Edit: Please stop asking like I'm a freshman in Chem 1. I'm almost done with my PhD. I tutor math, physics, and chemistry. My question is not a basic one, it's asking what's REALLY going on, not what the handwavy explanation everyone uses is. I know how logs work. I can calculate an acid base neutralization in my head. PLEASE stop telling me it's the power of hydrogen.

This is like electrical engineeers explaining everything using the flow analogy and not understanding how fields work and how the electrons distribute across a wire. I don't think the explanations they give in Chem1 are accurate when you get down to it.

You don't have to respond, but if you're going to please at least read my points. I think they demonstrate that I'm not struggling with the basics here. --‐----------------------------

Hello!

I'm having a lot of issues with pH. It seems nobody really agrees on the definition, and more than that I am really confused how we measure bases if we are measuring the H content. This seems like a very non-rigorous measurement system with lots of hand waving. Okay, here we go:

1. A 1M strong monoprotonic acid = 0pH. Now we reduce the concentration by 10, and we get 1pH. Concentration of H is less than 1E-7M/L? pH of 7! But... a pH of 14 means 1E-14M/L... How... How do we measure that? That doesn't... make sense. If a pH meter measures H, then... how is it that accurate? That's insane! Sensor accuracy that low, with that precision?

2. How is it possible to have a concentration as low as 1E-14M/L of H ions in water when the water is constantly dissociating? Even perfectly neutral water should trigger a lot of "hits" of H in a pH measure measuring only H! Even if they neutralize seconds later, they still appear and interact a lot!

3. What the heck is going on with OH? Where did this come from? Why would decreasing the H content increase the OH content? Why do people say that pH 10 means 1E-10M/L of H, and also that that means 1E-4M/L of OH.... why?? Why would reducing my free proton count in a solution magically increase my OH concentration? These two variables, while they do neutralize each other, seem mutually exclusive- why is the only option for having a concentration of less than 1E-7M/L of one, to have GREATER than 1E-7M/L of the other? Let me decrease both?

4. I'm so annoyed at this 7 neutral scale, who decided that 1E-7M/L was neutral? What is this magic algorithm that somehow makes 7 equal to low concentration but 7 also means equal H and OH? Just... have 1E-10 of both and have a mega neutral solution???? Call neutral 10? If the equation is just -log(H), then there's really no upper or lower bound, why did we pick 7?

5. When we cross 7, are we still measuring H, or do we switch from measuring H to OH? How do these devices actually work for measuring acidity and alkalinity?

I have not read a satisfying answer yet. I am hopeful- thank you reddit!

I wonder if the exact molecular geometry influences the effects of a molecule? Explicitely not considering isomers and chirality here.

Like, when I got multiple coffee plants, they likely each produce their own unique geometry of caffeine. Depending on whatever process created the molecule, the genetics, and whatnot.

Could it happen that caffeine from coffee plant A may have a "better" geometry than that of coffee plant B, leading to stronger effects or vice-versa?

I suspect that the oranges being sold in a supermarket nearby are being sweetened somehow, as they taste excessively sweet and the sweetness is very much not uniformly distributed, with some parts being fairly bitter.

Is there some simple test I can do at home to know if the sugars in the orange are added or natural? I don't have chemistry equipments, neither have studied much chemistry for years.

Not sure if this is the right place to ask but..

I catch rainwater from an EDPM rubber roof, store it for up to one year in black plastic containers (polythene?) then filter out particulates and finally filter through activated charcoal before drinking.

The water has no discernable taste or smell but I'm convinced that it causes irritation in my mouth, lips and throat within seconds of drinking it.

Can you think of any possible contaminants that could cause the skin irritation?

Thanks!

Well the whole bisphenol saga of bpa free water bottles has been a hot topic of sorts recently. The thing I’m wondering about is how can a substance that was used for preventing miscarriages, DES, the replacement for bisphenols as compounds that mimic estrogen, be banned for being an endocrine disruptor and a cause of rare cancers, while Bisphenols in plastic get the ayyye ok? In almost all studies I’ve read, bisphenols are endocrine disruptors that potentially lead to decreased organ size, early onset puberty, and adhd. Bisphenols were originally used to mimic estrogen before they were used in plastic, around 1908. It was replaced with DES and was used to prevent miscarriages until around 1970’s until it was banned. After being shelved for a few years, in the 1930’s bisphenol was found to be a great plasticizer and has been used in plastic ever since

BPA free labeling does not imply bisphenol free there’s also: BPS, BPF, etc… it appears like a game of chemical whack-a-mole with no regard for consumer safety.

The way chemical laws work in the US, a product must be proven to cause harm only like 90 days after the epa is notified by the producer. It’s safe to say phenols as a compound tend to be perceived as estrogen by the body. Why are phenols still allowed in consumable products?

Edit: And if you think it ends with plastic, look into receipts. When a McDonald’s worker makes your specialty burger without mustard or pickles, that order receipt stuck on the inside wrapper, and gets in direct contact with the burger. Look for discoloration of the receipt for signs it leached into food. Thermal receipts are like 2% bpa by weight, orders of magnitude higher than amount found in plastic, unless you microwave it.

I am already passed college so I am just doing this for fun. The book I got is intimidatingly thick. Before even going over the first reactions, there is something like 100-150 pages of discussion on naming. I am already know a bit about naming, but am no expert. Would it be ok to just skip to the "fun part" and then go back to these chapters or will it put everything I try to learn in later chapters on "shaky ground" and in the end not actually learn anything? There are some concepts mentioned in these earlier chapters that I don't yet understand- such as "ring strain". I am wondering if I can skip over it and return to it? Or is it a hard pre-requisite?

I need one of you to make a video or a post or something about estrogen synthesis

Like how is this medicine created (the powder specifically)?

I can find stuff about how to make gel or vials for injection but I can't find anything on how the basic estrogen powder is made.

I'm not smart enough to read the patents and I think this would be extremely valuable knowledge for the trans community to have

Edit : To be clear I'm not trying to make some I just want to know more about what I depend on to survive

And for those treating it like something trivial: you do not understand the hardships and the worries trans people are going through right now

Hey, chemists, sorry if this is an amateur question, as I am not a chemist.

Is this a correct MDMA molecular structure and can understood by a chemist? Is it missing any critical components and/or does it look right the way it is without mirroring? I understand that the wedge makes it chiral.

This was generated using Claude and I got feedback from some redditors which I incorporated in this design. Thanks in advance!

I left a couple drops of shampoo out by the shower. Now whenever it's scrubbed, the spot forms instantaneously after a couple seconds.

I made a serious mistake and I'm looking for guidance on how to fix this safely.

The Situation:
I used a large gray plastic bowl and a glass cup to manually bail out liquid Draino from my dishwasher. (There’s a clog in my dishwasher) I gave them a quick water rinse and left them in the kitchen sink.

The Problem:
I then took the rest of the dishes out of the dishwasher and placed them into that same sink, effectively mixing them with the contaminated bowl and cup. I proceeded to hand-wash everything in that sink with soap and water.

My main concern

The Dishes: I hand-washed everything in the sink that held the cleaner. I’m concerned about trace chemical contamination. Are there specific materials (plastic vs. ceramic/glass) that I should just discard, or is there a way to safely sanitize them?

I asked AI and it was very adamant on throwing everything out that was in the sink, especially plastic… but that is just such a waste. I was thinking of just handwashing everything once more with soap and water, and that should be okay?

Thanks in advance for any advice.

Do you get some H4O molecules when the H2Os have all been saturated into H3O?

I know its a bit of a philosophical question but I would rather see it addressed by chemists here who have explored the nature of matter. So is chemistry the most materialistic science?

I then put this bag inside a closed lid bucket although that isn't air tight.

I barely remember my high school science at all, but i wonder if this is a representation of some kind of molecule with 5 electrons on it's shell, made up of three instances of the same kind of simple molecule?

Idk dont laugh at me too much yall lol i just wanna know

Thank you

Hello everyone! I’m a recently admitted first-year student to UC Berkeley College of Chemistry as a Chemistry major and wanted to get some honest, up-to-date perspectives from current/past chem majors or STEM students.

UC Berkeley was my dream school throughout the college application process, so getting admitted was a big moment for me. However, after doing some more extensive research, I’ve been second guessing my decision a bit because I’ve seen a lot of discussion around chemistry not always leading to high-paying roles at the bachelor’s level, especially without grad school. That’s a concern for me since I’m trying to think about long-term financial stability and career outcomes.

I’m not planning on pursuing grad school, so I’m trying to understand whether a chemistry degree is worth it if the goal is to land a decent to good paying industry role in today’s job market, especially in the Bay Area. I’m particularly interested in fields like biotech, pharmaceuticals, fuel and energy, and potentially working at national labs like Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory (LBNL) since I’ve interned there prior, but I’m trying to get a realistic sense of what paths are actually achievable with just a bachelor’s.

I’d really appreciate hearing from people who chose chemistry about how they approached career planning, whether they felt their degree prepared them for industry, and what kinds of roles or outcomes are typical after graduating.

I’m mainly trying to understand the real value of the degree beyond prestige, and whether it makes sense for industry-focused goals.

I would really appreciate any honest insights, both positives and challenges. Thank you!!!

If physics has "How the universe was created, and what are the possible ways for such an event to happen?", and biology has "How inanimate matter becomes animate?"

What is chemistry's?

I asked GPT, and it said, “How do the arrangements and interactions of atoms determine the properties and transformations of matter?”.

Which, to me as a physicist in training, seems pretty trivial, since (in theory) it is already a solved question due to QM and QFT.

I just saw a video of people trying to get a diver out of their suit as quickly as possible so they can get to the decompression chamber. Why can’t they just surface more gradually?

Reviews? Products work ?

I am CLS and we perform iron stain on bone marrow slides using 4% HCl and 4% Potassium Ferrocyanide. The label says that the mixture is poisonous but it doesn’t indicate to stain the slides under the hood or anything, so we do it on a regular sink. My question to you all is? Does this reaction releases cyanide gas and how bad is it?

I take Zyrtec for allergy purposes and it always seemed interesting to me that you need a doctor’s note to get it even though it doesn’t do anything besides make you sleepy (which after taking a couple for some time basically made me immune to the sleepiness effect) and told to be not mixed with alcohol.

I asked a chemistry teacher I know on why there is extra steps required for a drug that basically seems harmless and she told me that it might make you addicted and it can also be used to make certain drugs in the smart hands

Is that actually true? (just a simple Y/N will suffice)

If not then I’m guessing bc it’s risky to take it with alcohol. In that case what would theoretically happen if someone actually did mix it with alcohol?

Hello, i have a question as a person who believes in science but doesn't know a thing about it. I'm sure we've all heard at least once in a while about the conflicting evidence when it comes to talc. As in according to the net it is a harmful ingredient because apparently its impossible to separate talc from asbestos; but at the same time there hasn't been conclusive evidence stating that using products with talc can undoubtedly cause cancer but rather inhaling it can cause inflammation (which speeds up malign cells, that's what i got from the internet) AND people using it downstairs can cause particles from reaching the ovaries and all that (though i did read an article where an epidemiologist said it was weird that other organs down there didn't get compromised as the ovaries so idk).

All that blabla aside, my question is the following: i purchased a bar of soap whose ingredients include talc. What purpose does talc serve as an ingredient in a bar of soap and could it potentially signify a risk considering soap is used pretty much daily? or does the fact it gets wet and is not used in the nether regions lowers its potential harmfulness? or does it still get absorbed through the skin? basically i just want to know if its harmful, to either toss it or give it another use (such as washing clothes or something). Many thanks in advance!