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Bourgeonal Odour

10 May 2017

Bourgeonal is an aromatic aldehyde used in perfumery with a fragrance resembling that of the Lily of the Valley.  What’s so special about this fragrance? It is secreted by the ovum within the...

Sperm whale perfume

10 May 2017

Sperm whales produce a black, smelly substance called ambergris which changes to a pleasant smell when exposed to air. It is rare and expensive but is used as a base in some perfumes. Ambergris...

Should I Be Worried About My Earphones?

9 May 2017

Such warnings have become ubiquitous as a result of California’s Proposition 65, a well-intentioned law that has gone haywire and has caused undue anxiety among consumers. The intent was to protect...

The Dirt on Laundry Balls

27 Apr 2017

As you can imagine, the ad caught my eye.  “Earth Smart Laundry CD works on the principles of quantum physics, not chemistry.” I had to have it. So I sent in my sixty dollars and waited. A couple...

Frankenstein’s Chemical Roots

20 Apr 2017

"I collected the instruments of life around me, that I might infuse a spark of being into the lifeless thing that lay at my feet."  With these words Victor Frankenstein began his account of the...

Math behind the movies

6 Apr 2017

I remember back in high school math class, wondering aloud (to the teacher, no less- I was not shy) why I needed to take math. I was absolutely certain that I would never be entering a profession...

Microwave Confusion

5 Apr 2017

The scientists working at the Raytheon Company during World War II were undoubtedly highly stressed.  Britain was being attacked by Nazi warplanes and their task was to develop an electronic system...

Microfiber may not be a microproblem

4 Apr 2017

The advertisement for the jacket was particularly seductive because of the claim that it was made from recycled plastic bottles. I have long criticized the excessive use of such bottles, especially...

The Right Chemistry: Monkeying around with 'Sea-Monkeys'

3 Apr 2017

Back in the 1960s, I was a big fan of comic books, especially Superman. The back page often featured an ad promising that for just $1.25 one could “own a bowlful of happiness, filled with...

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