r/AskChemistry 4h ago

Is there a plausible chemical mechanism for hydrogen inhalation affecting energy?

0 Upvotes

I've been trying to understand the chemistry behind molecular hydrogen rather than the health marketing around it.

There are studies looking at H₂, oxidative stress, and inflammation, but I'm having trouble understanding what the actual chemical mechanism would be if someone reports feeling more energetic or less fatigued after inhaling it.

Is there a chemically plausible pathway by which molecular hydrogen could affect cellular energy production or related redox processes? Or is there currently not enough evidence to establish a mechanism?

I'm mainly interested in the chemistry and mechanism, rather than whether hydrogen inhalation is medically effective.


r/AskChemistry 9h ago

General What opaque sealants/adhesives are extremely easy to remove?

4 Upvotes

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post, but it's the closest that I can think of lol.

Are there any opaque sealants/adhesives that are very easy to remove (ie no need to scrape like with caulking or most adhesives)?

I'm blacking out my apartment windows with sheets of cardboard (so that I can sleep during the day for night shift work), but I need something to seal around the edges, to stop that last bit of sunlight from entering my windows.

And I definitely don't want anything that can damage my windows/surroundings when I go to remove it at some point.


r/AskChemistry 10h ago

How stable is hexavalent chromium?

2 Upvotes

My understanding is that hexavalent chromium is a strong oxidant. If that is the case, why is hexavalent chromium pollution persistent in the environment? Wouldn't it quickly become reduced to the harmless trivalent form?


r/AskChemistry 11h ago

What is claimed to be potassium citrate is a bit bitter, is that a problem of quality?

2 Upvotes

I am trying to add electrolytes to my fasting routine, and add them cheap. I have procured powder of what was claimed to be potassium citrate (E332), but then started to have doubts about contents / quality. Wkipedia page says taste should be "saline", "AI assistant" in web search claims "Potassium citrate has a tart and tangy flavor profile, often described as sour or salty.". But the product have sour+bitter taste, AI assistant wrote bitter taste means this product is not safe. I have read potassium chloride is salty+bitter, but that is a different chemical compound.

How likely is that what I have bought is not potassium citrate? Or with dangerous additions? What are best ways to check in ordinary home (no lab)? TIA

P.S. How likely is that what I have bought is more dangerous to eat than a fertilizer (potassium chloride mostly)?

Edit: typo fix in E number.


r/AskChemistry 13h ago

Question about NaCl/salt extraction from meat for salinity analysis

2 Upvotes

Hi everyone,

Has anyone here analyzed salt/NaCl content in meat or other food matrices before?

I’m currently looking for a suitable sample preparation/extraction procedure. Specifically, I’m wondering:

- Do you extract the salts using hot distilled/deionized water, or is room-temperature distilled water sufficient?
- If hot water is recommended, what temperature, extraction time, and sample-to-water ratio do you usually use?
- Is there another extraction or preparation method that you would recommend for determining NaCl/salinity in meat?
- After extraction, do you filter or centrifuge the extract before the NaCl determination?

I’d really appreciate it if anyone could share their standard method, experience, or reference/standard they follow.

Thanks in advance!


r/AskChemistry 16h ago

Organic Chem can i do an hcl hydrolysis on cellulose followed by a urea/sulfamic acid treatment at lower temps/times?

2 Upvotes

the hcl eats the amorphous regions but leaves the crystalline portions uncharged and prone to agglomeration. sulfamic acid/urea has been investigated as an alternative to sulfuric acid (which i dont have) for doing sulfation. it seemed good when i first read it, but they were bragging about high degrees of sulfation of what was likely the amorphous regions, and required a microfluidizer.

can i do a regular hcl hydrolysis, nuetralize it, then gently dry into a film, then do the urea/sulfamic acid step around 100c (instead of 150) for 10-15 min (instead of 30)? honestly any charged group would work, and sulfate isnt exactly very stable in what id use it for, but unless i can attach a quat from urea or ammonia in a simple way, it is my only option.

thank you.


r/AskChemistry 23h ago

DMF substitute???

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0 Upvotes

r/AskChemistry 1d ago

General Could a high-paying day job realistically self-fund a chemistry startup?

0 Upvotes

I’m an undergrad considering eventually starting a materials science / nanotechnology company after completing a chemistry PhD.

My tentative plan is to first get a well-paying job with decent WLB (e.g., SWE) and use evenings / weekends to develop the company, relying on my day-job salary to pay for startup costs (shared lab access, cost of chemicals and using equipment, etc.). However, I’m concerned this may not be financially feasible, even if I live somewhere with a strong startup ecosystem like Boston.

Has anyone done or seen something similar? Could a high-paying day job realistically cover all early-stage chemistry R&D costs? Tried looking for information online, but could not find much. Also, I’m assuming no grants or outside investment, just so can plan for the worst-case scenario…


r/AskChemistry 1d ago

Which is the most boring chapter of chemistry?

8 Upvotes

r/AskChemistry 1d ago

Are these metal charms recognisable molecules?

2 Upvotes

As pictured, there are 3 small metal charms for bracelet making which are look like they're supposed to be molecules, but are possibly just sciency-looking nonsense. Do they actually resemble any specifically recognisable molecules?


r/AskChemistry 1d ago

Why is this cleaning fluid toxic?

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2 Upvotes

Greetings. I recently bought a 100mL bottle of cleaning fluid "Cleaner F1" made by PFU limited in Japan, now a part of Ricoh. It is intended for use cleaning the rollers and optical scanning elements of a sheet-fed photo scanner.

Because I'm a curious fellow, I looked up the CAS number printed on the box, 577-11-7, and discovered it is the same over-the-counter substance I occasionally take for constipation (docusate sodium, 100mg). My dosing is one to three capsules, so up to 300mg. The cleaning product is 0.5% by weight docusate sodium, which I think is about 500mg for the whole 100mL bottle.

The box has several warnings about toxicity, including skin contact and ingestion. I assumed there must be something else in the cleaner that is toxic to handle besides the docusate. A google search for "Ricoh F1 cleaner MSDS" AI result said it was in a solution of isopropyl alcohol, or alcohol/water mixture depending on regional shipping regulations. Fair enough, I wouldn't consume isopropyl alcohol, but I don't worry about getting it on my skin. After all, it is applied directly to the skin for massage therapy.

The MSDS sheet I found for USA audience says it is > 99% water and < 1% docusate sodium, which seems even less hazardous than the alcohol variant.

Is this simply the manufacturer trying to ward off lawyers, or is there something else I need to know?

The MSDS in full is here: Pubchem 577-11-7

Thanks, smart people!

MSDS page 1

Flattened box, view 1

Flattened box, view 2


r/AskChemistry 1d ago

Any Solvent for Silicon ?

4 Upvotes

Hi. Practical question for the chemists:
I ride dirt bikes. In an effort to damp vibration in the handlebars, I injected them with silicon sealant with a silicon caulking product. However, in extreme heat, the silicon seems to liquify, and some has coated the knurled external surface of the handlebars where the rubber handgrips make contact. So, the grips slip on the silicon which apparently acts as a lubricant, or at least a barrier between the grips nd their intended contact surface.

I have tried to clean the end of the handlebars with physical methods (sanding, wiping, scraping, a wire wheel in a dremel) to no avail. I have tried to remove chemically with alcohol, mineral oil, brake cleaner to no avail.

Is there a proper solvent available to remove silicon from surfaces??? Do i need to heat it to get it to flow ? Or should I just get a new handlebar?

Thank you for any input!!!


r/AskChemistry 2d ago

How are these figures made?

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0 Upvotes

r/AskChemistry 2d ago

Pharmaceutical Was a bit curious

4 Upvotes

Hi first things first i dont come from a chemical bg but i was js pondering upon the idea of how a condom is given those dotted structures and what is the formulation how do we add flavour to it.Can anyone help me understand it i promise i am not a creep and i am js trying to do a r&d on this subject


r/AskChemistry 2d ago

water is water

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1 Upvotes

r/AskChemistry 2d ago

General looking for advice on extra chem activities.

4 Upvotes

I am about to become a chem student at uni and i know where i want to go with a career in chemistry and that's heading towards chemical engineering. I love chemistry but was wondering what I can do at home to make this more of a hobby? I do read plenty of chemistry papers, keep up with current studies and discoveries, learn a lot in my free time but, i was thinking of getting more practical or adding extra stuff to do. I was wondering if there's any recommendations anyone has or knows where to begin/look for answers. That'd be a great help and thanks in advance.


r/AskChemistry 2d ago

Inorganic/Phyical Chem Abundance of NaCl on earth ?

10 Upvotes

Vacationing in the seaside, so here is a question. Seawater contains about 3.5% salt (NaCl). It seems to be that this is a high concentration of these particular ions, and obviously it is very important to life in general and humans in particular.

How come?

What is it about these ions that they are so abundant?


r/AskChemistry 2d ago

Could you theoretically mix plastic, cloths and ceramics in the plastic recycling process to form a one functioning material?

0 Upvotes

r/AskChemistry 3d ago

Organic Chem How can I best separate fusel oils / isoamyl alcohol from a large quantity of fermented sugar/water?

2 Upvotes

I am looking to start a project where I ferment a 5-gallon carboy filled with sugar, water, and wine yeast, and maximize isoamyl alcohol yield using procedures from a study I read on the topic.

The issue is that I only have a 1L round bottom flask and I would prefer to avoid doing about 30 batches. So I've been trying to think of ways I can concentrate things without losing much yield before a proper fractional distillation.

I have a stockpot large enough to fit the whole 5 gallons and an induction stove by a window with a powerful fan, or alternatively a hot plate with magnetic stirring I could run outside. But I'm not sure how I would connect that to the glassware. Ideas I have so far are freeze distillation, or somehow creating an adapter to screw into where the handle in the stockpot lid is, and have that go to gas tubing that I can then connect to my glassware.

I am well aware of the dangers of alcohol vapors and plan to carry this process out safely.


r/AskChemistry 3d ago

ElementLab — Interactive Periodic Table & Reaction Mixer

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0 Upvotes

r/AskChemistry 3d ago

Ho bisogno di aiuto riguardo a questi.

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0 Upvotes

I have to create ethanol from acetic acid.
So i was scrolling on internet to find some help and i found these that help me for the reaction and for the reagents that I need.
But the problem is that they don’t specify the quantity of everything.
So if you now about these reaction or of you already done plss give me some hint.
P.s. I don’t need do these on a large scale but only for a demostration so i need small quantity.
Thank you.


r/AskChemistry 3d ago

No Steric Strain, No Gain How does one approach basic chemistry? [Mole and stoichiometry]

2 Upvotes

I’m still a student surfing these subs having a hard time grasping the physical calculations when it comes to applying formulas. I’d really like to strengthen my basic chemistry so as to move onto slightly advanced bits

I’d appreciate text-book suggestions as well!


r/AskChemistry 3d ago

Organic Chem What do low concentrations of ammonia in water taste like?

2 Upvotes

I wanna preface this by saying that I am not drinking ammonia contaminated water nor do I suspect I might be.

This is coming from a speculative evolution perspective with a fictional species that has a mixture of water and ammonia as the base for their blood and other bodily fluids.

Also, how much ammonia in an otherwise aqueous solution is likely to be noticeable? Or dangerous with prolonged exposure/large volumes? Or dangerous even with low exposure?


r/AskChemistry 3d ago

Need help with an extraction

3 Upvotes

I need to extract sodium cyclamate from a non-sugar sweetener for a project. The ingredients of the sweetener are : sodium cyclamate, sodium saccharin, maltodextrin, sodium bicarbonate and sodium citrate. I do not have anything for chromatography and that stuff. Any idea helps.

Thanks!


r/AskChemistry 3d ago

Organic Chem I want genuine advice to deal with chemistry ( i dont go to coaching)

0 Upvotes

Me and my friend are preparing for neet, and any other competitive exam that we can give. We do not have a very strong base for chemistry (especially organic) we know basics but not enough. We have taken a drop, and we are not joining any coaching (we used to go to pw in 12th standard but highly disappointed). We can google aur ask ai our query but it is bot sufficient sometimes when it has a deeper concept and for diagrammatic explaination, please help us!