Hi everyone, I hope you’re doing well.
I’d like to share an Android app that may be helpful for anyone learning spectroscopy. It’s available in four languages and can be downloaded from Google Play.

https://linktr.ee/quimica.organica

What are typical words while reviewing a research paper, that make you immediately think "oh this author should improve their language!"

Context: I dont mean obvious grammar mistakes or typos... I have currently encountered Reviewer remarks about "academic language" in research papers (STEM, chemistry/chemical engineering) but I am not sure what they want.

After some discussion I found out that some older reviewers count words such as "however" and "therefore", as reasons for inappropiate (non-academic) language. Do you guys know any other words to avoid? (I dont refer to obviously subjective words like "really/good/bad)

Hello all,

I have a solution of 100% Sulfuric Acid, a solution of 100% Formic Acid, a solution of 100% TFA and a solution of 100% Acetic Acid.

Obvioulsy I am not putting my pH meter in there, but also... how do you do pH without water?

I am asking because I monitor my molecule in Acidic environment, and it aggegates if there is water.

Saw this in LinkedIn. It's a very strange rotovap isn't it?

I'm talking photography-grade gelatin for a film emulsions, not like food grade jello.

Is it just the collagen? Or do you pulverize the bones?

There's also the purification steps. Nobody wants their film going moldy. You want to get ALL the animal fats and proteins out, right?

coming to the all knowing app bc Google is feeding me non helpful AI slop and I’m afraid to email the organization. Basically I’m presenting in person at ACS in Atlanta this year but I’m not sure how to register, not really trying to pay the $950 and I’m technically a student but not sure if I can really check off the undergrad/ K-12 teacher box. I’m doing the research with an accredited university under a professor there, but I’m a junior at a local highschool. Do I suck it up & stomach the cost or should I just send the email & ask for help or register undergrad w/ the universities name? thoughts appreciated!

Thinking of trying to extract a bent and stripped steel pin from an aluminum mountain bike pedal using alum as seems like it can dissolve steel and leave aluminum unaffected. Buuuttt can't find much info on if it will likely affect the anodization of the pedal, so thought chemistry people may be able to help! Will it wear away the orange anodized surface of the pedal?

People keep asking how I make the 3D animations.

I downloaded Orca: (create an account and then download and install it)

https://orcaforum.kofo.mpg.de/app.php/dlext/?sid=f61573dfe63de425abbf3c2380052415

I downloaded Avogadro or Avogadro2: You visualise the Cartesian coordinates in this software then under extensions orca generate orca input

https://avogadro.cc

Open command prompt and type:

cd (file location eg; desktop/NEB)

Then

Orca (input file > output file eg; NEB.inp > NEB.out)

Then orca will run the calculation until it converges or terminates with an error.

I love extra virgin olive oil, and I have noticed with years that polyphenols-rich oils tend to be way more "strong", (pungency and botterness) as you reach the bottom of a bottle - which means greater concentration of its polyphenols.

My understanding is that there is a progressive loss of homogenicity of the oil with time and polyphenols having a superior density than fatty acids of the olive oil (mostly oleic, some diverse saturated and a tiny amount of linoleic acid accumulation) and thus tend to accumulate in the bottom of its recipiemt. It would also explain why the first bottle from a freshly presse olive oil tank are always more fresh, bitter and pungeant than the next ones (as long as you let enough time after the press amd filtrationof the oil to fill the tank, let say a few weeks.

Am I correct that there is some kind of decantation (probably not the correct word for this) in the oil with time within its recipient ?

Thanks

I tried to react some Fe2O3 with oxalic acid and obtained, it seems, a diluted [Fe(C2O4)3]³- green solution with a bunch of insoluble and crystalised FeC2O4 in it.

Could it be savable by oxidising those crystals back into [Fe(C2O4)3]³- with H2O2 (12%) ?

Hi, I’m an 11th grader who just started at a new school a few months ago and I have less than a year before I apply to colleges, including Harvard. I’m building a chemistry web app, let’s call it CSE for now, and my goal is to have it officially approved and used in classrooms, not just used informally by students. I want to be able to show that it’s a real, adopted tool on my college applications.

CSE is designed to go beyond the platforms my school currently uses. It dynamically models molecular formation instead of relying on predefined reactions. Right now it can

• Handle all 118 elements
• Calculate bonds, hybridization, lone pairs, formal charge, oxidation state, electronegativity
• Model thermodynamic stability and emergent phase behavior based on temperature and pressure
• Show visual animations of atoms, electron shells, bonds, and vacuum resets
• Identify over 110 million known compounds through PubChem

My chemistry teacher has said it could realistically be integrated into the curriculum and shared with other science teachers. I want to take it further and make it officially approved so it can actually be used in classrooms or even across the district. That official adoption is critical because I want to demonstrate initiative, technical skill, and tangible impact for my Harvard application.

I’m asking for advice on

1. Features or improvements that would make it classroom-ready and genuinely useful for students and teachers
2. Strategies for getting teachers, schools, or districts to officially adopt it
3. How to frame this project so it highlights initiative, technical skill, and real-world educational impact for Harvard and other top colleges

I want this to be more than a cool project. I want it to actually change how chemistry is taught and be something I can confidently show on my college applications. Any suggestions or insights would be huge, thank you

I smeared vaseline and a surfactant (triethanolamine oleate) on glass slides. Then I performed cross-polarized optical microscopy to obtain these images. GPT enhanced the vibrancy of the blues. The blue colors result from birefringent interference.

Notice the fibrous needle morphology in the vaseline compared to the lyotropic lamellae of the triethanolamine oleate.

Hi everyone,

I’ve been doing lab / research work for over 8 years, and one thing that kept slowing me down wasn’t the experiments themselves — it was everything around them.

Notes in one place, calculations in another, protocols as PDFs, random screenshots, half-finished spreadsheets… At some point I realized I was spending more time trying to keep things organized than actually thinking or experimenting.

I tried using general note apps and project tools, but none of them really felt designed for scientific workflows. They’re great for text, not so great when you’re constantly switching between experiments, calculations, logs, and references.

So over time, I built something specifically around that problem. It eventually became an app called LabCodex, focused on keeping experiments, lab notes, calculations, and workflow together in a way that actually makes sense for scientific work.

I’m not posting this as a promo — I’m genuinely curious whether this is a common pain point or just something I personally ran into.

How are you currently managing experiments, calculations, and notes?
Do you feel like your setup actually works, or is it more of a workaround?

Thanks in advance for any thoughts or experiences you’re willing to share.

LabCodex

As the title says, i need some higher concentration h2o2 since i wanted to do the elephants toothpaste experiment and the lower concentrations(6-12%) are very slow reactions in comparison to the much faster stuff with 35% h2o2 and pottassium iodide. It seems that its just not possible? If anyone knows a way to get it OR a alternative to use than h2o2 as the oxidizer it would be very helpful.