/oss/taxonomy/term/1984/all en /oss/article/history-general-science/acetone-horse-chestnuts-and-weizmann-institute <p>There were no video games. There was no Internet. TV had not yet been invented. So in the early 1900s, British children played “conkers.” This is perhaps best described as an early form of “Survivor.” The winner was the player whose conker survived the longest in battles with other conkers. So what was a conker? A horse chestnuts tied to a string which could be swung around and smashed into an opponent’s chestnut. Competitions were fierce and winning nuts highly prized. Apparently, though, some resourceful players didn’t play cricket. They cheated. Chemically!</p> Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:14:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9904 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/there-more-acetone-removing-nail-polish <p>Say acetone, and what comes to a chemist’s mind? Washing laboratory glassware is a good bet. Actually, the prime use of acetone is to produce polymethyl methacrylate, better known as Plexiglas. Much of the five million tons of acetone produced annually in the world goes towards satisfying the hunger for Plexiglas. Skylights, light fixtures, automobile parts, furniture, pediatric incubators, hockey rinks, fish tanks, medical implants, household appliances, and of course, all those dividers we have seen during the COVID pandemic are all made of this material.</p><p> </p> Wed, 02 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz Phd 9283 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-did-you-know-general-science/what-makes-perfect-polish <p>I got my nails done for my convocation ceremony. My friends and I were greeted with a number of options: basic, shellac, acrylic… not to mention the selection of colours we had to choose from as well. But the quest for a perfect manicure has far preceded last Wednesday afternoon.</p> Fri, 15 Jul 2022 11:00:00 +0000 Cat Wang 9175 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/acetone-free-nail-polish-removers <p>Some nail polish removers are advertised as containing no acetone. These products use ethyl acetate as the solvent because it has less of a tendency to dehydrate and discolour nails. Dehydration is a problem because when nails lose moisture they become brittle. The disadvantage of non-acetone nail polish removers is that they take more time to remove the polish. But investing the time pays dividends.</p> Sat, 20 May 2017 22:49:49 +0000 OSS 2460 at /oss /oss/article/controversial-science-environment-news/triacetone-triperoxide <p>We have become familiar with the routine at airports. Your carry-on bags are passed through an x-ray machine after which an officer will often wipe your bag with a piece of fabric which is then placed inside a box-like instrument. Within a few seconds you get the all-clear signal and you are on your way to the gate. How many travelers get handcuffs instead of an all-clear isn’t known because those stats are not released. What do these instruments actually do? When luggage is bombarded with x-rays, some of the rays pass through and some do not, depending on what they encounter.</p> Fri, 06 May 2016 08:33:08 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2336 at /oss