Category Archives: Chemical Uses

How To Create Artificial Fog

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Artificial smoke and fog provides a special effect for music artists performing on stage. Most artists make use of this effect and complement it with lighting while they are on tour.

Whats the difference between smoke and fog?

People in the film business often do not differentiate between what smoke and fog is. Yet from a chemistry point of view, each is defined differently. Smoke is a gas that has solid particulate matter dispersed in it. On the other hand, fog is a liquid phase dispersed in gas.

How do fog machines work?

Though there are many ways to make artificial fog, one of the most common approaches is using a propylene glycol and water-based fog fluid. A machine pumps this liquid into a heater that vaporises the fluid and creates instant fog. In other words, the fog is created by dispersing small liquid particles in a gas form. This is possible because the water vaporises at 100ºC while the other ingredients of the mixture have higher boiling points, thus they remain in their particulate form.

Creating different types of fog

By varying the ratio of propylene glycol and triethylene glycol a person can create different types of fog. These range from a fine mist used for laser shows to the thick dense white fog that is necessary to simulate real fog in the movies. Laser shows use special fog machines called haze machines. Depending on the ventilation of the venue of the laser show, the fog created by these machines can last for hours, ensuring that they are cost effective. Artificial fog has a drying effect compared to the damp effect of real fog. So if you spent a lot of time in glycol based fog; your eyes, nose and throat are likely to dry up.

Are Electronic Cigarettes Better Than Real Cigarettes?

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What is an electronic cigarette?

An electronic cigarette, e-cigarette or personal vaporizer, is a battery-powered device that provides inhaled doses of nicotine or non-nicotine vaporized solution. It is an alternative to smoked tobacco products, such as cigarettes, cigars, or pipes. In addition to purported nicotine delivery, this vapour also provides a flavour and physical sensation similar to that of inhaled tobacco smoke, while no smoke or combustion is actually involved in its operation.
An electronic cigarette takes the form of some manner of elongated tube, though many are designed to resemble the outward appearance of real smoking products, like cigarettes, cigars, and pipes. Another common design is the “pen-style”, so named for its visual resemblance to a ballpoint pen. Most electronic cigarettes are reusable devices with replaceable and refillable parts. A number of disposable electronic cigarettes have also been developed.

How does it work?

In automatic models, when a user inhales using the device, air flow is detected by a sensor, which activates a heating element that vaporizes a flavoured liquid solution stored in the mouthpiece. On manual models, the user must press a button to activate the heating element to produce vapour which is then inhaled by the user. On most models an LED on the opposite end of the device is also activated during inhalation, which serves as an indicator of use.

Mouthpiece (“cartridge”)
The mouthpiece is a small disposable plastic cup-like piece affixed to the end of the tube. Inside the mouthpiece is a smaller plastic cup which holds an absorbent material that is saturated with a flavoured liquid solution that may contain nicotine. This inner cup is made such that air is able to flow around it and through a hole in the end of the outer piece; this is necessary for the device to provide the ability for suction to move the vapour into the user’s mouth. The mouthpiece is referred to in the industry as a “cartridge”. When the liquid in the cartridge has been depleted, it can either be refilled by the user or replaced with another pre-filled cartridge.

Heating element (“atomizer”)
The heating element serves to vaporize the liquid in the mouthpiece so that it can be inhaled. This component is referred to in the industry as an “atomizer”. Atomizers have a finite life of about one month (on average) and are one of the recurring expenses associated with electronic cigarettes. Some models combine an atomizer and pre-filled disposable component referred to as a “cartomizer”.

Battery and electronics

Most electronic cigarettes employ a lithium-ion rechargeable battery to power the heating element. Battery life varies depending on the battery type and size, frequency of use, and operating environment. Many different battery charger types are available, such as wall outlet, car, and USB chargers. The battery is generally the largest component of an electronic cigarette.

Some electronic cigarettes employ an electronic airflow sensor to automatically activate the heating element upon inhalation, while other models require the user to press a button while inhaling. Various other electronic circuits are usually employed as well, such as a timed cut-off switch to prevent overheating and a coloured LED to signal activation of the device and also to mimic the glow of a cigarette’s end tip.

Traditionally, electronic cigarettes have utilized an electronic means of activation. This involved the use of small tactile switches, vacuum switches and the related wiring and electronics necessary to run them. Users soon discovered these could be unreliable. With the advent of “mods”, several manufacturers have created all-mechanical electronic cigarettes that eliminate the use of any wiring, solder or electronics in an effort to improve switch reliability.

While some larger electronic cigarette models employ a user-replaceable standard-size battery cell, many models are too small to house a standard-size cell and instead require a proprietary component made by the electronic cigarette manufacturer. For those models, the battery and electronic components are housed within a single replaceable part, which is still generally referred to in the industry simply as the “battery”.

Nicotine and non-nicotine solution

Nicotine solutions sold separately for use in refillable cartridges are sometimes referred to as “e-liquid” or “e-juice”, and commonly contain some amount of flavouring, with hundreds of different flavours available. They consist of nicotine dissolved in propylene glycol (PG), which is a common food additive.
Solutions are also available in differing nicotine concentrations, to let the user decide the amount of nicotine to be taken in. Concentrations range from Zero Nicotine, low and midrange doses (6-8 mg/ml and 10-14 mg/ml respectively), to high and extra-high doses (16-18 mg/ml and 20-24 mg/ml respectively). The concentration ratings are often printed at the e-liquid bottle or cartridge, although the standard notation “mg/ml” often gets abbreviated to just “mg”.

Health Issues

Are electronic cigarettes safe? Even though, there is no smoke produced by an electronic cigarette, it still has nicotine, which is another harmful element in real cigarettes. Though, there is no conclusive study to prove the electronic cigarette health risks, long term inhalation of nicotine vapours can cause the following health problems. Nicotine can constrict arteries, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood throughout the body. Nicotine overdose symptoms can in time result in high blood pressure, heart diseases, etc. The person may also become prone to stroke, GERD, peptic ulcer disease, etc.

Conventional cigarettes contain over 4000 harmful chemicals including:
Arsenic – Commonly used in rat poison, arsenic finds its way into cigarette smoke through some of the pesticides that are used in tobacco farming.
Cadmium – A toxic heavy metal that is used in batteries. Smokers typically have twice as much cadmium in their bodies as non-smokers.
Ammonia – Ammonia compounds are commonly used in cleaning products and fertilizers. Ammonia is also used to boost the impact of nicotine in manufactured cigarettes.
Carbon Monoxide – Present in car exhaust and is lethal in very large amounts. Cigarette smoke can contain high levels of carbon monoxide.
Hydrogen Cyanide – Used to kill people in the gas chambers in Nazi Germany during World War II. It can be found in cigarette smoke.

The only harmful chemical contained in electronic cigarettes is nicotine. So if you compare the two together although they cannot be certified to be 100% safe, the electronic cigarettes are the better alternative.

In short, electronic cigarettes are safe to some extent, especially, when compared to the conventional ones. However, studies are still underway regarding electronic cigarette health risks.

The Uses of Propylene Glycol

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Propylene glycol, also called 1,2-propanediol or propane-1,2-diol, is an organic compound (a diol or double alcohol) with formula C3H8O2 or HO-CH2-CHOH-CH3. It is a colourless, sweet tasting liquid which has many practical applications. Propylene glycol is used:

  • As a solvent in many pharmaceuticals, including oral, injectable and topical formulations. Notably, diazepam, which is insoluble in water, uses propylene glycol as its solvent in its clinical, injectable form.
  • As a moisturizer in medicines, cosmetics, food, toothpaste, shampoo, mouth wash, hair care and tobacco products
  • As a carrier in fragrance oils
  • As an ingredient in massage oils
  • In hand sanitizers, antibacterial lotions, and saline solutions
  • In smoke machines to make artificial smoke for use in fire-fighters’ training and theatrical productions.
  • In electronic cigarettes, as a vaporizable base for diluting the nicotine liquid
  • As an ingredient, along with wax and gelatine, in the production of paintballs.
  • As a moisture stabilizer (humectant) for snus (Swedish style snuff).
  • As a cooling agent for beer and wine glycol jacketed fermentation tanks
  • As a non-toxic antifreeze for winterizing drinking water systems, and in applications where the used antifreeze eventually will be drained into the soil, water, or a septic system.
  • As a less-toxic antifreeze in solar water heating systems
  • As a solvent used in mixing photographic chemicals, such as film developers
  • In cryonics
  • As a working fluid in hydraulic presses
  • As a coolant in liquid cooling systems
  • To regulate humidity in a cigar humidor.
  • As the killing and preserving agent in pitfall traps, usually used to capture ground beetles
  • As an additive to pipe tobacco to prevent dehydration.
  • To treat livestock ketosis.
  • As the main ingredient in deodorant sticks.
  • To de-ice aircraft.
  • As an ingredient in UV or black light tattoo ink
  • As a lubricant in air conditioning compressors.
  • In the manufacture of lava lamps

Buy Propylene Glycol

Could Ice Melt Be Hurting Your Pets?

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Many ice melting products tout themselves as “pet safe,” but a close examination of ingredients is vital to keep your pets safe when you treat your own driveway and walkways. Leading veterinarian groups such as the American Veterinary Medical Association and the American Animal Hospital Association caution that exposure to salts and salt-based ice melting products, a common occurrence, can cause dogs severe dermatitis, inflammation of the paws and serious gastrointestinal problems including vomiting and internal burns of the mouth and digestive tract. Knowledge of how your area’s roadways are treated also helps you prepare to keep your pet safe as he travels down treated roads while out in the snow.

Significance for Pets

In 2000, the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) alerted pet owners about the toxicity of ice melting chemicals, and in 2001, Canadian environmental and health groups released a list of toxic road salts, including calcium chloride. It continues to be an often-used de-icer on roads.

Prevention

A key way to avoid negative effects on your pet from the salt solutions is to clean off his paws after he walks on treated areas.

When your pet has been exposed to surfaces on which road salt has been used, and possibly calcium chloride as well as other toxic chemicals, wipe his paws after every walk, paying attention to snow or ice that may be trapped between his toes. Also clean his coat, and prevent it from eating snow or drinking from puddles. Calcium chloride and other ice melting chemicals may have contaminated snow, ice or water near roads and walkways.

Effects

Ingesting a small amount of calcium chloride could lead to vomiting. Other symptoms include excessive salivation and thirst, diarrhoea, tremors, disorientation, and even seizures and death if a great deal was ingested.

Alternatives

There are alternatives to these harmful products, most notably Magnesium Chloride.

A blend of carbamide and propylene glycol, Pet Safe Ice Melt is classified as relatively harmless to animals and humans. Animals would have to eat large amounts to experience major problems making it is much less harmful than eating salt.  As well as pet friendly, it is environmentally safe, non hazardous and non corrosive on concrete, metals etc

Unlike conventional ice melting which create heat as they dissolve ice on absorbing moisture these granules do not. The issue of heat creates a problem when dogs and cats get ice melting granules in their paws which can lead to burning. This is not a problem your pets will have with this product.

As conventional ice melters absorb moisture they produce alkaline solutions which are detrimental to your animal’s paws and skin causing painful burning sensations. This will not happen with Pet Safe Ice Melt, when dissolved in water the pH=7.2 i.e. it is neutral.

The Trickle Method – Treating Varroa Mites

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Varroa destructor is an external parasitic mite that attacks honey bees. The disease caused by the mites is called varroatosis.

Varroa destructor can only replicate in a honey bee colony. It attaches at the body of the bee and weakens the bee by sucking fluids inside bees called hemolymph. In this process the mite spreads RNA viruses like deformed wing virus to the bee. A significant mite infestation will lead to the death of a honey bee colony, usually in the late autumn through early spring. The Varroa mite is the parasite with the most pronounced economic impact on the beekeeping industry. It may be a contributing factor to colony collapse disorder (CCD).

The Trickle Method

The final treatment of the colonies in autumn or early winter is a component of many anti-Varroa treatment regimes. The aim is to reduce the Varroa infestation level to an absolute minimum, so that in the following season there is no problem with Varroa before the late summer.

Using oxalic acid has proved itself to be effective in beekeeping practice. It is one method of anti Varroa treatment which does not cause residues in the hive products, and is an organic substance. The treatment is carried out after the colony has ceased to rear brood. In this brood free condition one treatment is sufficient to achieve an effectiveness of over 90%.

Many strong colonies with older queens cease to rear brood in October. In nucleus colonies with young queens this is seldom the case. This might possibly be due to their development phase only ending in late summer, while the older stronger colonies have already reached their peak of development by June. Brood rearing in autumn is influenced by apiary location, but more so by the weather. The first night frosts cause the queen to stop egg laying. Three weeks later the colony is brood free. At this time the oxalic acid trickle method is at its most effectiveness. The removal of the hive roof and crown board to facilitate the treatment has no detrimental effect on the bees.

Description of the Trickle Method

The treatment is carried out using a warm sugar syrup solution at an oxalic acid concentration of 3.5% applied using a syringe or some other suitable device. The procedure should be carried out in such a manner that it can be administered in a droplet form.

Warm tap water may be used to make up the solution.

The solution should be stored for immediate use only, in a bottle with a secure top and clearly marked as to the contents. Any calcium in the water will combine with the oxalic acid and precipitates as insoluble calciumoxalate crystals. The effect on concentration of the solution will be negligible. The addition of sugar to the solution will merely result in a more rapid mite fall, it has no effect on the efficiency or bee tolerance and does no harm. During the treatment the weather must be cold, a few degrees above freezing is ideal. Smoke should be used only sparingly, if at all as the colonies are clustered tightly due to low temperature.

The colonies cluster under a deep crown of stores in November/ December. The treatment of colonies on single brood chambers is relatively easy since the cluster position can be seen. In the case of double brood chambers it is often more difficult, especially if the bees are clustered in the lower box. The use of a torch may expose the position of the cluster or the top box may be tipped up. In this way the treatment can be trickled into and not onto the cluster. It is best to take a little care and time when treating. It is better to do two passes over each frame space. The more bees which are in contact with the solution the better the treatment will be tolerated and the solution will be more readily distributed around the colony. It is a good idea to note the number of seams of bees as soon as the hive is opened and the bees are tight clustered. As treatment proceeds the cluster tends to break up, and you have more seams of bees than was first noticed. Treat for the number of seams first noticed, but spread the acid over as many bees as possible.

According to the size of the colony the dose varies between 30-50 millilitres. 30 millilitres if the colony is tightly clustered in temperatures under or at 0ºC and only covering 4-5 frames, 50 millilitres when the cluster is on six or seven frames.

The treatment must only be administered once.

Repeated applications are not tolerated well by the bees. Large numbers of bees will become over acidified and fly prematurely and not show as mortality on the hive floor. In colonies free of brood a second treatment would be superfluous anyway.

The mite fall resulting from the late treatment should be noted. The mite drop continues to increase over a four to five week period, even when most of the poisoned mites drop during the first week after treatment

An Overview of The Trickle Method

1. A 3.5% solution of oxalic acid and sugar. (200 g sugar  and 35g oxalic acid. Accurate measurements dissolved in 3/4 litre of warm water, then more warm water added to the solution to make a 1 litre total quantity).

2. 100 ml syringe.

3. Acid proof gloves (important!)

4. Each colony is dosed with 30 to 50 ml. of solution at a dosage of five to six ml. Per Occupied frame space. (seam)

5. Treatment is in November or December at just above 0°C. Try to administer when there is some weather coming up that will enable them to fly and relieve themselves Administer treatment in as many droplets of solution as possible and drip onto as many bees as possible. (Do not shake or squirt solution onto bees!)

6. Mite fall continues for four to five weeks.

7. Good efficiency only in brood free colonies.

8. Two applications is one too many.

Using Hydrogen Peroxide for Cleaning

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Hydrogen peroxide is a great way to clean all sorts of things. It works well at killing germs, whitening items, cleaning, and even fighting mould and mildew. In fact, it is a good replacement for bleach and can be used in all the ways that bleach can without the harmful side effects, dangerous fumes, and harm to the environment. You can use bleach all over the house and in a wide range of methods for a very sparkling home that has less bacteria.

Surfaces. Put hydrogen peroxide 3% into a spray bottle and use it as an all purpose cleaner. This can be used for appliances, counters, sinks, dish racks, and other surfaces in the kitchen. In addition, it can be used as a cleaner in the shower, tub, toilet, and the bathroom sink. Spray the surface, leave it for a few moments and wipe it clean for a fresh smelling and clean surface.

Floors. Use your spray bottle to spray the floor down and wipe it clean. Or add 1 cup of peroxide 3% to 1/2 gallon of hot water and give your floor a really good scrubbing.

Toilets. Pour hydrogen peroxide 3% from the bottle up and around the rim of the toilet. Pour additional hydrogen peroxide 3% on your brush. Scrub the toilet as usual. This will kill bacteria and clean it sparkling. It is also a good idea to spray down any surfaces on top, down the sides, and around the base with hydrogen peroxide 3% from your spray bottle for a very clean effect.

Mould and mildew. Hydrogen peroxide 3% will kill mould and mildew without the harsh results of bleach. Spray on heavily to mould and mildew spots or stains and let sit for ten minutes. Scrub clean.

Dishes. Add 1/2 cup of hydrogen peroxide 3% to your dishwasher or dish water and have cleaner dishes. This will aid in the cleaning, add a sparkling touch, and will kill bacteria. Plus if it is used in a dishwasher it will help keep the dishwasher cleaner longer.

Laundry. Add a cap full (the white cap on the bottle) to the laundry with about 1/2 the normal amount of soap and you will have cleaner laundry that is also whiter. If you use bleach on your whites then replace the bleach with peroxide 3% and wash as normal for white whites without the harm of bleach.

Stains. Peroxide 3% can help remove organic stains from grout, cloth, and carpet

It can bleach so test the material in a place that isn’t as easily seen. Then use it on the stain. Pour directly on stain, scrub clean with a brush and rinse well.

Sponges. Keep your sponges clean by soaking it in hydrogen peroxide 3% and then letting it dry. You will want to leave it in a dish of peroxide 3% (it can be diluted for making it go father, use 50% water and 50% peroxide 3%). Let soak five to ten minutes (or more). This will kill the bacteria in the deepest parts of the sponge. Then let it dry in the air. Let it dry thoroughly before using again.

Hydrogen peroxide 3% is inexpensive, easy to use, and can keep your house clean. Use it all over and you will have fewer bacteria without adding dangerous chemicals to your house. It is safe for people and their pets, won’t harm the environment, and will still keep your house clean.

Why it is better to disinfect water with Calcium Hypochlorite Instead of Bleach

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Many outdoorsmen, survivalists, and households preparing for emergency disasters rely upon common household bleach as a disinfecting agent to make water safe to drink.
Bleach will destroy most disease causing organisms (boiling water to make it safe to drink is always the best method).
What is not well known is Calcium Hypochlorite is far better for chemically disinfecting water.

Old Way: Using Bleach to Disinfect Water

Some people who have emergency preparedness stocks of survival food and survival gear often keep a gallon or two of unscented household bleach on hand for making safe drinking water in large quantities. Bleach is often the chemical of choice because it is commonly available and frequently mentioned when discussing the how-to’s of drinking water.
Typical fresh household chlorine bleach has about 5.35% chlorine content (be sure to read the label).

To use household bleach for disinfecting water:
1. Add two drops of bleach per quart or litre of water.
2. Stir it well.
3. Let the mixture stand for a half hour before drinking.

If the water is cloudy with suspended particles:
First filter the water as best you can.
Double the amount of bleach you add to the water.

Why Using Bleach to Disinfect Contaminated Water is a Problem

A little known problem with long term storage of bleach in your disaster emergency supply cache is that it degrades over time. A bleach manufacturing representative produced this statement:
“We recommend storing our bleach at room temperatures. It can be stored for about 6 months at temperatures between 50 and 70 degrees Fahrenheit. After this time, bleach will begin to degrade at a rate of 20% each year until totally degraded to salt and water. Storing at temperatures much higher than 70 degrees Fahrenheit could cause the bleach to lose its effectiveness and degrade more rapidly.”
So if bleach is unreliable for long term storage in emergency preparedness kits then what other commonly available chemical methods of disinfecting water are there? As it turns out a better solution is easily available.

Use Calcium Hypochlorite TO Disinfect Water

Using granular calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water is a two step process.

1. To make a stock of chlorine solution, dissolve 1 heaping teaspoon (about 8g) of high-test (78%) granular calcium hypochlorite for each two gallons (eight litres) of water. (do not drink this!)
2. To disinfect water add one part of the chlorine solution to 100 parts water to be treated.
3. Let the mixture sit for at least one-half hour before drinking.

Be sure to obtain the dry granular calcium hypochlorite since once it is made into a liquid solution it will begin to degrade and eventually become useless as a disinfecting agent. This also means you should make your treated drinking water in small batches, for example enough for a few weeks at a time at most.

Another plus for using calcium hypochlorite to disinfect water for emergency use is that a little goes a very long way. A 500g bag of calcium hypochlorite in granular form typically will treat up to 10,000 gallons of drinking water, which is enough for a family of four for some six or seven years at a gallon per day per person!

Calcium hypochlorite will store for a long period of time and remain effective as a chemical drinking water treatment. So get rid of the household bleach and buy a can of Calcium hypochlorite for your disaster emergency water disinfection needs. It lasts far longer and treats far more water than the traditional chlorine bleach water disinfection treatment.

Warnings

  • Be sure to carefully read and follow all handling directions and heed all warnings.
  • It is always a good idea to be using calcium hypochlorite in an extremely well ventilated area.
  • If calcium hypochlorite becomes contaminated by foreign substances it can cause combustion.
  • Do not breathe the dust or get it in your eyes.

Where to Buy Calcium Hypochlorite online in the UK

Uses of Boric Acid

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What is Boric Acid?

Boric acid (also known as boracic acid or orthoboric acid) is a naturally occurring compound containing the elements hydrogen, boron and oxygen (H3BO3). In nature, the element boron does not exist by itself. Boron is combined with other common elements, such as sodium to make salts like borax and with oxygen to make boric acid. Boron is considered to be an essential micronutrient for plants and perhaps humans. Boron in the diet most commonly comes from the boric acid naturally present in most foods. Fruits, vegetables, grains, and nuts are particularly high in boron. In fact, the average person eats between one to three milligrams of boron each day as part of a normal healthy diet. Boric acid also occurs naturally in water and soil.

Boric acid crystals are white, odourless, and nearly tasteless. It looks like fine table salt in the granular form or like baby powder in the powdered form. Borates (the general term associated with boron containing minerals such as borax and boric acid) most commonly originate in dried salt lake beds of deserts or in arid areas or other geographic regions that expose similar deposits

Uses of Boric Acid

  • Pharmaceuticals and Cosmetics: boric acid is a mild antiseptic as well as a mild acid that inhibits the growth of microorganisms on the external surfaces of the body.  It can also be used for minor cuts and burns. It is commonly used in contact lens solutions, eye disinfectants, vaginal remedies, baby powder, anti-aging preparations and similar external applications.
  • Nutritional Supplements: boric acid and other borates are increasingly being used in over-the counter nutritional supplements as a source of boron. It is thought that boron has a potential therapeutic value in promoting bone and joint health as well as having a limiting effect on arthritis symptoms. It is very important to note that the health effects of boric acid and boron-based supplements are based on very new studies and/or are based solely on the claims of the manufacturers’ of the supplements. It should not be implied that boric acid should be directly ingested as a supplement or for any other reason.
  • Flame Retardants: boric acid inhibits the release of combustible gases from burning cellulosic materials, such as wood, cotton, and paper-based products. Boric acid also releases chemically bonded water to further reduce combustion. A carbon char is formed that further inhibits combustion. Futons, mattresses, upholstered furniture, insulation, and gypsum board are common consumer items that use boric acid as a flame retardant. Plastics, textiles, specialty coatings, and other industrial products also contain boric acid to strengthen their ability to withstand exposure to flames.
  • Glass and Fibreglass: heat resistant, borosilicate, and other specialty glasses rely on boric acid and other similar borates to increase the chemical and temperature resistance of the glass. Halogen light bulbs, ovenware, microwavable glassware, laboratory glassware, and many everyday glass items are enhanced by the addition of boric acid. Boric acid also aids in the manufacture of fibreglass, which is used as insulation as well as in textile fibreglass (a fabric-like material commonly used in skis, circuit boards, and other similar applications).
  • Wood Preservatives: boric acid is a common source of boron compounds when used in the formulation of products that control fungus and insects. Fungi are plants that contain no chlorophyll and must have an outside source of food. Boron compounds inhibit the growth of fungus and have been demonstrated to be a reliable wood preservative. Similarly, boric acid is used in swimming pools and spas as a safer and “softer feeling” substitute for chlorine. Boric acid, borax, and other salts are commonly used to soften pool water and prevent contamination.
  • Pest Control: Boric acid is a natural and increasingly popular insect control product. Unlike hornet or ant sprays, boric acid does not kill bugs on contact using highly toxic chemicals. Rather, it acts as a desiccant that dehydrates many insects by causing tiny cracks or fissures in their exoskeletons. This eventually dries them out. The saltiness of boric acid also interferes with their very simple electrolytic metabolism.
  • Ear Wash for Dogs: Boric Acid can be mixed with vinegar, witch hazel and gentian violet to make an ear wash for dogs with a minor ear infection.

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Why is Methanol used as a petrol additive?

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Methanol , also known as methyl alcohol, carbinol, wood alcohol, wood naphtha or wood spirits, has the chemical formula CH3OH(often abbreviated MeOH). It is the simplest alcohol and is a light, volatile, colourless, flammable, toxic liquid with a distinctive odor that is very similar but slightly sweeter than ethanol. It is used as an antifreeze, solvent, fuel and as a denaturant for ethanol. It is also used for producing biodiesel via transesterfication reaction.

So, Why should you add it to your Petrol Tank ?
Well, the simple answer is there are 3 answers! It is used for 3 reasons…
* One is that some areas have restrictions on fuel due to the local pollution levels so it may be required to add it as it burns cleaner.
* Reason two is that many stations use it to help evaporate water that gets into the fuel storage tanks.

Reason three for adding Methanol to Petrolis that it is the best from the point of view of reducing Detonation, followed by Acetone and then Benzole in that order.

Methanol can be added in all proportions up to 100 percent, but as an additive limited to 10 percent will give an Octane increase of about 5 points. For example 98 Octane can be increased to 103, or looking at it another way, cheap fuel of say 91 Octane can, by the use of 10 percent Methanol, or approximately three quarters of a pint per gallon, will produce fuel of 96 Octane.