/oss/taxonomy/term/925/all en /oss/article/covid-19-health/what-wont-protect-you-covid-19 <hr /> <p>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-what-wont-protect-you-from-covid-19">The Montreal Gazette.</a></p> <hr /> <p>In the early days of the pandemic, one of the big worries was the possibility that COVID-19 could survive and be spread by inanimate objects. This idea of fomite transmission led many to disinfect their groceries, put their mail in quarantine for three days before opening it, and worry excessively about touching any physical surface.</p> Fri, 16 Apr 2021 21:47:54 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8705 at /oss /oss/article/covid-19-health/how-long-does-covid-virus-live-surfaces <p> </p> <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in</em><span> </span><a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/christopher-labos-how-long-does-the-covid-virus-live-on-surfaces">The Montreal Gazette<span>.</span></a></p> Wed, 14 Oct 2020 19:38:05 +0000 Christopher Labos MD, MSc 8447 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-technology/did-you-know-some-bacteria-can-eat-cleaning-products <p>Have you ever noticed the message on the front of a Lysol bottle: “Kills 99.9% of viruses and bacteria”?</p> Fri, 01 Feb 2019 17:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean B.Sc. 7562 at /oss /oss/article/general-science-history/cream-tartar <p>Cream of tartar is close to the heart of any organic chemist because the study of this compound by Louis Pasteur in 1848 was pivotal in leading to the understanding of the three dimensional structure of molecules.  It is a byproduct of winemaking and remains behind as a sediment after fermentation.  In chemical terms, it is potassium hydrogen tartrate which is basically partially neutralized tartaric acid.  Pasteur became interested in the chemistry of winemaking and launched into a study of tartaric acid and its various salts.  He found that sodium ammonium tartrate which he prepared from </p> Mon, 06 Nov 2017 18:19:33 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6808 at /oss /oss/article/general-science-you-asked/can-baking-soda-really-absorb-odors-fridge <p><span>Smells of course are caused by volatile compounds which stimulate receptors in our nose. There is a large variety of such compounds with a great diversity of molecular structures. But many of the smells encountered in the fridge are due to volatile fatty acids. For example, when butter goes rancid, it releases butyric acid, a particularly foul smell. As everyone knows, acids can be neutralized by bases. Baking soda, or sodium bicarbonate, is a base. It reacts with butyric acid to form sodium butyrate which has no smell because it is not volatile.</span></p> Mon, 30 Oct 2017 16:55:40 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 6802 at /oss /oss/article/household-products-you-asked/you-asked-why-sodium-sulphite-added-laundry-and-dish-washing-detergents <p>Sodium sulphite is not added for cleaning purposes, at least not as far as the laundry is concerned.</p> Fri, 03 Jan 2014 19:55:30 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 2056 at /oss /oss/article/environment-toxicity/art-mixing <p><a href="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/?p=4645"><img alt="clorox" height="150" src="http://blogs.mcgill.ca/oss/files/2013/03/clorox1-150x150.gif" width="150" /></a>Chemistry is all about mixing things. But you have to know what you are doing. A lady was complaining to a neighbor about an infestation of mice in her house. The well-meaning friend had a suggestion. Mix some toilet bowl cleaner with bleach in a container and leave the concoction in the house overnight. Guaranteed to get rid of the mice, she said. But she neglected to say that it could get rid of the human inhabitants as well. Permanently. Chemically speaking, bleach is a solution of sodium or calcium hypochlorite. When mixed with any acid, it releases highly toxic chlorine gas. Most toilet bowl cleaners contain sodium hydrogen sulfate, an acid which will quickly liberate chlorine from bleach. The acrid fumes of chlorine can destroy lung tissue, cause the lungs to fill with water and in a sense cause death by drowning. Chlorine gas was of course used for this purpose in World War I. Our mouse-fearing lady almost suffered the same fate as did the French troops at Ypres at the hands of the Germans. Luckily her neighbor looked in to see how the experiment was going and saved her just as she was about to pass out. Not every victim of this mixture turns out to be so lucky. Many who have poured bleach into a toilet bowl following an unsuccessful attempt to remove stains with a commercial cleaner have suffered permanent lung damage and some have died. No acid must ever be mixed with chlorine bleach. This includes acidic drain cleaners, rust removers and even vinegar.   Joe Schwarcz</p> Wed, 13 Mar 2013 15:29:02 +0000 emily.shore@mcgill.ca 1900 at /oss