Q: I am an attorney, and my county is about to dump polonium contaminated water into the effluent ... A: You need to contact your local state EPA and ask about regulations specific to your state. To anwer ... | |
| salt | 6/25/2006 |
| Q: My goal is to separate the trace minerals from the salt to study and analyze them. The sea salt I am ... A: You will just have to check the ingredients. Looking at your list calcium, potassium, sulphur, ... | |
| salt | 6/24/2006 |
| Q: Electrolysis would seem to be preferred method given my limited resources. Can you offer any advice ... A: By my quick calculation, 100 lbs will produce at 100% efficiency maybe 10-75 micrograms of trace ... | |
| salt | 6/23/2006 |
| Q: how do you separate trace elements from salt with the goal of preserving the trace elements? A: You could do it with ion exchange or selective electrolysis. In ion exchange, the trace elements ... | |
| Sublimation | 6/18/2006 |
| Q: I was hoping you could help me with a question - I was wondering if nitrous oxide sublimes, and if ... A: Undr normal pressures and volumes, there is no sublimation. The mp and bp are close, but different ... | |
| Hydrogen chloride and phosphoric acid | 6/16/2006 |
| Q: What do you get if you mix hydrogen chloride with phosphoric acid. Is it dangerous, and if so why. ... A: You don't mention the concentration of the phosphoric acid or the form fo the hydrogen chloride so I ... | |
| Analytical Chemistry: Chemical name | 6/5/2006 |
| Q: I was wondering what the titanium solution would be called after going through the following ... A: The best information I can find is that it is a Ti(IV) oxysulfate complex. None of the references ... | |
| general chemistry | 6/5/2006 |
| Q: how can sulfur have 4 double bonds even though it only 6 valence electrons, ex. H2SO4? A: H2SO4 has no double bonds. It has two types of S-O bonds. These are S-O where the sulfur ... | |
| Sulfar | 5/30/2006 |
| Q: I just went swimming in a sulfar pool, and my silver necklace turned black. I was wondering if ... A: No. You can have it cleaned or clean it yourself, but that surface layer will be lost. If you can ... | |
| Is water a free radical | 5/27/2006 |
| Q: I have searched google before asking you. I hope you can help me. To my knowledge, a free radical is ... A: You can't have "pairs of unpaired electrons". That is a sort of double negative. Water has two ... | |
| antibacterial gels harmful to you? | 5/9/2006 |
| Q: I hope I'm finding you in the best of health. I saw places like Crabtree&Evelyn sell antibacterial ... A: I would need to see the actual ingredient list and instructions to answer you properly. Many of ... | |
| nylon shrunk - how to stretch? | 5/3/2006 |
| Q: I recently washed a mouldy tent covering, made of thick nylon. I put it in a dryer at low heat ... A: It would need to be stretched while warm and/or warm and moist. How you will do it to a tent, I ... | |
| Carbon | 4/30/2006 |
| Q: Wood charcoal,Lamp black etc are the amorphous forms of Carbon but plz make me clear that what is an ... A: The atoms in the solid are not arranged in either a definite pattern or in a pattern that is not the ... | |
| Acid Concentration vs Specific Gravity | 4/28/2006 |
| Q: I work with an phosphoric acid anodize line and I'm trying to find the % concentration of H3PO4 @ ... A: The only accurate way with virgin solutions would be to make standards of known percentage. You do ... | |
| chem | 3/23/2006 |
| Q: what is a example of homogeneous mixture A: Kool-aid in the pack is a solid homogeneous mixture. Kool-aid made up with water is a liquid ... | |
| rates of reactions | 3/20/2006 |
| Q: If I wanted to measure a standard solution of say, 17 mL, would I use a volumetric flask, a beaker, ... A: beaker - never for exact volumes regular pipette and volumetric flask - only to hold the exact ... | |
| Gravimetric Factor | 3/16/2006 |
| Q: I am having trouble understanding how to calculate Gravitmetric Factors. For example: An impure ... A: GF is equal to the MolWt of species 1 divided by MolWt of species 2 (or atomic weights) so one GF ... | |
| can you smoke pills? | 3/13/2006 |
| Q: i was just wondering if smoking legal pills, would have any danguours effect on you, ofcourse it ... A: Like burning any other organic compound, it would produce carbon monoxide, hydrogen cyanide, tar, ... | |
| Bunsen burner/alcohol lamp fuel | 3/1/2006 |
| Q: What is the proper fuel for use in a Bunsen burner/alcohol lamp, and where can one obtain it? I've ... A: The mixture should work in an alcohol lamp. First try it in an open space with only enough in it to ... | |
| Bunsen burner/alcohol lamp fuel | 2/28/2006 |
| Q: What is the proper fuel for use in a Bunsen burner/alcohol lamp, and where can one obtain it? I've ... A: You have mentioned two different types of burners. A bunsen burner is run on propane or natural gas ... | |
| Thermodynamic energy | 2/27/2006 |
| Q: Followup To Question - Hello. I am hoping you can please help me out with this question, since ... A: You still are missing the point. Thermal energy is always a comparative. Ice is only negative when ... | |
| Litmus? | 2/26/2006 |
| Q: I was wondering if there was such a thing as reusable litmus paper. More specifically reusable ... A: You have several things to consider. First, pH paper works by a reaction of the paper with acid ... | |
| Thermodynamic energy | 2/21/2006 |
| Q: I am hoping you can please help me out with this question, since there are no experts on ... A: Cold energy has no meaning. Ice would have negative thermal energy compared to anything greater ... | |
| AgNo3 tested in water samples. | 2/2/2006 |
| Q: I have a little problem dealing with the science fair >< I know it says to not post things about ... A: Silver nitrate is a dangerous chemcial and worse it is very expensive. The only place it might ... | |
| Chemistry | 1/25/2006 |
| Q: My mother has a collection of napkin rings and most are made of silver or silverplate. She recently ... A: You don't describe what you mean by a side. Is it inside/outside, facing a window/not facing a ... | |
| Soultions Stoichiometry | 1/19/2006 |
| Q: I was wondering if at all possible you could show me how to figure out this problem. The question is ... A: As per the instructions, please do not ask me any questions related to schoolwork (of any kind) ... | |
| chemical change | 1/12/2006 |
| Q: Which colored candle would burn the fastest colered or clear? A: I think you mean colorless (no color), not clear (can see through like glass), unless you are ... | |
| structure | 1/7/2006 |
| Q: Hey do you know how 3-Ethylpentane looks like. A: CH3-CH2-CH-CH2-CH3 | CH2 | ... | |
| Caffeine | 1/5/2006 |
| Q: A co-worker told me that one can get all the caffeine out of a tea bag by dunking it in hot water. ... A: First, no tea is truly decaffinated. Commercially, I believe that if there is less than 2.5% of the ... | |
| contaminated land | 12/17/2005 |
| Q: i'm looking to purchase a building plot to build a new home, i've been advised by the seller that ... A: One definition is any organic compound that can become airborne at room temperature. Gasoline, ... | |
| Weight | 12/17/2005 |
| Q: what is the heaviest non-flamable, non-tixic liquid? Answer - THe are no liquids known that are ... A: Pastes and solutions are not liquids. They can have liquid properties, but the term liquid usually ... | |
| SUCROSE | 12/14/2005 |
| Q: Could you maybe explain the reaction for me? I am only a culinary student with minimal understnding ... A: It is not a reaction, it is an interaction. A picture is found here (ignore the text). The reds ... | |
| Ammonia Removal | 12/2/2005 |
| Q: Is there any methods that you are aware of for removal of high ammonia levels from industrial waste ... A: You could probably oxidize it with oxidants such as ozone or peroxide, but economics are a problem. ... | |
| Greetings, What is the difference... | 11/28/2005 |
| Q: Greetings, What is the difference between aroxyl and phenoxyl radicals? Fahad A: The can be the same thing or different depending on the context and who is talking. Aroxyl will be ... | |
| Follow-up on aniline dyes question (thanks!) | 11/27/2005 |
| Q: My hobby or side job is art restoration; there is a problem in art conservation/restoration related ... A: Having the whole picture helps. I would contact the two experts I mentioned. I think it will be a ... | |
| Solubility of methyl violet (aniline dyes) | 11/27/2005 |
| Q: The methyl violets are aniline dyes which consist basically of three aniline molecules conjugated at ... A: There are several questions that you need to answer first. I'm also going to refer you to Charles ... | |
| compound formula | 11/25/2005 |
| Q: What is the correct chemical formula for the compound "sodium aluminum phosphate"? must settle ... A: It is a very complicated compound and there are two forms.The name is very misleading and depends on ... | |
| Acid and Base | 11/23/2005 |
| Q: THIS IS NOT A HOMEWORK QUESTION. I am just wondering what happens when Bromic acid is mixed with ... A: What is the context of the question? Where did it come from? What are the ratios of acid and base? ... | |
| Dear Dr. Boyter I have... | 10/30/2005 |
| Q: Boyter I have a quick question. I'm in a begining level chem class, so I don't know much yet. ... A: Aluminum is like B, it looses three in most cases. You will find the +/-3 rule is a general rule ... | |
| alternative dishwasher detergent | 10/23/2005 |
| Q: You've probably encountered the back-end of this situation in your wastewater management. After ... A: Your substitute will not work as well as the good commercial products, will be rougher on the ... | |
| carbonic acid and pH | 10/19/2005 |
| Q: I am interested in measuring the productivity of the aquatic plant Elodea. The plant absorbs CO2 ... A: It would be tough. You would have to assume that the buffering capacity of the water is always the ... | |
| haze on road/ | 9/28/2005 |
| Q: Dr.Henry, I have a question that has always puzzled me and I can't find an answer. In movies, you ... A: The word in convection of the air. After a rain there may be evaporation of the rain which will ... | |
| Thank you. Could you please... | 9/26/2005 |
| Q: Could you please tell what R stands for? So alcohol ester and talc are common in paints? Wouldn't ... A: The R is just another hydrocarbon/organic group. Look at the examples at the link I gave or do a ... | |
| haze on road/ "steam" from grates? | 9/26/2005 |
| Q: Dr.Henry, I have a question that has always puzzled me and I can't find an answer. In movies, you ... A: 1. In cities, the piping would run in pipe chases located under the sidewalks. Sometimes, lower ... | |
| Thank you. I guess I uderstand... | 9/26/2005 |
| Q: I guess I uderstand what alcohol is but don't understand what alcohol ester is because I do not know ... A: Go to http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ester If you replace R with a alcohol group (HOR-), you get what ... | |
| Could you tell me what alcohol... | 9/26/2005 |
| Q: Could you tell me what alcohol ester is and what role it usually plays in a paint. I have zero VOC ... A: Alcohol ester is a rarely used terminology for a type of solvent similar to alcohols. Non-VOC is a ... | |
| room temperature | 9/21/2005 |
| Q: what is the most accurate way to take room temperature. My mom says to put the thermometer in a ... A: You are both wrong, but mom (as usual) is more correct. Instead of water use a fluid like a light ... | |
| solutions | 9/18/2005 |
| Q: Is the process of dissolving (esp. solid in liquid but also any other combination) best thought of ... A: Well, it is a little complicated. Let's start with this. 1. In a physical change, a substance ... | |
| chemist | 9/13/2005 |
| Q: *Do you enjoy your area of study? *How many years of school did it take for you to become a chemist? ... A: 1. Yes 2. 10 beyond high school and continuous after that. You never stop learning. Note, I also ... | |
| separating water into component elements using a catalyst | 9/6/2005 |
| Q: I am interested in the reaction in which water disassociates into it's component hydrogen and ... A: Not my area either. Try looking up research at http://www.scirus.com/srsapp/. It is going to be ... | |
| Glass Residue | 9/2/2005 |
| Q: Such as when you touch a window or a bottle of soda? The reason for the querry curiosity, I have no ... A: Two situations involving glass with no other finish on it. 1. With regular glass, the residue will ... | |
| electric charge | 8/31/2005 |
| Q: How does an element become charged? For example, a proton has a positive charge. But how does it get ... A: What you are asking is verging on the edge of philosophy instead of science, because whichever ... | |
| Chemical Equation/Reaction | 8/19/2005 |
| Q: In the treatment of drinking Acid Alum (aluminum sulfate) and Sodium Chlorite (25%) are used at ... A: The presence of the acid and aluminum (probably as a catalyst) will create chlorine dioxide which is ... | |
| Odor Elimination | 8/5/2005 |
| Q: if necessary) eliminate odors from the inside of old leather, fabric-lined suitcases? I live in a ... A: Short of replacing the fabric lining, I doubt you are going to get all the odor out. Instead of ... | |
| Water Based Polyurethane | 8/2/2005 |
| Q: Is water based better because there are no solvents an djust VOC in it. Someone was trying to sell ... A: If it has VOCs more than trace amounts it has a solvent. On the other hand, all solvents are not ... | |
| Water Based Polyurethane and Sealer for Hard Wood Floors | 8/2/2005 |
| Q: I wanted to use as safe of a product for my new unfinished hard wood as possible. I was told I need ... A: Things do eventually evaporate. There is absolutely no chemcical that can be called completely ... | |
| Chemistry | 7/17/2005 |
| Q: How To prepare a 300ml of 205 (NH4)2SO4 solution? A: The term "205 (NH4)2SO4 solution" has no meaning. Something is missing. Give the context or ... | |
| carbon dating | 7/11/2005 |
| Q: I read about rock dating. But one doubt is still a mystery to me i.e, if a building was constructed ... A: Carbon dating is done on living things such as wood and usually are related to fireplaces, forges, ... | |
| Parachemicals | 7/6/2005 |
| Q: I tried doing a websearch to find this out for myself, but what is a parachemical, and how is it ... A: Parachemistry is the same as alchemy, just a new name, you know the idea of turning lead into gold ... | |
| natural ion exchange properties of cellulose | 7/3/2005 |
| Q: Henry Boyter, In a peer-reviewed paper one can read :" In the process of converting flax to linen, ... A: Not really. You could study the chemical equilibriums, but they are so dependent on ALL the metals, ... | |
| natural ion exchange properties of cellulose | 7/3/2005 |
| Q: Henry Boyter, In a peer-reviewed paper one can read :" In the process of converting flax to linen, ... A: Several problems: 1. Iron and calcium concentrations are not constant in natural waters. They can ... | |
| Intro to Chemistry | 7/1/2005 |
| Q: Is CCL4, O3, and CO2 carcinogenic? A: Yes, No, No depending on how and who is defining and who is compiling the list. The most cited set ... | |
| I am not a student and this... | 6/29/2005 |
| Q: I am not a student and this is not homework(I am 63y old) I asked this yesterday. How does the pH ... A: In any posts, per the instructions, add why you are asking the question. Helps tell the ... | |
| Chemistry/structure and bonding | 6/22/2005 |
| Q: Why is Hydrochloric (HCl) acid classed as strong acid and Sodium hydroxide strong base? A: In dilute and average water solutions they are near 100% dissociated into their ionic components ... | |
| energy | 6/21/2005 |
| Q: Would you be able to give me an example of how energy gets transferred during a chemical change? ... A: base + acid = water + energy This is true for almost any acid and base cellulose/petroleum + O2 ... | |
| energy | 6/19/2005 |
| Q: Henry Boyter, Jr., I have one more question that I'm hoping you could help me with. Which transfer ... A: Everything has thermal energy, even near absolute zero. If water had no thermal energy, it wouldn't ... | |
| Conductivity Control of water | 6/18/2005 |
| Q: I am working in a gas based power plant, where we require DM water for water injection into Gas ... A: My guess is that your method strips CO2, so that under air storage the CO2 redissolves into the DM ... | |
| bonding | 6/17/2005 |
| Q: Henry Boyter, I hope I'm finding you in the best of health. I have a big test called a regent next ... A: Covalent bonding is within molecules (intra), not between them (inter). Also, it is the combination ... | |
| Talcum powder + cleaning formulas | 6/12/2005 |
| Q: My husband uses talc to reduce chaffing on his legs from his work pants. I feel he uses too much( ... A: For your personal health, only an allergist and MD can answer. Each person is different. If you were ... | |
| Water bubbles/Air pockets | 6/2/2005 |
| Q: Sir, I am jewleller engaged in refining of gold in my small coal kiln. After I do refine gold from ... A: Boil it before you add the nitric. Stirring the nitric may put the air right back in so do it ... | |
| Epsom Salt | 6/1/2005 |
| Q: Boyter Jr., My family and I have long been curios about the making of Epsom Salt. We live in ... A: They may be the same thing (solid versus water solution), but without specific chemical ingredients ... | |
| Hydrogen as a fuel (from water) | 5/24/2005 |
| Q: Not for school (have searched google), just trying to clarify my presumption that water is a fossil ... A: 1. Hydrogen is not a fossil fuel since water is not made from dinosaur remains from millions of ... | |
| Chemistry or Microbiology | 5/2/2005 |
| Q: Is there a procedure reference for this? We are not attempting to make it, only find out the ... A: The reference indicated the procedure was in a 1926 chemistry journal, JACS Vol48, p2216 (or ... | |
| Max weight | 4/29/2005 |
| Q: I wanted to know how much weight can a persons rib cage support. Lets say an average sized male was ... A: You should probably ask a medical expert this instead of a chemist. My guess is that you need to be ... | |
| Chemistry SOL Review | 4/24/2005 |
| Q: What temperature scale must be used when calculating one of the gas laws? Why? A: The key is "can anything be zero or negative?". In PV=nRT, if T=0, either P or V has to be zero, ... | |
| Black smoke, white smoke | 4/23/2005 |
| Q: Background forDespite my physics degree, I don't understand what causes this difference, yet TV ... A: White is USUALLY a signal that water vapor is present. Darker smoke is USUALLY a signal that ... | |
| sun and whitening | 4/19/2005 |
| Q: i am curious about how the sun bleaches color. here is how it came up: my mom sent me a valentine ... A: The photons in the light react with the dye to break apart the molecule to colorless compounds or ... | |
| Air density | 4/16/2005 |
| Q: I'm doing a science project where I need to find the density of air at 108 degrees F. A: Air density is not a real constant since it depends on temperature and altitude. You have to ... | |
| Chemical | 4/14/2005 |
| Q: What is Ni-NTA, and why and who would someone recharge it? Oh, I already tried finding this info. ... A: I need to know the context. Ni-NTA to me is a chelated nickel compound. A Na-NTA ion exchange ... | |
| Mercury | 4/8/2005 |
| Q: Boyter, A couple of weeks ago my mother shook down a mercury thermometer, and accidentally hit the ... A: You need to talk you a local consultant who can actually come to the house (look under environmental ... | |
| chemical reaction | 3/30/2005 |
| Q: I need to know what dissipates into the air during a salt analysis titration. I do this at work ... A: You don't mention what salt you are testing. Here is the general chemistry found by searching ... | |
| surfactunt | 3/16/2005 |
| Q: How i can remove surfactunt from the liver of cow? A: There are three types of surfactants and several ways to remove them depending on what elese might ... | |
| salt spray , moisture | 3/5/2005 |
| Q: I have a home in the Carribean thats ocean front. Due to salt spray and moisture I have thrown away ... A: Two problems: 1. The silica gel would last about a day. Silica gel is made to go in enclosed ... | |
| Antioxidants and Cancer | 3/5/2005 |
| Q: I have been working on a research project entitled "Prevention of Cancer Through Antioxidants." For ... A: Vitamin C above certain levels is acutely toxic. ALL CHEMICALS CAN BE TOXIC ABOVE CERTAIN LEVELS. ... | |
| boiling point | 2/28/2005 |
| Q: ------------------------- Followup To i also will like to know if the liquid is not water will the ... A: Depends on the liquid. If the bp is much lower than the temp of the glass at the direct flame, it ... | |
| alcohol | 2/25/2005 |
| Q: maybe this is completely irrelevant to your field, if so I apologize, but the other day I was ... A: If you start with 40% and mix with an equal amount of juice, you will have 20% (1 shot in 2 total). ... | |
| science of color | 2/23/2005 |
| Q: I doing a study on plants dyes and mordants. I am trying to see which mordant: salt or viniger will ... A: The correct term is colorfastness. What you suggest would give you a very qualitative way to do it, ... | |
| plant growth affected by detergents | 2/15/2005 |
| Q: Does the plant(when using detergents) grow more or just die right away? My teacher told us to ask ... A: Depends on how much you add. Small amounts will have no effect, large enough levels will kill the ... | |
| chemistry | 2/6/2005 |
| Q: Boyter, I was doing research on acids. I have gone to several search engines and ... A: Henning Brand, the "discoverer" of phosphorus probably would get credit, but phosphorus and ... | |
| biology | 1/31/2005 |
| Q: why is it when looking through a micrcroscope at the letter e it is upside down ? A: It depends on the microscope. That is just the way yours sends and reflects the light to the ... | |
| NAVAL JELLY/MURIATIC ACID | 1/30/2005 |
| Q: Is there such a thing as gelled muriatic acid? Is naval jelly just a diluted form of muriatic ... A: Naval jelly is phosphoric acid (the acid in soft drinks, but more concentrated) in most cases. Some ... | |
| Filtration | 1/29/2005 |
| Q: Can you tell me how one can find the vapour pressure of a chemical given its boiling point? (ie. ... A: You can't. Vapor pressure like other properties is dependent on the substance. You can find the ... | |
| Solubility | 1/22/2005 |
| Q: Recently I was asked to tackle the following question, which I had a hard time comprehending. I ... A: Not enough info unless you consider the ideal case. If you added 10g of each at 100C then the ... | |
| Water-9 | 1/19/2005 |
| Q: I caught the last 5min of Alias last night and heard mention of something called ice-5. It reminded ... A: All science fiction is my guess. Sorry, I don't watch Alias. You do google searches with what you ... | |
| carbon monoxide | 1/19/2005 |
| Q: I didn't find this on google...could you settle a question amoung a couple of adults who play WAY ... A: Look at the main consituents of air: 1. Nitrogen (N2) has a molecular weight of 28 (14x2) 2. ... | |
| Chlorine dioxide | 1/13/2005 |
| Q: I am studying chlorine dioxide for use in water purification in jungle situations and in African ... A: Read this site and you will see at best, all pathogens are probably slightly different and that ... | |
| mos2 to moly | 1/13/2005 |
| Q: I have a list of assay for mos2 and I need to find out how much actual moly is in the assay. Can you ... A: Here is a good website to keep handy. http://webmineral.com/chemical.shtml If you click on Mo, you ... | |
| Chlorine dioxide | 1/12/2005 |
| Q: I am studying chlorine dioxide for use in water purification in jungle situations and in African ... A: I checked several web sites for confirmation. A google search on ["chlorine dioxide" chemistry] ... | |
| Periodic table of elements | 1/5/2005 |
| Q: im not sure if you are the person to talk to about the periodic table of elements, so if you're not ... A: Go to http://www.itt.edu/staff/boyter/links/index.html and look at the links under "Chemistry - ... | |
| Sulfates and sulfuric acid | 12/13/2004 |
| Q: Good day, I would like to know if it is possible to revert an acid-base reaction by means of ... A: In the case of an acid/base reaction, the electrolysis will act on the water first giving H2 and O2. ... | |
| boiling and melting point formulas | 11/29/2004 |
| Q: I'm trying to produce formulas which are able to give me a (more or less) correct estimation of the ... A: First, I'm not an expert in this area. Here are some websites that may help. ... | |
| Chlorine in water | 11/21/2004 |
| Q: I want to know what happens to chlorine in water after 24 hours. I've been told that it ceases to ... A: It all depends on how much chlorine was added to begin with. At certain levels, the chlorine will ... | |
| Mineral deposits | 11/18/2004 |
| Q: Having lived in old houses before I'm used to the white,brownish-red,and sometimes green stains ... A: There is no answer without testing. Have the water tested for bacteria and common metals. If the ... | |
| crystallization | 11/1/2004 |
| Q: i would like to know about the method of crystallization by aceton. i mean the way to purify ... A: Still very general. Dissolve a sample in a minimal amount of acetone. Either cool or slowly ... | |
| chemical equation | 10/29/2004 |
| Q: my question is as follows: when you have a insoluble substance (such as calcium hydroxide)and add ... A: First, calcium hydroxide is not insoluble. Insoluble rarely means 100% will not dissolve. There is ... | |
| Water from air? | 10/25/2004 |
| Q: What can extract hydrogen and oxygen out of tha air? I am designing a new Humanitarian emergency ... A: Gases are removed from the air by chilling with liquid nitrogen or liquid helium. These methods are ... | |
| aqueous solution | 10/16/2004 |
| Q: What is an aqueous solution? Please explain in layman's terms. Does an aqueous solution have a pH ... A: Something dissolved in water where water is the major component. No very few aquaous solutions will ... | |
| solutions | 10/13/2004 |
| Q: Due to another sibling arguement, my brother and I have come across a question that I'm dying to ... A: For water, the majority of the time the solution will cool, sometimes stay the same, rarely get ... | |
| batteries | 10/10/2004 |
| Q: I really don't know if this is the correct place I should be asking this...but I'll try anyways.... ... A: Manufacture and expiration dates probably have little to do with each other. It will probably ... | |
| question on acid | 10/10/2004 |
| Q: Boyter, I got the folowing question when doing an experiment on acid. I understand the difference ... A: A series of questions that can not be answered with the information given. It all depends on your ... | |
| Can plastic and paper be combined? | 10/9/2004 |
| Q: I have a question regarding recycling paper. Can I include cut plastic pieces into the pulp when I ... A: Of all the processes I know, the plastic would just cause problems. They are not compatable ... | |
| chemistry | 9/20/2004 |
| Q: I don't understand what implied range is?Like I'll give you an example I have the answer to:A ... A: Based on 0.025, the smallest division of the measurement is 0.001. The person asking the question ... | |
| chemistry | 9/19/2004 |
| Q: 1. How do you know up to what point is considered precise? Up to how much away can the numbers be? ... A: All of what you are asking depends on what you are measuring, who decided what the correct answer ... | |
| chemistry | 9/19/2004 |
| Q: How can you figure out what is good precision and accuracy? I asked my teacher and he explained to ... A: Think of arrows and a target with the bullseye being the correct answer (or the number 30). 1. If ... | |
| If you have any knowledge... | 8/29/2004 |
| Q: If you have any knowledge on this topic your help would be greatly appreciated. I cannot seem to ... A: Yes, but three problems. 1. It probably will not mix well or not stay mixed. It may even react ... | |
| Ice Cubes | 8/25/2004 |
| Q: Just out of curiosity, why is it, that when ice cubes are places in a glass or bowl they stick ... A: When edges are exposed they start to melt from the heat in the air and continue to melt because they ... | |
| water pH | 8/23/2004 |
| Q: (1) I am not sure about the normal pH for distilled water and deionized water. Should they be around ... A: 1. Depends on age and how done. To get 7 for distilled you have to do it under inert gas to prevent ... | |
| MgS | 8/4/2004 |
| Q: How could I seperate Magnesium Sulfate (epsom salt) into just the Magnesium and Sulfur? I was ... A: 245F will only get you hot epsom salts. Higher temperatures (say >850C) will probably give sulfur ... | |
| Is honey really a solvent? | 7/27/2004 |
| Q: I am a homeschooled 9th grader. I have been experimenting with making herbal infusions with honey ... A: I don't really have any info on the subject. In chemical terms, honey would not really be a solvent ... | |
| nylon fabrics and bleach damage | 7/22/2004 |
| Q: Dr. Boyter- I accidently got bleach on my brown-colored nylon (and other synthetic material) pants, ... A: You will need to completely bleach the color out of the pants and redye or dye them very black. Not ... | |
| What is a sufactant | 7/8/2004 |
| Q: I am interested in a new soap product and they talk about it being good for the body because is ... A: Here is a definition of a surfactant. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant The claims of the ... | |
| Chemistry - | 7/6/2004 |
| Q: Some recipes for carmelizing sugar indicate that a non-ferrous skillet should be used. Why is this? ... A: This is just a guess. I suspect that any bits of iron will cause some of the sugar to go from a ... | |
| sorbitol/potassium sorbate | 7/4/2004 |
| Q: Sorbitol is a sweetener-type ingredient used in some foods. It has very bad laxative effects on my ... A: First, they are two different chemical families and chemically different. Potasssium sorbate is ... | |
| maximum solution | 6/27/2004 |
| Q: We are attempting to make a syrup for ice treats. We want it as sweet as possible, but would like ... A: No easy answer because it depends on what else you have added. Try this: make it as sweet as ... | |
| which is more combustible | 6/26/2004 |
| Q: which object is more combustible in a pure oxygen environment, pure hydrogen or gasoline? A: First we have to look at some definitions. Gasoline and hydrogen VAPOR will be flammable. That is ... | |
| Descending Paper Chromatography | 6/21/2004 |
| Q: My chemistry book says; "At the start of descending paper chromatography why must the spot of the ... A: Last try. The water is added to the top of a vertical piece of paper (several ways of doing this). ... | |
| Descending Paper Chromatography | 6/21/2004 |
| Q: In descending paper chromatography,the chromatogram is held vertically,and the spot of dye is ... A: It is still the same answer. You want the spot to run down the paper so the mobile phase has to ... | |
| iron sulfate heptahydrate in water | 6/11/2004 |
| Q: I am a graduate student making up medium for some bacteria. I was wonding about a stock solution ... A: Depending on what the next step is, it should be ok, if the next step is mixing with other ... | |
| Water boiling | 5/17/2004 |
| Q: the other day I was boiling some water, and i was wondering in the begining of the boiling, you can ... A: Normal water has oxygen in it 1-8 mg/L. But the bubble you saw was not oxygen. What happens when ... | |
| dispersions | 5/7/2004 |
| Q: What is the difference between a colloid and an emulsion? A: Generally, the size of the droplets or particles. Some people use them interchangably. colloid - a ... | |
| Carbon Monoxide from Sulfuric Acid reaction? | 4/28/2004 |
| Q: While investigating the cause of a CO alarm, the highest levels were found to be in an area ... A: What you may be seeing is that your alarm is sensitive to other sources. This is common among CO ... | |
| intro to chemistry II | 4/13/2004 |
| Q: Im working right now on finding the activation energy required for a certain problem. We know the ... A: -4.423=LnA-5.0x10^1 -4.423 + 50 = ln[A] 45.577 = ln[A] is one mistake Are you using the ... | |
| Vitamin C Research Project | 4/12/2004 |
| Q: I have recently concluded data collection on a research project on the retention of Ascorbic Acid ... A: Another thought: did you standardize the iodine each time? Your solution may lose potency over ... | |
| equilibrium position | 3/23/2004 |
| Q: I have a question related to chemical equilibrium. First of all what is equilbrium position and ... A: The equilibrium is a constant number that applies to the system under study. See definition in your ... | |
| Heavy Metal Detection | 3/18/2004 |
| Q: I am part of a group of students who are interested in finding out just what is in a nearby river ... A: Those three metals can not be done without very specific expensive equipment. For example, a color ... | |
| Ink solvents and cleaners | 2/28/2004 |
| Q: I like to refill my own inkjet cartridges, but need something to clean the inkjets now and then. ... A: Your only two choices are rubbing alcohol and the material they sell at Office supply stores. ... | |
| Nuclear Waster | 2/17/2004 |
| Q: Hey, how are ya? My question is: assuming we could safely launch a gigantic rocket packed full of ... A: Compared to the sun, the rocket would be a tear in the ocean. It has been considered. The problem ... | |
| copper reactivity | 2/8/2004 |
| Q: my question is: will copper (specifically a copper pipe) react with a dough made up of sugar,water ... A: Digesting the glycerin might be the biggest problem. Unless the copper pipe is corroded or chipped, ... | |
Chemistry (including Biochemistry)
Answers by Expert:
Dr. Henry Boyter, Jr.
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Expertise
No homework, biochemistry, or other schoolwork! The question will be rejected. If you have not searched www.google.com, do so before posting. If you are a student, give your grade and course. Everyone, explain the purpose and context for the question.
Experience in the area
Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.
Experience
Chemistry (non-biochemistry), environmental science, occupational health and safety, environmental regulation and management, environmental engineering, and wastewater engineering. I'm the Director of Environmental, Health, and Safety and the Director of Research at the Institute of Textile Technology.
Education/Credentials
PhD, MS, BS in Chemistry
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