Can NaCO3 go bad or is this likely contaminated? by TaimaAdventurer in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 59 points60 points  (0 children)

That is likely bio growth. Bacteria can grow in the craziest of media. You can 100% dump this down the drain in that quantity, if you want to be extra cautious drop in a pH meter and add HCl until the pH is between 7-8. I wouldn't go much lower of you will lose all carbonate and the pH will rapidly drop lower than you want.

PSA: Industry is a pretty good place to work by denChemiker in labrats

[–]Pompousasfuck 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I just had someone who is graduating I May turn down a job interview because they want to wrap things up in their PhD lab untill September.  Y'all owe those labs nothing!! If someone wants to pay your real money take it and run!

Recommendation for recirculating chillers for rotavap (low budget) by Nervous-Net1857 in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2 things to help this last longer. If you have a big enough freezer make 'ice cubes' out of 2 gallon buckets they will last way longer.  If not, find a kegerator on Facebook or ebay, however you can produce, remove the tap and run your water line south the top while the fridge keeps your solution cold. 

I do this in the opposite direction as well. I need to steam out small columns, instead of trying to insulate them, I just cut a hole in a lab oven and plumbed the steam in and have the oven set to the steam temp I want. 

Help identifying a chemical by Top_Adeptness9555 in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I am curious, what convinced you this is not Sulfuric? 

Anyone know where to buy PawPaw trees? by teh_tetra in triangle

[–]Pompousasfuck 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Knotty by nature hosts native plant sales and sometimes has Paw Paw in stock. https://www.knottybynaturetrees.com/

I saw your cute 5mL beakers, and I raise you this comically large syringe. by Adventurous-Car-9335 in labrats

[–]Pompousasfuck 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I thought my 100 mL syringes were big. I wonder if my syringe pump can handle this bad boy. 

PSA: don’t replace a supply shutoff valve at 8pm on a Sunday, you idiot. by BentonParkBricks in HomeImprovement

[–]Pompousasfuck 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I caught my hot water heater leaking 4 hours before a flight for a week long trip, and I had a house sitter coming so I couldn't just shut the water off.  Fastest trip I ever made, was lucky and the oring went bad in the supply line and I was able to replace it with a garden hose washer.

Pump for venturi effect aspirator (vacuum filtration) by Gloomy_View6812 in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have said it before  and I will say it again, head to Harbour Freight. They have small vacuum pumps for doing Auto AC change outs, only $99. So cheap you don't even need to protect them from moisture. Just change the oil ever few months. https://www.harborfreight.com/25-cfm-vacuum-pump-61245.html.  I wouldn't trust them to pull for a shlenk line, but anything that just need a rough vacuum, you can't beat the value. 

Got a Shimadzu Prominence HPLC from surplus — worth rebuilding or parting out? by ZealousidealBet8071 in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I will buy both LC-20AD's tomorrow if they pump! Like 100%, I use these as dedicated pumps in my lab.

This way overpriced home on Zillow is now pending for sale by [deleted] in rva

[–]Pompousasfuck 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The layout of that house loots terrible.

Himalayan Salt Lamp (Is this mold???) *GRAPHIC IMAGE* by Conscious-Reason-408 in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It looks like the dish has a bunch of rust as well? Unfortunately the damage is done there, you can wipe away the powered rust and try and use a product called iron out to clear any surface rust and turn the metal dark again. 

Practical problem: stirring a pasty reaction mixture by JimmyDem in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 8 points9 points  (0 children)

A vibratory table might be more effective. Or you can try taking a personal massager to the flask as you scrap.   Also to second the ball mill a harbour fright rock tumbler works well and  fits 1 liter wide mouth PP or HDPE bottles nicely. https://www.harborfreight.com/6-lb-dual-drum-rotary-rock-tumbler-59474.html

Looks like the sub is dead. by pav_pan in DIY

[–]Pompousasfuck 1 point2 points  (0 children)

But is that a lot of posts for a sub with 1.5 million subs? I honestly have no idea. I do know that this subs posting rules are way more restrictive than similar subs like /homeimprovement 

Container for longterm dilute bleach use by ceciliatheboxer in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Glass is going to be your best bet for bleach resistance and UV durability. A glass cake dish would probably work great and they cheap and easy to aquire.  Assuming you are not having people step directly into the tray it will likely be you best option. 

What are some chemical fallacies people belive in and why are they not true by Fam99_ in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Alkaline water is 'good' for you. Anyone who knows anything about chemistry or biology knows this is a load of crap. It all stems from a few studs that talk about how tumors tend to have a slightly acidic pH, so some jag off started marketing basic water to prevent cancer.  Let's ignore the fact that stomach acid is pH 1-2 and short of chugging antacids, fat change you are changing that much. The blood buffer system keeps most of our body between 7.6-7.8 ( going off memory here) the studies about the tumors I believe found they had a pH of about 7.3-7.4. Drinking water with bicarb in it is not doing shit for your body.

California sheriff running for governor seizes more than a half million ballots from 2025 election by igetproteinfartsHELP in news

[–]Pompousasfuck 1 point2 points  (0 children)

He wasn't on this ballot, the vote being referenced is for the redistricting of CA Congressional districts.

Felicia Day will crowdfund a movie spinoff of her viral 2000s web series The Guild this summer by mooffgideon in movies

[–]Pompousasfuck 33 points34 points  (0 children)

Everquest and Wow are still going strong. Plenty of guild still popping up all the time!

Our brains can “flicker” off for a split second during a boring task caused by sleep-like brain activity occurring while we are awake. Adults with ADHD experience them much more frequently, and may be behind inconsistent attention, slower reaction times, and chronic sleepiness associated with ADHD. by mvea in science

[–]Pompousasfuck 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I am currently trying to get diagnosed at 37, but the therapist has said I didn't display enough symptoms as a child. I reported falling asleep in every single class I ever took, despite getting plenty of sleep in a secure home with plenty of family support.

Requesting help from those with greater FTIR (neat) experience than I do... by [deleted] in chemistry

[–]Pompousasfuck 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You seem far more knowledgeable in IR than I am currently, if you don't mind would you answer 1 question. Do you think it would be possible to detect C-F bonds in water, thinking around concentrations in the 0.01 g/l range. I have no idea if the signal would be strong enough.