this post was submitted on 22 May 2024
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Science Memes

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Salt :) (mander.xyz)
submitted 5 months ago by [email protected] to c/[email protected]
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[–] [email protected] 150 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

You can apply this same logic to basically all of chemistry:

H: explosive, the main ingredient in stars

O: literally the reason fire is a thing, causes rust and kills cells via free radicals

H2O: I'm so wet, UwU

[–] [email protected] 43 points 5 months ago (3 children)

But we all know there's nothing more dangerous than dihydrogen monoxide.

[–] [email protected] 34 points 5 months ago (4 children)

Everyone who has come in contact with that stuff will die.

[–] TIMMAY 7 points 5 months ago

this trope is never not funny to me lol

[–] undergroundoverground 5 points 5 months ago

Its also an industrial solvent and its used by nuclear reactors!

[–] [email protected] 3 points 5 months ago

I haven’t died yet

That is an unproven hypothesis

[–] [email protected] 6 points 5 months ago

100% of corpses are found with traces of this deadly forever chemical. its the secret big brother doesn't want you to know about.

[–] SpaceNoodle 3 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Not nearly as much so as oxidane

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

Its an ideal solvent

[–] Reddfugee42 23 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Remind your "crunchy" aunt about this when she starts talking about mercury in vaccines

[–] Aceticon 17 points 5 months ago (1 children)

One was heavilly charged and hence angry.

The other was also heavilly charged (the other way around) and hence angry.

Together they have just the right charge and hence are both chill.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago

Then; "Somebody...."

[–] [email protected] 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

OP discovered electrons

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Tell me more please.

Like what the little electron dudes doing here to make wonderful salt out of these gnarly chemicals.

[–] [email protected] 12 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Electrons are the currency of exchange between atoms essentially, except when they make a transaction they're "bound" (not by a contract even though I want to say that to continue the metaphor lol) to one another.

The giving or receiving of an electron can cause a large release of energy so when Na is on its own it has the capacity to make a transaction that will result in some release of energy, if the transaction is already completed (as in salt) then the capacity to react is reduced greatly as the available electrons are now being "used."

In the case of Cl, as with other elements like Arsenic, they can react with molecules in your body that really needed a different atom to fit, but Cl is also able to take that space. Since it wasn't the atom that was needed for that bodily function it can cause issues (death) as it won't be working "as intended."

I'm not an expert, just an idiot factory worker, but pretty much all reactions are the interaction of electrons between atoms.

[–] [email protected] 8 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Thank you for this. It really does help and the analogy was very cool.

I will add that you’re not just a stupid factory worker. You’re contributing to society and however you do that, you definitely have an impact on people’s lives; no matter how small.

Also, you’ve got at least some knowledge of chemistry and I’d hazard a guess that this isn’t the only topic.

[–] [email protected] 7 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Thanks for the kind words! I love to explain things I'm interested in so I'm glad it was helpful. I tend to be a bit hard on myself because my interests dont align with my capacities lol

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

Hey, I am the same kind hard on myself but I’m full of praise and encouragement for other people.

I think you can do anything you put your mind to, within logical reason.

Take me. Never went to university, never bothered at school. Spent decades getting stoned. Got hooked on Xanax and contemplating ending it all. Working dead end jobs to get by etc.

Got lucky and got hired Apple retail and trained for the GB. They encouraged growth and outside of work I did a few boot camps as I’d always loved coding. Used Apples healthcare to get diagnosed with ADHD and life kind of made more sense knowing I wasn’t actually broken. I’m now 40 and just about to hit one year as a software developer.

I am not special or particularly smart. I just have an unwavering curiosity and a desire to learn new things. I’m two weeks of the weed now and just trying to find myself now I don’t get stoned all the time.

It’s helps to be medicated as I still don’t think I’ll ever be happy, but really you can do anything with a little luck along the way.

Edit: Not sure why I unloaded half of this.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago (1 children)

I appreciate you sharing it anyway as it's partially a mirror of myself honestly: apple retail (like 15 years ago) weed and all lol. Maybe I should consider seeking an adhd diagnosis as well.

Hope everything continues on this positive trend for you!

[–] [email protected] 4 points 5 months ago

If you think you have things that align then you should do it, it is life changing.

Check out HealthyGamerGG on YouTube for more information, psychologist with a lot of ADHD content. Actually just makes you understand yourself a lot to be honest.

[–] ParabolicMotion 14 points 5 months ago (1 children)

Technically Cl2 is the deadly gas. It only exists in diatomic form when it isn’t bonded with another atom, or molecule.

[–] Ziglin 9 points 5 months ago

I think it's more deadly as atomic chlorine. I'm basing this on how reactive atomic oxygen is.

[–] niktemadur 8 points 5 months ago

Keeping each other's electrons busy, for your pleasure and nourishment... and yes, sometimes abuse.

[–] [email protected] 5 points 5 months ago* (last edited 5 months ago) (1 children)

The Combination with water is also pretty nice:

HCl (Hydrochloric Acid - Very dangerous) NaOH (Caustic Soda - Also very dangerous)

Combine to literal Saltwater (H2O and NaCl).

Interestingly, because the reaction goes both ways, in any amount of salt water, there will be a miniscule amount of Hydrochloric Acid and Caustic Soda. The concentration is so low because they immediately react again, going back to water and salt.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 5 months ago

It's the OH- and H+ (or H3O+) ions that make the acid and base react the way we think about them. You don't need salt for those to form spontaneously in water. Pure water will do it too. But there are many molecules in even a small volume of water, and the average behavior at pH 7 is such that you won't get acid or alkaline burns.

[–] snekerpimp 4 points 5 months ago

One of the necessary crystals you must ingest or your muscles and brain start misfiring.

[–] Taalen 3 points 5 months ago

Also ammonium chloride. So delicious.

[–] [email protected] 1 points 5 months ago

I have to remind people of this whenever there's an EV fire and they freak out that water is used to put it out.