/oss/taxonomy/term/2851/all en /oss/article/contributors-technology-environment/dry-water-lets-whet-your-appetite-some-science <p>The poem, “My country”, by Dorothea MacKellar, is recited by every preschooler in Australia. One line is of particular relevance: </p> <p style="text-align:center"><em>“A land of droughts and flooding rains”. </em></p> Fri, 01 Dec 2023 19:00:10 +0000 Ben Selinger FRACI, CChem 9747 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-history/did-you-know-breadboxes-really-did-help-keep-bread-fresh <p>Let’s play 20 questions!</p> <p>#1- Is it larger than a breadbox?</p> <p>Wait, what is (was?) a breadbox? Why did people put their bread in boxes?</p> <p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Breadbox" target="_blank">Breadboxes</a>, or “bread bins” for our friends across the pond, were quite popular until fairly recently. They serve to keep bread at a cool, constant temperature, keep the mice away, and help keep the bread from going stale.</p> Fri, 11 Jan 2019 17:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean BSc. 7531 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know/those-silica-gel-packs-you-toss-out-are-filled-deliquescent-chemicals <p><span>When you buy a new pair of shoes or stereo you probably encounter, and subsequently toss out, lots of little packets bearing the warning ‘Do Not Eat’ filled with silica gel. Did you know though, that those packs are filled with deliquescent chemicals? </span><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygroscopy#Deliquescence">Deliquescent materials</a><span> are those that absorb moisture from the air, to the point that, if allowed, they will absorb water until they are dissolved in solution.</span></p> Tue, 21 Nov 2017 17:45:44 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 6827 at /oss