/oss/taxonomy/term/2196/all en /oss/article/critical-thinking-health-and-nutrition/waxing-lyrical-about-fruit-wax <p>Apparently Snow White's wicked stepmother knew something about chemistry and toxicology. She brewed up a remarkable poison to put the anemic young lady into a state of suspended animation. But how to get her to ingest it? Who, thought the evil queen, could resist a bright, shiny apple? Certainly not Snow White. And you know the rest of the story. </p> Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:15:59 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10042 at /oss /oss/article/student-contributors-you-asked-general-science/candles-what-do-they-emit-when-lit <p>The <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120517112023/http:/www.candles.org/about_history.html">use of candles dates back</a> as far as 3,000 B.C., when ancient Egyptians used papyrus reeds dipped in animal fat that they then lit to use as torches. Similarly, ancient Romans dipped wicks into tallow, a rendered form of animal fat, to create another early form of the candle. Other components of candles include plants, insects, seeds and nuts which have been identified in Chinese, Japanese and Indian civilizations.</p> Fri, 25 Jun 2021 17:25:23 +0000 Cat Wang 8770 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/what-difference-between-regular-candles-and-dripless-candles <p>Candles are one of the oldest forms of generating light. Any flame, of course, is a source of light so candles emerged from a search for materials that could burn for a long time. Nobody knows who first noted that beeswax, beef tallow or spermaceti from whales burned well, but it would not have been a difficult thing to notice. Countless people must have observed that the fatty parts of animals when cooked would sometimes catch fire.</p> Fri, 29 Mar 2019 15:56:43 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7675 at /oss /oss/article/videos/right-chemistry-chemistry-shoe-polish <p><div class="media-youtube-video media-element file-default media-youtube-1"> <iframe class="media-youtube-player" id="media-youtube-5qibf3tjed8" width="640" height="390" title="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the chemistry of shoe polish" src="https://www.youtube-nocookie.com/embed/5QIbF3tjEd8?wmode=opaque&controls=&enablejsapi=1&modestbranding=1&playerapiid=media-youtube-5qibf3tjed8&origin=https%3A//www.mcgill.ca&rel=0" name="Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the chemistry of shoe polish" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen>Video of Dr. Joe Schwarcz on the chemistry of shoe polish</iframe> </div> </p> Fri, 09 Nov 2018 19:18:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 7442 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/luminescent-chemistry-lava-lamps <p><span>If you think back to the 60’s and 70’s your memories are probably illuminated by a lamp filled with swirling globs of colourful goop that really </span><a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/arts-culture/the-history-of-the-lava-lamp-21201966/">didn’t shed much light at all</a>.</p> <p><span>Lava lamps were </span><a href="https://patents.google.com/patent/US3570156">invented</a> in 1963 by a British accountant, Edward Craven-Walker, and marketed under the name Astro Lamps. The name might have changed since then, but the chemistry largely hasn’t.</p> Thu, 19 Jul 2018 16:54:28 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7177 at /oss /oss/article/you-asked/why-do-they-spray-wax-apples-0 <p>Pick an apple off a tree, buff it a little and it will shine! That’s because the fruit is coated with a layer of natural wax that protects it from drying out and helps to prevent fungi from getting a foothold. The wax is a mixture of up to fifty different compounds, most of which fall into the chemical category known as esters. There are also alcohols like heptacosanol and malol as well as hydrocarbons such as triacontane, C30H62. This compound can also be isolated from petroleum and is sometimes applied to fruit to supplement its natural wax.</p> Sat, 03 Dec 2016 07:35:14 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2358 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/what-are-ear-candles <p>Ear candles are regularly promoted by alternative health suppliers and have been getting quite the hype from the media even though there is no evidence to suggest they have any real benefit. The idea behind the “treatment” is that one of these special wax candles is inserted into the ear and then lit. This produces cleaning vapours that penetrate the inner ear and remove impurities and wax, drawing them out by the suction that is allegedly created by lighting the candle.</p> Tue, 21 Feb 2017 16:20:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 1506 at /oss