From: larry@kitty.UUCP Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Submission for mod.telecom (Ringing Detection Circuits) Message-ID: <8704261613.AA00055@seismo.CSS.GOV> Date: 26 Apr 87 16:13:26 GMT Sender: daemon@ucbvax.BERKELEY.EDU Distribution: world Organization: The ARPA Internet Lines: 97 Approved: telecom@xx.lcs.mit.edu While the Texas Instruments TCM1520A is a nice IC, it is possible to build simple and reliable ringing detection circuits by other means. Here are some suggestions which may be helpful in the design of circuits which detect ringing: 1. When a telephone goes on-hook and off-hook during hookswitch (i.e., line switch) operation, a voltage transient is generated whose voltage is the same order of magnitude as a ringing signal. When a rotary dial is used, each dial pulse is a momentary line open which also generates these voltage transients. A poorly designed ringing detector circuit will falsely detect the above voltage transients as ringing signals. To avoid this problem, ALL reliable ringing detector circuits require a time constant. NO ringing detector circuit (unless it is has frequency discrimination - which is extremely rare) can tell the difference between on-hook/off-hook transients and the ringing signal itself based upon a voltage threshhold ALONE. Such a time constant can be established by three means: (1) integrating the rectified voltage from the telephone line with a resistor-capacitor before it drives an LED or relay; (2) using a thermistor in series with the LED or relay (a traditional design approach, but the "right" thermistor is difficult to obtain); (3) providing a specific timing circuit which looks at the output of the optoisolator or relay, and requires that a signal be present for a minimum period of time before asserting an output logic line. A reasonable integration time constant is between 200 and 600 milliseconds; i.e., the ringing signal must be present for this time period before a detection logic line is asserted. 2. All ringing detector circuits should have their telephone line connection electrically isolated from ground, and should be coupled to the telephone line using a series capacitor. In general, the value of this series capacitor should not exceed 0.68 uF, and such a capacitor should be rated at 200 WVDC. Excessive capacitance will cause voice-frequency attenuation on the telephone circuit, and may also result in premature "ring tripping" and dial-pulse distortion. In general, the effective DC resistance of a ringing detector circuit - EXCLUDING the capacitor - should be a minimum of 1,000 ohms. Following the above capacitance and resistance constraints should result in a ringing detector circuit which has a REN of less than 1.0 on the "B" scale, and consequently should not interfere with proper operation of the telephone line. 3. Optoisolators are nice for ringing circuit detection, but proper and reliable ringing detector circuits can be made with relays. Use a sensitive "plate" relay of 2,500 to 10,000 ohms resistance. Connect a full-wave bridge rectifier to the telephone line using a series capacitor; connect the DC output to the relay in series with a resistor, and place a capacitor across the relay winding to provide an integration time constant (be sure to have this capacitor rated at at least 100 WVDC!). If your application is a ringing "extension" circuit - like to drive an AC line horn, bell or light - you may find a plate relay with a contact current rating sufficient for the job. This makes for a pretty simple circuit. Plate relays with the required resistance and sensitivity are often available surplus for a couple of dollars. Do NOT use an AC relay rated for 120 VAC; AC relays of this type generally do not have enough sensitivity and a high enough resistance for telephone applications. Also, note that some plate relays (like certain Sigma models) have their body as the common contact - so these relays MUST be properly insulated from the case and outside world. The use of a relay to directly detect ringing and control an AC power line circuit is a well-established design technique; however, use extreme CAUTION when wiring such a circuit so that faulty construction does not permit accidental connection between the telephone line and AC power line! 4. If you are serious about designing telephone circuits, take the time to study the operation of a telephone line using a storage scope with differential inputs (i.e., one input for TIP, one input for RING - NEVER ground either TIP or RING). You will notice that -48 volts DC is ALWAYS present on the telephone line, even during the actual ringing. The 20 Hz ringing voltage is actually superimposed across the -48 volts DC; this is referred to as "superimposed ringing". Superimposed ringing is done to assure rapid operation of the "ring trip" relay in the central office trunk circuit. Generally, telephone ringing is 1 second on, and 3 seconds off (i.e., the "silent interval"). If you are using PBX extensions to "play with" for telephone circuit design, beware that their behavior may NOT be the same as central office telephone lines. For example, some PBX's use 30 Hz rather than 20 Hz; and some PBX's do not superimpose the ringing signal on -48 volts DC in the same fashion as a central office. Also, PBX's generally provide a "hotter" ringing signal than a central office because your loop resistance to the PBX is generally << 100 ohms. 5. None of what I have said applies to party lines. You should never attempt to design telephone circuits for connection to party lines. Not only might you be detecting ringing for other parties, but improper design or connection might also result in YOU getting billed for THEIR telephone calls! <> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <> UUCP: {allegra|ames|boulder|decvax|rocksanne|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <> VOICE: 716/688-1231 {hplabs|ihnp4|mtune|seismo|utzoo}!/ <> FAX: 716/741-9635 {G1,G2,G3 modes} "Have you hugged your cat today?" ---------- >From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.electronics,comp.misc,misc.consumers,rec.audio Subject: Re: Power supplies & 3B1's Summary: Build a surge protector - it's easier and cheaper than you may think! Message-ID: <2257@kitty.UUCP> Date: 23 Nov 87 15:27:32 GMT References: <942@woton.UUCP> <1805@ukecc.engr.uky.edu> Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY Lines: 118 Xref: umd5 sci.electronics:1647 comp.misc:1541 misc.consumers:4812 rec.audio:4168 Since this article deals with construction of an effective, but low cost surge protector, I have cross-posted to some other newsgroups. I have always felt that surge protectors are sold at an artificially high price and represent a consumer ripoff; here is a way to fight back... In article <1805@ukecc.engr.uky.edu>, edward@engr.uky.edu (Edward C. Bennett) writes: > >Does anybody know of any *cheap* power conditioning which might > >significantly improve my 3B1's chances of survival? Thanks. > > Now that I've got a 3B1, I've been concerned about power problems also. > What are the important things to look for? Spike/surge/transient protection? > For a start, I pulled out the ol' Radio Shack catalog. They've got two > units that seem reasonable. > > Under "AC Outlet Voltage Spike Protectors" there's a 6-outlet > power strip with noise filter and circuit breaker for $29.95. > > Over in computer accessories there's a 2-outlet power protector > with "full common and differential mode transient protection" > (What is that? A fancy way of saying voltage spikes?), noise > filtration and a MOV status lamp for $18.95. > > Comments? Horror stories? The idea of paying $70 for one of these things > at a "computer emporium" seems outrageous! Your're right; the prices of surge protectors are outrageous - especially when you find out how much the actual surge protector components really cost! Don't get ripped of - build your own surge protector. It's really simple, and the cost savings will astound you. The following is a description of how to build a surge protector which offers dual protection: (1) using MOV's (metal oxide varistor) and (2) using a gas discharge tube. You will need the following components, all manufactured by Siemens: 1 ea 3-electrode gas discharge surge protector, P/N T61-C350 $ 3.30 3 ea Metal oxide varistor, P/N S20K130 @ $ 0.82 $ 2.46 As you can see, your total cost for the protector elements is $ 5.76. Many major electronic distributors carry Siemens. Two examples are Hamilton-Avnet and Allied Electronics. Allied Electronics will sell the above mail order; they do have a minimum order of $ 25.00, but will fill an order less than $ 25.00 for a $ 5.00 handling charge - still not a bad deal if you can't figure out anything else to order. Allied has a national toll-free number of 800/433-5700. _______________ AC LINE HOT_______| 15 AMP FUSE |_____________________________OUTLETS HOT (black) |_____________| | | | (black) | | | MOV ___|___ | | | GAS | | EARTH GROUND_______________________|_________|PROT.| MOV (green) | | |_____| | |__OUTLETS GROUND | | | (green) MOV | | | | | AC LINE NEUTRAL____________________|____________|__________|__OUTLETS NEUTRAL (white) (white) The following design and construction notes apply: 1. "AC line hot" = black wire = duplex outlet narrow slot "AC line neutral" = white wire = duplex outlet wide slot "AC line ground" = green wire = duplex outlet round opening 2. Build the protector circuitry in a 2x4 electrical "handy box". Mount a fuseholder in the box for a 3AG 15 amp fuse, along with a terminal strip to facilitate mounting the circuit elements and making necessary connections. Cover the box with a blank cover plate. 3. Feed the box with a three-wire AC line cord of at least 16 AWG; use of 14 AWG is preferred. Connect a second cord to the box; this cord (which should be kept reasonably short) can feed a multiple-outlet plug strip. 4. As an alternative to a second cord, use one or more electrical pipe nipples and feed additional electrical boxes which contain duplex outlets (much less money than a plug strip, but not as "pretty" in appearance). If you use this method, run a wire to each outlet ground terminal instead of relying upon the the metal electrical box for the ground connection. 5. Use a common point attached to the first electrical box to connect all ground wires; a 10-32 machine screw through the box is good. This common point should terminate: the power cord ground (green), one end of two MOV's, the center electrode of the gas tube, and the outlet ground (green). 6. Insulate all leads of the MOV's and gas protector tube using plastic insulating sleeving. Use 14 AWG wire for any internal connections. If possible, use insulated crimp terminals for connections. Make certain that the MOV's and gas protector tube do not touch the metal box. 7. To assure maximim effectiveness of the protector circuitry, run a wire from a cold water pipe or ground rod and connect it to the case of the electrical box containing the MOV's and gas protector tube. Use at least 12 AWG for this wire; a smaller gauge wire will defeat the purpose. While running a separate ground is not essential, surge protector ciruitry is more effective with a lower impedance to earth ground. An auxiliary ground wire assures such a low ground impedance. 8. This box contains no "idiot lights", which are really unnecessary and are just a sales gimmick anyhow. Can you really imagine SEEING a < 10 ms energy pulse on a so-called "surge indicator" lamp? :-) I make no guarantee that the above circuit will protect your computer or other electronic equipment from anything. However, I can assure you that the above design (if properly constructed) represents a surge protector which is equal or superior to anything sold by Radio Shack or any other retail store. And the do-it-yourself price is MUCH LESS than any alternative. <> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, New York <> UUCP: {allegra|ames|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <> VOICE: 716/688-1231 {hplabs|ihnp4|mtune|utzoo|uunet}!/ <> FAX: 716/741-9635 {G1,G2,G3 modes} "Have you hugged your cat today?" ---------- 11/23/89 11:38 123/6781 larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) In article <24341@cup.portal.com>, mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes: > I was in the store a few days ago looking for a new bottle of shampoo. > Reading the label, I was surprised to see it contained hydrolysed animal > protein. Protein is a big, stupid fad in shampoos. Somehow, people have > gotten the idea that because hair is made of protein, that it is good for > the hair to put protein on it. This is false, totally false. While the marketing of shampoos and "hair conditioners" containing a-keratins, collagen, casein, etc. is largely based upon hype, there is some factual basis for the use of these ingredients in "conditioning" and "stabilizing" the structure of hair. So the point is, there is a "grain of truth" for the inclusion of these substances in hair preparations. However, the actual *quantity* of these ingredients included in the product is usually far less than that which is required for any efficacy. If one examines the wording on a typical product label, there is usually never any claim as to the quantity of the ingredient - only an ambiguous statement like "Contains Keratin". The deception is NOT that the special ingredient has no efficacy, but that the quantity contained within the product is insufficient for any reasonable degree of efficacy. My use of the word "deception" above may be somewhat harsh, but such is the simple truth of much consumer product marketing. Why not include an *effective* quantity of a substance such as a-keratin? Two reasons: 1. These "special ingredients" are very expensive when compared to the basic ingredients in say, a shampoo. The base formulation for a typical shampoo contains such ingredients as: one or more surfactants (ammonium lauryl sulfate, lauramide diethanolamine, etc.); a softener (polyethylene glycol); an emulsifier (hydroxypropyl methylcellulose); a detergent "enhancer" (citric acid); a foam inhibitor (sodium chloride); a pH adjusting agent (phosphoric acid); antibacterial and antifungal agents (methychloroisothiazolinone and methyl para-hydroxybenzoate); fragance; FDA-approved dye; and deionized water. The above ingredients may be used to produce a reasonably effective shampoo having a typical formulation cost of between 10 and 15 cents per pound (if this sounds low, don't forget water is still the primary constituent). Adding enough a-keratin to be truly effective increases formulation cost by an order of magnitude. Adding enough a-keratin to satisfy the FDA and FTC with respect to "truth in labeling" costs only a few cents. 2. Cost issues notwithstanding, adding *effective* quantities of an ingredient such as a-keratin creates some significant product formulation problems with respect to undesired reactivity with the surfactants, overall product stability, product "appearance" and product "feel". I'll tell y'all a little "inside" story about consumer product formulation and marketing which underscores the above. I don't usually post personal details to the Net, but I'll make an exception here. During the 1950's and 1960's my late father ran a family-owned business which produced various soap and chemical specialty products. The most notable product (with which some Net readers may be familiar) is a water-waterless hand cleaner known as "DL". Revealed to the world for the first time is the fact that "DL" was the initials of David Lippman. :-) When I was growing up during these years I spent many saturdays and school vacation days at my father's plant in Buffalo, NY learning about the soap and cosmetic industry. When I was in high school, at various times I actually ran the process equipment and formulated soap in 5,000 pound batches. During the 1950's and 1960's "DL" (and many other soap products of the era) were advertised as containing lanolin and hexachlorophene, with lanolin being touted as a skin conditioner and hexachlorophene being touted for its germicidal capability. Of course, today, the use of hexachlorophene is taboo, and the use of lanolin is no longer common. During the above years "DL" containers had a prominent label stating that the product was "Fortified with Lanolin and Hexachlorophene"; however, this label said *nothing* about quantity or efficacy of these ingredients. In a typical year when I was in high school, say, 1960, "DL" production was probably around 4 million pounds per year. As I recall, there was a 5-pound fiber container of hexachlorophene which lasted for almost *one year*. The hexachlorophene for each batch was so little that it was weighed on a piece of filter paper and then dumped into a 1,000-gallon "oil-phase" mix tank. Slightly more lanolin was used; a *single* heated 55-gallon drum (lanolin is extremely viscous) supplied all of the lanolin necessary for at least six month's of production. Some simple arithmetic reveals that the percentage composition of 500 pounds of lanolin in 2,000,000 pounds of product is not very much. As one can see from the above example, the product was *truthfully* advertised as containing lanolin and hexachlorophene, and these ingredients were in fact formulated into the product. However, no representation was made as to the included quantity of these ingredients; the amount added was large enough so as to be immune from any allegation of misrepresentation, but nevertheless was small enough that no significant cost was added to the product, and that quite frankly no significant benefit could be derived, either. The above firsthand experience from many years ago serves to illustrate what still takes place today in many types of consumer soap and cosmetic products. > The only > way that protein could benefit your hair would be if you drink the shampoo. Not true; there is some benefit from application of proteins, although in reality there is usually not be enough protein ingredient in a product to have any significant effect. > So, I'm wondering what source of protein they use? "Hydrolysed animal > protein" could be leather scraps, fish tails, dried earwigs, or the brains > of scrapie-infected sheep! Animal hair, feathers, hooves and outer skin layers are comprised of more than 95% a-keratins. Tendons, ligaments, cartilage and bone marrow contain large quantities of collagen. Hydrolysis of such collagen results in the formation of gelatin. Remember that the next time you eat a gelatin dessert, you are probably eating a dead horse. Really. :-) <> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp. <> UUCP {allegra|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <> TEL 716/688-1231 | 716/773-1700 {hplabs|utzoo|uunet}!/ \uniquex!larry <> FAX 716/741-9635 | 716/773-2488 "Have you hugged your cat today?" ---------- 1244.3.3803.4 Re: Protein in Shampoo, What Is It ??? (really PRIONS) 11/26/89 20:07 58/3186 larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) In article <24413@cup.portal.com>, mmm@cup.portal.com (Mark Robert Thorson) writes: > I would also like to know where the fat used to make soap comes from? I see where your question is leading, and I would like to immediately point out that a significant number of soaps are produced with fats and fatty acids which are derived from plants and NOT ANIMALS. Surfactants made from coconut oil, as an example, are very popular these days; typical surfactants are lauramide diethanolamime (DEA) and lauryl ammonium sulfate (look at the ingredient listing on a shampoo bottle, and chances are you will see one or both of the above surfactants). Other common fatty acids of plant origin are palmitic acid (palm trees), myristic acid (coconut and vegetables), linoleic acid (linseed, safflower and pine trees), abietic acid (pine trees), etc. Stearic acid and oleic acid are the most common fatty acids used in soap manufacture which are animal in origin. Not surprisingly, one of the largest producers of stearic acid and oleic acid is Armour & Company. > The brain is a fatty organ, is fat ever recovered from it for use in soap? It's possible, but the percentage of fat recovered from animal brains is miniscule. Animal fat and fatty acids are extracted in a multi-stage process. The first step consists of boiling skin, bones, feet, and non-edible internal organs (offal) for about 10 hours in a closed vessel. This boiling process is called "rendering". The fat floats to the top of the vessel where it is skimmed off. The skimmed fat is then filtered and heated in a closed vessel for about another 10 hours at 250 deg F. The resultant oil is drawn off, filtered, and then stored at around 34 deg F for about two weeks. This last process is called "graining". The resultant oil is then filtered and further processed to form fatty acids, or cooking and other oils through such processes as hydrogenation, interesterification and isomerization. > I can just imagine a pile of dried brains from scrapie-infected sheep > being crushed in a giant press to squeeze the fat out to make soap for people, > and the brain meal then being sent back to the sheep farm as animal food. I have had the distinct displeasure of being in two different rendering plants in past years. If you had any conception of the process from raw animal fat "input" to extracted fatty acid "output", you would understand that there is NO WAY that any microorganism, or even the structure of a non-living microorganism could survive the associated chemical and mechanical processes. > I certainly don't like the idea of smearing prions all over my body every > time I take a shower. Maybe this is how people catch Creutzfeld-Jakob, > a disease so rare (about one case per million population) that contact > infection can be ruled out. Please. This is utter nonsense. End of discussion. <> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp. <> UUCP {allegra|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <> TEL 716/688-1231 | 716/773-1700 {hplabs|utzoo|uunet}!/ \uniquex!larry <> FAX 716/741-9635 | 716/773-2488 "Have you hugged your cat today?" ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.med,misc.consumers,sci.chem Subject: Re: Dead Horse in Gelatin (was Re: Protein in Shampoo, What Is It ???) Summary: All gelatin is derived from animal products Message-ID: <3532@kitty.UUCP> Date: 2 Dec 89 05:27:37 GMT References: <3516@kitty.UUCP> <815@dsacg2.UUCP> <708@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk> Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY Lines: 52 In article <708@odin.cs.hw.ac.uk>, raza@cs.hw.ac.uk (Z. Raza Hussain) writes: > >> in the formation of gelatin. Remember that the next time you eat a gelatin > >> dessert, you are probably eating a dead horse. Really. :-) > > isn't it true that gelatin (or is it gelatine, any difference?) is > made out of synthetics or something artificial nowadays ??? Nope. There are four generally recognized grades of gelatin (edible, technical, photographic and pharmaceutical), ALL of which are extracted from animal products, most commonly skin, bones and "fleshings". Manufacture of gelatin is a multi-stage process, briefly described as follows in an example which uses bones as the raw material: 1. Bones are are first degreased by heating with steam or through the use of petroleum naptha as a solvent. 2. The degreased bones are then crushed. 3. The bones are then addded to a tank containing water and lime, and are heated to about 70 deg C for an hour or so. 4. The bones are then treated with cold, dilute hydrochloric acid which dissolves calcium carbonate, calcium phophate and other mineral matter, thereby leaving the organic matter. This material is now called ossein. 5. The ossein is then soaked in vats with calcium hydroxide, which removes soluble proteins, such as mucin and albumin. 6. The resultant material is then washed with slighly acidulated water to adjust the pH for optimum hydrolysis. 7. The resultant material is then hydrolized with dilute acid solution to form gelatin in a repeated series of extractions beginning at about 60 deg C and ending at about 100 deg C. 8. The gelatin may be bleached with hydrogen peroxide or sulfur dioxide during these extraction stages. 9. The resultant gelatin is then dried and ground into a fine powder. Ain't no other practicable way to make gelatin. While my original remark about the dead horse was intended as humor, it is far more truth than fiction. From what I observed, the two rendering plants I have seen over the years weren't too careful about segregating their, uh, raw material. As one crusty plant engineer said to me, "Bones is bones". :-) <> Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. - Uniquex Corp. - Viatran Corp. <> UUCP {allegra|boulder|decvax|rutgers|watmath}!sunybcs!kitty!larry <> TEL 716/688-1231 | 716/773-1700 {hplabs|utzoo|uunet}!/ \uniquex!larry <> FAX 716/741-9635 | 716/773-2488 "Have you hugged your cat today?" ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: Silly Putty Summary: Actual formula for Silly Putty Date: 14 Aug 90 01:42:49 GMT In article <8310001@hplsla.HP.COM>, natalies@hplsla.HP.COM (Natalie Schuchard) writes: > About a year(?) ago a recipe for silly putty was posted, was > that here? Can it be reposted or emailed to me? I don't recall the specific article to which you refer, but I can tell you the *exact* Silly Putty [tm] formula used for many years by its manufacturer, Binney & Smith Co. This may not be the current formula (see note below), but the following information was freely disclosed by Binney & Smith to those persons and organizations dealing with poison control and consumer product toxicology. Dow-Corning silicone polymer 82.4% by weight Boric oxide 4.5% Lithopone white pigment (barium sulfate, zinc sulfide and zinc oxide) 9.3% Glycerine 1.7% Ferric stearate 1.7% Red iron oxide 0.2% Oleic acid 0.2% Due to potential toxicty, boric oxide may no longer be used. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 {utzoo, uunet}!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: looking for thick liquids Summary: Hydrophilic colloids & DIY fast food restaurant milk shakes... Message-ID: <4272@kitty.UUCP> Date: 27 Dec 90 04:05:23 GMT References: <1990Dec26.214729.2334@ultra.com> Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY Lines: 38 In article <1990Dec26.214729.2334@ultra.com>, bob@ultra.com (Bob Beach) writes: > I am looking for a means of creating a very thick liquid. Ideally it > should be clear, non toxic, not corrosive, and reasonably cheap to make. > I would like to be able to create varying degrees of "thickness". You did not state the application, so I can't recommend any one agent over another, but I will give you some general suggestions based upon thickening agents used as food additives. Such thickening agents will obviously meet the conditions of being non-toxic and non-corrosive. Consider using the following, all of which form hydrophilic colloids: 1. Agar - a polysaccharide mixture of agarose and agaropectin derived from algae 2. Arabic gum - carbohydrate polymer derived from acacia plants 3. Bentonite - a colloidal clay largely comprised of aluminum silicate; this is indeed an FDA-approved food additive - scary, huh? :-) 4. Carrageenan - a polysaccharide derived from seaweed 5. Methylcellulose and carboxymethylcellulose - cellulose derivatives 6. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) - a relatively inert condensation polymer of ethylene glycol 7. Xanthan gum - a synthetic carbohydrate polymer, similar to natural gums There are various other agents, including numerous variations of the above substances (e.g., ammonium alginate, calcium alginate, sodium alginate, etc.). The hydrophilic colloidal properties of some of the above substances are amazing. Some years ago, I used to do a "party trick" that involved a parody of a fast food restaurant milk shake. I would take 12 ounces of water, add a tablespoon of milk, a tablespoon of chocolate syrup and a tablespoon of xanthan gum. Mixed in a blender for a few minutes, the result was virtually indistinguishable from a typical McShake. So much for the "milk" in "milk shake"... :-) Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 {utzoo, uunet}!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: looking for thick liquids Summary: Everything you ever wanted to know about chemistry of K-Y Jelly :-) Keywords: viscosity,drag reducer,CMC Message-ID: <4276@kitty.UUCP> Date: 28 Dec 90 04:59:08 GMT References: <1990Dec26.214729.2334@ultra.com> <1990Dec27.150503.13692@kodak.kodak.com> Distribution: usa Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY Lines: 45 In article <1990Dec27.150503.13692@kodak.kodak.com>, ornitz@kodak.kodak.com (Barry Ornitz) writes: > One simple material would be sodium carboxymethyl cellulose. > ... > BTW, an already mixed solution of CMC in water is sold as KY Jelly. K-Y Jelly also contains sodium alginate and a small quantity of EDTA. The EDTA is used to sequester calcium ion impurities in the sodium alginate, with the effect of such calcium ions being undesirable high viscosity when the product is at lower temperatures. Don't ask about the "lower temperatures" - I never did get an answer to that question, and that's simply the way the product is (or was at one time) formulated. Sodium alginate is an anionic substance which forms aqueous dispersions that are pH neutral. The sodium alginate and the CMC appear to have a synergistic effect upon each other which results in a stable and relatively inert lubricant. I suppose some readers may be wondering how I know so much about the *precise* chemical composition of K-Y Jelly... :-) It seems that I once had the dubious experience of performing a forensic chemical examination of what appeared to be traces of lubricant on the clothing and perineum of an assault victim, and comparing same with a tube of K-Y Jelly found in a search of a suspect's residence. Johnson & Johnson, the manufacturer of K-Y Jelly, was cooperative in providing chemical formulation data on this product. The essential presence of K-Y Jelly on the victim was ascertained through IR spectroscopy. The interesting part was that flame photometric determination (no AA was available at the time) of sodium and calcium concentration from the victim's specimen correlated almost exactly with the concentrations taken from the sample seized from the suspect. With some help from J&J, it was learned that enough sodium and calcium differences existed due to lot variation such that based upon the above analysis one could state with reasonable certainty that the K-Y specimen from the victim was consistent with the K-Y taken from the suspect. At least it did not appear possible for the defense to prove that the samples were *not* consistent. Fortunately, or unfortunately as it may have been, I never had the opportunity to present this evidence in court since the suspect plead to a lesser charge. After the above experience, how could I ever forget the composition of K-Y Jelly as long as I live? :-) Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 {utzoo, uunet}!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: looking for thick liquids Summary: Thixotropy, mucilage & food additives Message-ID: <4275@kitty.UUCP> Date: 28 Dec 90 02:31:32 GMT In article <00941CC5.04E18280@BINAH.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU>, sommer@BINAH.CC.BRANDEIS.EDU writes: > I seem to recall an article or Amateur Scientist column in Sci. Am. on > thixotropic liquids a while back. Corn starch in water produces a > thixotropic liquid but it's translucent, not clear. Is corn starch gel in fact thixotropic? I don't believe so, but I am not certain. Many colloidal gels exhibit little or no thixotropy. Most carrageenans and carboxymethylcellulose varieties, as examples, are only slightly thixotropic. One of the best examples of a colloidal gel that is truly thixotropic is bentonite (clay, primarily containing aluminum silicate). > There are occasional articles in J. Chem. Educ. about classroom demos and I > vaguely remember a few on polymers and gels. I think one of them involved > aqueous solutions of boric acid and . That > one was specifically for a hands-on grammar school chemistry demo, so I > think it was pretty safe and non-toxic. (I think it was to make the "glop" > used in children's toys.) Borax and sodium alginate will produce an "icky" gel. A common variety of mucilage can be produced from dextrin, borax, a small amount of phenol, and water. BTW, when's the last time anyone bought a bottle of mucilage? :-) > LL's shake recipe sounded delicious. Delicious, indeed. :-) I always had to drink a sample to prove than the xanthan gum was in fact harmless. > BTW, some of those things are called > THICK SHAKES because there isn't enough milk in them to be called MILK > SHAKES legally. That's a good point! One must be careful of USDA and FDA labeling regulations when trying to deceive the public. :-) A similar example is found on many frozen dessert and snack products. Instead of seeing the label "ice cream", one finds "ice milk", "frozen confection containing dairy products", etc. > I have read that tiny plastic polymer beads are used to > thicken some of them and other items in the food industry. (The beads just > pass through undigested.) There is a series of carboxy vinyl polymers produced under the tradename of Carbopol. The Carbopols are used as thickening agents in pharmaceutical and food products. I have seen an effective demonstration of Carbopol in which coarse sand was suspended with negligible settling. Low-density (branched chain) polyethylene is used as a chewing gum base. Makes it easier to re-chew after leaving it on the bedpost overnight. :-) Anyone remember the song? > This IS an FDA approved use of the beads. It is amazing what the FDA approves. Bentonite as a thickening agent is a good example. Good lord, this stuff is *clay*! I really have mixed emotions when it comes to some of these food additives. Wearing my "chemist's hat", I know the material is inert and harmless. Wearing my "consumer's hat", I have to ask: isn't anything *real* and *wholesome* anymore? Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 {utzoo, uunet}!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: looking for thick liquids Summary: Some rheolly :-) complex issues & thixotropy in religious ceremonies Keywords: non-newtonian fluids,pseudoplastic,dilatent,thixotropic,rheopectic Date: 30 Dec 90 18:37:11 GMT In article <1990Dec28.150032.12455@kodak.kodak.com>, ornitz@kodak.kodak.com (Barry Ornitz) writes: Barry Ornitz gives a good capsule summary of the four most common categories of viscous fluids, to which I will add a few additional comments. Barry used the term non-Newtonian fluid, which should probably be defined for the benefit of some readers. A Newtonian fluid is one in which the viscosity is independent of the shear rate, alternately expresed that the ratio of shear rate (flow) to shear stress (force) is constant. A Newtonian fluid represents an "ideal" fluid whose viscosity and flow characteristics are readily predictable. Behavior of non-Newtonian fluids is not so easy to predict. In many process industries such as food, soap, cosmetics, paint, polymers, etc. the majority of all end products are non-Newtonian in their fluid characteristics. Most hydrocolloids lose viscosity over time, for reasons including but not limited to: (1) depolymerization; (2) degradation due to hydrolysis; and (3) cleavage of cross-linkages. These mechanisms are all accelerated by heat and repeated exposure to mechanical shear. Some hydrocolloids in solution exhibit interesting behavior with temperature change. Consider methylcellulose, which is soluble in cold water but insoluble in hot water. If one heats an aqueous solution of methylcellulose it will first result in a viscosity decrease proportional to increasing temperature *until* about 50 deg C where dehydration occurs. Such dehydration produces a rather rapid gel formation, which then reverses upon cooling. > Having said all of this, I should now give some examples of each. But this is > the problem. Some materials exhibit one form of non-newtonian behavior at > low concentrations and other forms at high concentrations. So maybe Larry is > not really wrong after all. ;-) > ... > Like I said, it gets complicated. Drilling mud is usually bentonite clay, for > example. Starch shows up in more than one list too. It sure does get complicated! Bentonite is commonly considered as thixotropic when in a gel state, but when in a sol state it is rheopectic. I made a general statement about starch not being thixotropic, but I gave no qualification as to concentration or whether the starch was in the form of a sol (suspension) or gel (colloidal solution). While I stand by my statement in characterizing the most common behavior of starch in solution, the situation is really more complex than that. > If you want to see an extreme case, make up a very thick paste of cornstarch > and water. Stir rapidly. It almost behaves as a solid. Let it sit and it > flows easily. If you get the proportions right, you can make a starch ball > and roll it around in your hands. Stop rolling and it will flow through your > fingers. Obviously Barry's example above is not one of thixotropic behavior! It is not easy to obtain a good understanding of rheology and behavior of non-Newtonian fluids. Such an understanding requires good background in physical chemistry, colloid chemistry and fluid mechanics. Most undergraduate courses in physical chemistry have a brief discussion of colloids, but do not even mention such topics as thixotropy. Most undergraduate courses on fluid mechanics have only a brief discussion of non-Newtonian fluid behavior and usually do not mention colloids. Courses in colloidal chemistry (often graduate level) cover such topics as thixotropy, but usually lack good discussion of fluid mechanics necessary for full understanding in a process environment. Many people who have worked with colloids and non-Newtonian fluids have pieced their knowledge together from multiple sources, and have in some cases learned a lot about the topic The Hard Way. Much of my own knowledge falls into this latter category, largely the result some early experiences working with soap and cosmetic products. In closing, here is an interesting "application" of thixotropy. It has been speculated that certain religious reliquaries that purport to show "liquefaction of blood" are in fact thixotropic gels of ferric oxide. Such a ferric oxide gel appears reddish-brown in the rest state, but when shaken will become more red and somewhat transparent as the contents change to a sol state. There is indeed evidence that such ferric oxide is of volcanic origin, and is readily found in places like as Naples, Italy. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 {utzoo, uunet}!/ \aerion!larry ---------- Subject: Re: non-Dairy food products Summary: Manufacture of casein Keywords: casein, manufacture, origin Message-ID: <4680@kitty.UUCP> Date: 9 Feb 91 05:11:44 GMT Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY In article <1991Feb5.160707.29319@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu> forbes@aries.scs.uiuc.edu (Jeff Forbes) writes..in article...anachem asks: >> What are the sources of casein and the caseinates >> which are constituents of non-dairy food products? Skim milk. >> Is spoiled milk the major (or only?) source? Casein is primarily obtained from "fresh" milk, although a small amount is recovered from outdated dairy products. Larger fluid milk plants have machines which automatically slit open and drain milk from outdated milk cartons as removed from store shelves. Such recovered milk is then sold to firms that extract casein and other products. >> If so how can it be called non-dairy? Casein is a protein, and as such is a condensation product of amino acids which are connected through the amide (peptide) bond -CONH-. There are different forms of casein containing various combinations of amino acids. I suppose it can be argued that once casein is extracted from milk and is purified as a purely chemical product, it has lost its relationship to milk and cows - and is therefore "non-dairy". However, I'm not saying that *I* espouse this explanation, and I'm not suggesting that *you* believe it, either. >> And ...is it natural? >> or is it non-dairy because its synthetic? No matter how I attempt to answer these questions, I'm going to be wrong - so I'll pass! :-) >Casein is indeed made from milk by acidification. I guess that it can be used >in "non-dairy" products, since it is fat free. One interesting fact is that >almost all of the casein used in this country is imported. There is a rather interesting explanation for casein being imported from such countries as New Zealand, Austrialia and Argentina - as opposed to being produced in the U.S. Due to USDA price support policies, it has historically been economically advantageous for skim milk in the U.S. not destined for direct consumption to be dried and processed into non-fat milk powder - as opposed to being processed into casein. Therefore, it is far more economical to import casein from other countries that are rich in milk production. Also, production equipment for casein is simpler and less expensive that spray drying production equipment for powdered milk, making it more attractive for less industrialized countries to produce casein than powdered milk. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: Gelled Alcohol Summary: Some formulation details In article <26850002@hpldsla.sid.hp.com> tonya@hpldsla.sid.hp.com (Tony Arnerich) writes: >> I have a friend who came from work at a nursing home this summer with a >> squeeze bottle of gelled isopropyl alcohol. >> It feels like "slime," (the toy stuff) and will remain gelled for a >> few seconds before evaporating in your hand. > >Pretty amazing. Is there any chance that there is another ingredient that >soaks into your hand? It doesn't necessarily have to evaporate to "disappear". In the case of lower m.w. alcohols such as ethanol and isopropanol, there is a 100% chance that another ingredient is present. :-) The technique of gelling alcohols with a suitable hydrocolloid as a gel-forming agent has been known for some time, but it has only been in the past several years that such products have become popular. Since the percentage composition of the hydrocolloid and any other non-alcohol ingredients is well under 1%, and since such ingredients are comparatively inert and readily absorbed by the skin, there is no *noticeable* residue. It is more common for these alcohol gels to use ethanol instead of isopropanol, however, since ethanol produces a thicker and more stable gel. Did the product mentioned in the original article specifically state on the container that it contained isopropanol? Two common hydrocolloids used in alcohol gel formulation are the Carbopol-series and the Polysorbate-series. Carbopol, which is a tradename of B. F. Goodrich, is a water-soluble carboxyvinyl polymer, with a specific product example useful for alcohol gels being Carbopol 940. Polysorbate is a polyethyleneoxide fatty acid ester, with a specific product example useful for alcohol gels being Polysorbate 80. For any reader wishing to try their had at making an alcohol gel, a simple working formula is: Carbopol 940 0.3 % triethanolamine 0.4 % (needed for pH and stability control) ethanol 25.0 % water qs An example of an alcohol gel product is Purel [tm], which was introduced to the institutional market about four years ago by Go-Jo Industries. Purel is totally transparent, and is characterized by bubbles of entrained air. The bubbles develop during the mixing process. I once asked "why not remove the air bubbles?", which would be easy enough to do, and was informed that customers prefer the appearance with the bubbles. I would never have guessed that - which just goes to show why I don't do marketing and sales! :-) >> Its use is as a cleanser for when there is no water/soap to be had. These products are primarily aimed at the health care marketplace to reduce the possibility of cross-infection between patients. >> Local chemists have asked me if it leaves a residue, to which I responded, >> "No." > >Were you lying? That depends... :-) >> My question is: how is this done? A surfactant? > >This seems unlikely, as that would leave yucky scummy slime. Surfactants are >rarely volatile (maybe that's the breakthrough that makes this possible). The use of Polysorbate 80 fits the definition of a surfactant better than Carbopol 940. A small enough quantity of a non-ionic surfactant, such as Polysorbate 80, is relatively inert and is readily absorbed by the skin. There is no issue of surfactant volatility, however. >Let's hear more about this. What is the brand name/product name? Do some >more experiments, like leaving some on a clean piece of glass and warming >it gently. Smell it - is it *just* like isopropyl alcohol, or is it subtly >different? Look closely at it in the gel state - is it cloudy or clear? I'd be interested in hearing about what other readers discover. As a closing comment, alcohol gels have been used for quite some years as a vehicle for other ingredients in some soap and cosmetic products. The most common example is "Edge" shaving gel, which contains ethanol. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: Mass of a grain of sand Summary: Mr. Sandman, ... :-) Keywords: sand, mass, mesh Date: 24 Mar 91 19:25:34 GMT In article <1991Mar24.090902.5517@ms.uky.edu> ghot@ms.uky.edu (Allan Adler) writes: >I have no access to a laboratory and I need to know roughly what is the >mass of a grain of sand. Just taking a wild guess, I would say about >a tenth of a milligram. Can someone provide a more definite answer, >with the understanding that grains of sand vary in size ? You don't need a laboratory for this one! Consider that an average density for sand (silica) is 2.4 grams/cc. Consider that the average size for "standard sand" used in concrete work is between 20 and 30 mesh. Since 16 mesh is 1.00 mm and 32 mesh is 0.5 mm, we'll pick 0.75 mm as an average diameter. We can assume a "round" grain for the sake of an order of magnitude estimation. That's about 0.22 mm^3. Which means that an average grain of "standard" sand should weigh around 0.5 mg. However, there is sand that is much finer than say, 30 mesh. Your original estimate of 0.1 mg could well be on the money - depending upon the type of sand. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: Glow-in-the-dark chemicals/mixtures Summary: Phosphorescence and chemiluminescence Keywords: phosphorescence, chemiluminescence Date: 26 Mar 91 04:25:03 GMT In article <16034.27ea0d06@levels.sait.edu.au> yaadmin@levels.sait.edu.au writes: >What are the chemicals used to create "glow-in-the dark" products? >The kind that you expose to a light source to charge them up and then they >emit a green glow for a while, but not really bright enough to be useful >as a light source. You are referring to phosphors (the material) and phosphorescence (the characteristic). The useful lifetime of such phosphorescence for paints is on the order of hours. Most phosphorescent paints use inorganic crystal phosphors, which are usually mixtures of metallic sulfides and/or oxides. Other metals, such as bismuth and copper, may be added as "activators". A typical green phosphor found in "luminous paint" is a mixture of zinc sulfide and cadmium sulfide. The resultant emission spectrum shifts toward longer wavelengths as the percentage of cadmium sulfide in the mixture is increased. Persistence (i.e., phosphorescence lifetime) of such mixtures range from 1 to 10 hours. A typical blue phosphor found in luminous paint is a mixture of calcium sulfide and strontium sulfide. Persistence may be as long as 12 hours. In general, as the emission wavelength of a phosphor increases (i.e., shifts toward red), persistence decreases. While yellow and red phosphors exist, they are not common because of the short persistence. Cadmium sulfide, in fact, has emission energy in the near-IR region. >Also, does anybody know why they only seem to come in green...I have never >seen red or blue or....etc See above reason for lack of persistence at red wavelengths. Blue pigments are not as common as green since the human eye is much more sensitive to green wavelengths. >The other kind of luminous stuff is in light sticks. (A plastic tube >containing two chemicals - one in a glass vial - which you have to >bend to break the glass and shake.) The resulting chemical reaction >emits a very bright glow for ~2-3 hrs. I have seen these in green and blue. You are probably referring to the chemiluminescent lightsticks manufactureed by American Cyanamid under the tradename "Cyalume". While I don't know the exact ingredients in the Cyalume product, I can give you a clue. Chemiluminescence is exhibited by many cyclic hydrazides when such are oxidized in the presence of a strong base. The resultant light is emitted due to excitation of the amino-phthalate dianion. The most common example of a suitable cyclic hydrazide is o-aminophthalylhydrazide (I'll pass on the IUPAC for the moment), better known as luminol. The luminol loses the hydrogens from the hydrazide groups due to the -OH radicals from the strong base. The oxidizing agent knocks out the nitrogens (liberating elemental nitrogen), destroying that ring, and creating the amino-phthalate dianion. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- Subject: Re: Esters (the nose knows) Summary: Characteristics and preparation of esters Keywords: esters, fruits, fragrances Date: 7 Apr 91 15:24:54 GMT In article <1991Apr6.083246.6642@ms.uky.edu> ghot@ms.uky.edu (Allan Adler) writes: >Larry Lippman was kind enough to post a list of esters and fruits where they >occur. You must bear in mind that my list was but a small fraction of esters which have been identified in fruits. >(1) Although these esters occur in fruits, are they toxic and if so what > do they do to you in sufficient doses ? Many esters have toxic effects resulting from exposure to significant concentrations; however, in comparison to many other organic compounds, esters are rather benign. A good example is amyl acetate, the mixed isomers of which are commonly called "banana oil". Amyl acetate smells decidedly like bananas, and in *very* dilute concentration tastes like bananas. Pure amyl acetate is a not only a rather good solvent, but is highly flammable. If you tasted *pure* amyl acetate, I can assure you that you would not taste anything else for quite some hours, although the experience would probably result in no permanent injury. Breathing significant concentrations of amyl acetate can result in headache, nausea, irritation to mucous membranes, and possibly unconsciousness. Amyl acetate in high concentrations has a narcotic effect. Comparatively few esters used in fragrances and flavoring are suspected carcinogens. However, any such carcinogenicity no doubt results from prolonged exposure to significant concentrations. Since many esters are used as industrial solvents, such exposure can occur. As an example, offhand, I believe that ethyl formate is a suspected carcinogen. Chronic exposure to ethyl acetate from use as an industrial solvent can result in secondary anemia, fatty degeneration of the liver, leucocytosis, etc., but I do not believe it is a suspected carcinogen, per se. Nevertheless, ethyl acetate in minute quantities is used in the formulation of flavorings and fragrances. >(2) How hard are they to synthesize if, like me, you do not know your > gluteus maximum from your olekranon ? Esters are comparatively easy to synthesize when such synthesis is performed in a laboratory environment with suitable apparatus and suitable analytical instrumentation to evaluate the product and efforts at purification. Proper synthesis also requires "finesse", which is solely the product of experience in a laboratory. I suspect your real question is: can esters be synthesized in a home laboratory environment? The simple answer is probably "yes" if one has previous organic synthesis experience and some kind of suitable glassware. If one is attempting such a synthesis for the first time on their own at home, then anything is possible - ranging from success to utter disaster. >(3) How hard is it to extract them from a piece of fruit, given the same > limitations on competence as in (2), and what yields can one expect ? This is really the same answer as in the previous question, but I suspect that extraction and separation is probably easier for certain esters than synthesis. If you are going to try something at home, I would first recommend an effort at extraction. You can probably build a simple filter press using an inexpensive hydraulic auto jack with a metal frame and a simple housing for the filter pads. It is neither difficult nor particularly expensive to acquire the apparatus necessary for fractional distillation. The challenge, however, is to scrounge apparatus necessary for analysis of the products; after all, what is the point of synthesizing or extracting esters if you cannot be certain of their identification? Such analytical apparatus is not inexpensive, even in the used equipment marketplace. If I had to recommend one single piece of analytical apparatus that could be the most useful for the analysis and identification of esters - and yet still be affordable and maintainable, it would be an Abbe refractometer. While an IR spectrophotometer would be nice, there are generally only two types of IR spec's to be found as used apparatus: (1) functional and (2) inexpensive. Unfortunately, there is little hope of finding a used IR spec that is *both* functional and inexpensive. :-) Inexpensive used IR specs often have defective detectors and/or deteriorated salt optics, the cost to repair being prohibitive for either condition. >(4) Since I am always on the lookout for interesting crystals, what kinds > crystals do they form, how large can they be grown by someone with > the competence described in (2), and where would one look up their > principle dielectric constants (I am assuming they are biaxial) ? Most of the esters used in flavorings and fragrances are liquids, so you won't find much in the way of crystals. Those esters which are solids tend to have low melting points. An example is benzyl cinnamate, which has a melting point of less than 40 deg C. >(5) Do all crystals from substances like these tend to sublime ? Naively > I would expect that since I would guess that goes with having a strong > smell. If so, how long does it take for the crystal to disappear in a > hood ? In the case of the above example of benzyl cinnamate, the crystals clearly fuse and melt, and I would not consider this as "sublimation". The same characteristic is true of cinnamyl cinnamate, methyl anthranilate and methyl cinnamate. Some of these melting points are around 30 deg C. >(6) I tend to think of fruit juices as sticky ? Are the crystals sticky ? I would not consider the comparatively few solid esters as "sticky". Don't forget that the presence of sugars no doubt accounts for any "stickiness" in evaporating fruit juices! >Someday when I have an education, I will ask better questions. Right now, >this is the best I can do. You do allright. You seem to sincerely want to learn about chemistry - more so than anyone I have yet encountered on the Net. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: need to clean tarnish off of silver Summary: Reduction of sulfide by aluminum Keywords: silver tarnish, sulfides, reduction, aluminum Date: 9 Apr 91 04:13:11 GMT In article <1991Apr4.011625.1904@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au> tylmnb@minyos.xx.rmit.oz.au (Michael Barnett) writes: >>The process involved placing the tarnished silverware in a boiling solution >>of sodium carbonate, along with a wadded-up piece of Al foil. Naturally, >>if you use an Al pot do do the boiling, you can omit the foil, but this >>will do unkind things to the Al pot! > >While we are on this topic, does anyone know what reactions are occuring? >I asked several chemistry lecturers, but they weren't too sure themselves. >One suggested that hydrogen gas was being formed (in a form that he called >'nascent' - or something like that), which was reacting with the AgS. I don't see any mystery here. The hydrogen gas is merely evolved through the reaction of aluminum and sodium carbonate. The hydrogen plays no part in the removal of the silver tarnish (i.e., silver(I) sulfide). Aluminum is a reducing agent, and thereby reduces silver sulfide to elemental silver while forming aluminum sulfide (which is yellow in color). The aluminum sulfide thus formed readily hydrolyzes to form aluminum hydroxide and hydrogen sulfide. So, we really have *two* gasses evolved: hydrogen and hydrogen sulfide, with the quantity of the former being greater than the latter. Aluminum in pure water would not work since the surface film of aluminum hydroxide readily stops further activity. Since hydroxyl ions from the sodium carbonate readily dissolve any aluminum hydroxide thus formed, a ready supply of aluminum ions for reduction purposes is assured. >I have used this process, and found that cold water will work, but lukewarm >is better. Boiling water will probably work even better, but the aluminium >is used up too fast, and the smell is quite bad (probably from H2S or similar). See, I told you there was hydrogen sulfide! :-) Now you know why. >I also find that a scum forms on the surface of the water after some time. Can >anyone suggest what this might be and how it is formed? Probably aluminum hydroxide, perhaps with some loose silver sulfide formed due to the reverse reaction with evolved hydrogen sulfide. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: Esters (the nose knows) Summary: Reference data sources & coriander constituents Keywords: esters, fruits, fragrances Message-ID: <4870@kitty.UUCP> Date: 12 Apr 91 04:35:52 GMT In article <5380@eastapps.East.Sun.COM> gsteckel@east.sun.com (Geoff Steckel - Sun BOS Hardware CONTRACTOR) writes: >Where would I look for references on the composition of flavors or essences? >The Merck manual has a tantalizing glimpse of this fascinating subject, but >it only mentions flavorings in passing. Is there a Journal of Savory Smells, >Archives of Abstracts of Essences, or equivalent? For contemporary textbooks you might consider: "Source Book of Flavors", "Flavor Chemistry and Technology", "Common Flavor and Fragrance Materials", etc. There are also various older textbooks which contain a wealth of information. For periodicals you might consider: "Perfumer & Flavorist", "Flavour & Fragrance Journal", "Flavouring Ingredients Processing & Packaging", etc. In addition, various manufacturers of flavors and fragrances, such as Norda, publish application literature giving details about composition of flavors and fragrances. >Does anyone know what the heck the extremely volatile odor/flavor components >of coriander leaves are? Not the seeds, which have a different flavor. Coriander contains d-linalool (3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-ol) and d-pinene. These constituents are found in coriander *fruit*; I cannot speak with certainty about the seeds. Linalool is also found in oranges, cinnamon, sassafras and other plants. Pinene is also the major constituent of turpentine (blech!). >I'd settle for a reliable extraction procedure so I could extract 10Kg of >cilantro in late summer when it's available, strong, and cheap.... I would guess that steam distillation of coriander fruit is used to obtain coriander oil. You could probably use a filter press, which would be easier to construct, although it would not be as efficient as direct steam distillation. The oil resulting from filter pressing could then be refined with conventional fractional distillation. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: Esters (the nose knows) Summary: IUPAC names Keywords: esters, fruits, fragrances Message-ID: <4877@kitty.UUCP> Date: 13 Apr 91 17:26:40 GMT References: <1991Apr4.033504.1413@engage.enet.dec.com> <4853@kitty.UUCP> <1991Apr12.232122.16768@ucselx.sdsu.edu> Followup-To: sci.chem Organization: Recognition Research Corp., Clarence, NY Lines: 62 In article <1991Apr12.232122.16768@ucselx.sdsu.edu> naqvi@ucselx.sdsu.edu (Shahid A. Naqvi --Hercules--) writes: >Can somebody provide the IUPAC nomenclature for these esters. I know >ethyl acetate is ethyl ethanoate [pear drops fragrance] but I am clueless >about most of the ones listed. Come on guys, we don't live in medieval >times anymore!! We are almost in the 21st century! IUPAC is a great idea - if we could suddenly wake up one morning and magically find that all present and past chemical literature has been translated to IUPAC nomenclature, in addition to having our collective chemical education so translated. IUPAC is only very slowly being adopted by chemical industry and commerce in the U.S. I would gladly attempt to learn and utilize more IUPAC if only the people I deal with knew what I would be referring to! >[Don't you think that the IUPAC was introduced to make life less miserable!] There are times when I have my doubts. :-) Okay, here's your "translation". I will not stake my life upon the correctness of all translations, especially the cycloalkyls. |>allyl caproate 2-propen-1-yl hexanoate |>amyl acetate pentyl ethanoate |>amyl butyrate pentyl butanoate |>amyl caproate pentyl hexanoate |>amyl valerate pentyl pentanoate |>benzyl acetate benzyl ethanoate |>bornyl acetate 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]heptan-2-ol ethanoate |>iso-butyl acetate 2-methylpropyl ethanoate |>ethyl acetate ethyl ethanoate |>ethyl butyrate ethyl butanoate |>ethyl caproate ethyl hexanoate |>ethyl cinnamate ethyl 3-phenyl-2-propenoate |>ethyl formate ethyl methanoate |>ethyl isovalerate ethyl 3-methylbutanoate |>ethyl heptanoate ethyl heptanoate [How 'bout dat! :-) ] |>ethyl lactate ethyl 2-hydroxypropanoate |>ethyl pelargonate ethyl nonanoate |>geranyl acetate 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-3-yl ethanoate |>geranyl butyrate 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-3-yl butanoate |>geranyl valerate 3,7-dimethyl-2,6-octadien-3-yl pentanoate |>linalyl acetate 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-yl ethanoate |>linalyl butyrate 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-yl butanoate |>linalyl formate 3,7-dimethyl-1,6-octadien-3-yl methanoate |>menthyl acetate 5-methyl-2-(1-methylethyl)cyclohexanol ethanoate |>methyl benzyl acetate methylbenzene ethanoate |>methyl cinnamate methyl 3-phenyl-2-propenoate |>methyl phenyl acetate methylphenyl ethanoate |>methyl salicylate methyl 2-hydroxybenzoate |>methyl anthranilate methyl 2-aminobenzoate |>nonyl caprylate nonyl octanoate |>octyl butyrate octyl butanoate |>terpenyl butyrate 1,7,7-trimethylbicyclo[2.2.1]hept-2-yl ethanoate After doing the above list, I now have a headache. I know there are some white pills that I should take for it, but I can't recall their IUPAC name... :-) Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem Subject: Re: anodizing Summary: Anodic oxidation of aluminum Keywords: anodizing, aluminum Date: 25 Apr 91 21:28:49 GMT In article <12463@qisoff.phx.mcd.mot.com> hbg6@citek.mcdphx.mot.com writes: >What is the process used to anodize aluminium? I presume it's like plating >but what are the chemicals involved? Well, it's sort of like electroplating - but the work is the anode instead of the cathode. Anodizing involves the conversion of the surface of an aluminum object to an oxide. The oxygen for the oxidation results >from electrolytic dissociation of the water in the plating bath. Most anodizing is conducted in steel tanks, with the tank itself being the cathode. A common electrolyte used in anodizing is chromic acid, which is eventually depleted not through plating out of chromium ions, but through neutralization caused by some aluminum oxide going into solution. Sulfuric acid and oxalic acid are also used as electrolytes for anodizing. It is important to realize that the resultant aluminum oxide is *harder* than the native aluminum, and therefore surface hardening is an important benefit of anodizing. Unlike conventional electroplating, an effective anodized surface layer is much thinner - usually less than 0.001 inch. Anodizing has fewer implications for dimensional changes in an object than electroplating. >What makes the color? I've seen red, blue, gold, black and clear anodizing. >Are there other colors? Colorized anodizing is accomplished through two methods. The first utilizes precipitation of inorganic pigments; examples are lead sulfide for black, lead chromate for yellow, and ferric ferrocyanide for blue. The second method uses an organic dye bath treatment with the color resulting >from the dye incorporated with the oxide film; examples are napthol green for yellow-green, azo rubine for red, and nigrosine for black. >Why wouldn't I want to do this on a VERY small scale in my backyard? The primarily hazard in any DIY anodizing is the use of chromic acid. Anodizing is not difficult to perform, but it does require some "finesse" (meaning experience) for a presentable job. Cleaning of the work is extremely important for good anodizing. A chemical pretreatment may be necessary for some aluminum alloys, especially those containing silicon. >(I need several small parts anodized blue and the minimum charge > is quite expensive around Phoenix. I would think I could do it > myself with a suitable apparatus. ) While the technique of anodizing is not difficult to master, for a one-time requirement, it is probably not worth the effort and expense to get set up for it. Your only major expense item, however, is a variable DC power supply that can go up to 50 volts. Anodizing voltage are generally much higher than electroplating voltages. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- Newsgroups: rec.radio.amateur.misc,sci.electronics Subject: Re: How to measure/detect X-ray (cheap)? Summary: Film versus TLD dosimetry Keywords: personal dosimetry, film, TLD Message-ID: <4916@kitty.UUCP> Date: 2 May 91 02:02:22 GMT In article <1991May1.161415.4235@swbatl.sbc.com> ken@swbatl.sbc.com (Ken Gianino 5-9081) writes: >>I would not trust film badge dosimeters. My wife works for a vet and >>they use film badge dosimeters in their x-ray room. One of her co-workers >>decieded to "test" the dosimeter by giving it a full dose of x-rays > > Does anyone still use film badges? Sure! > I thought the whole industry switched > over to thermoluminescent dosimeters years ago. They look like film badges. Film badges, which typically use the dual-emulsion Kodak Type 2 Personal Monitoring Film, are useful for estimating the energy distribution of absorbed radiation since they generally mask the film with four filter quadrants. Film badge operation and processing cost is also somewhat less than that of TLD. ICN Biomedical, Inc., which processes film badge dosimeters for my organization, does a brisk business in film badges, although they also offer TLD dosimeters. > Maybe I'm wrong and just the nuclear power industry switched to TLD's for > Gamma dose. I can't speak about the nuclear power industry, but in my travels in industry and government where radionuclides are used for analytical chemistry purposes, I see film badges almost exclusively rather than TLD. TLD might be particularly useful in the nuclear power industry since it also detects neutron energy, whereas film badges are not suited for neutron measurement. Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Newsgroups: sci.chem,sci.electronics Subject: Re: Encapsulating material removal Summary: Not an easy task! Keywords: encapsulating agents, solvents Date: 8 Jul 91 03:53:53 GMT In article <1991Jul1.132148.359@mof.govt.nz> crookb@mof.govt.nz writes: >Can someone help with information on a known method to non-destructively >remove the various encapulation materials used to protect electronic >components. Unfortunately, "non-destructive" removal of encapsulating materials is often an oxymoron. Solvents and chemical reagents which will attack the encapsulating material may often attack the interior components. It is necessary to know something about the composition of the encapsulating material in order to intelligently select a solvent or a reagent for direct chemical attack. Unfortunately, most suitable solvents and reagents are flammable or otherwise hazardous to handle. I will list some example solvents and reagents that I have personally used for this purpose; however, I would urge *extreme* caution before actually trying any of these chemicals! Use of these materials should be in a laboratory environment in a fume hood - certainly not in a home environment! 1. methyl ethyl ketone - readily available, but often ineffective 2. dimethylformamide (DMF) - great stuff, but hazardous! 3. cyclohexanone 4. cyclohexanol - will attack some phenolics, not an easy feat 5. methylene chloride - commonly sold as a paint stripper 6. carbon disulfide - extremely flammable 7. diethyltoluamide - great stuff, but hazardous! 8. trichloroethylene 9. ethylbenzene 10. dioxane 11. chlorobenzene 12. aniline - one of the few reagents that will attack polyimides and epoxies Larry Lippman @ Recognition Research Corp. "Have you hugged your cat today?" VOICE: 716/688-1231 {boulder, rutgers, watmath}!ub!kitty!larry FAX: 716/741-9635 [note: ub=acsu.buffalo.edu] uunet!/ \aerion!larry ---------- From: larry@kitty.UUCP (Larry Lippman) Subject: Nitrogen Triiodide In article <27674@sequent.UUCP>, rjk@sequent.UUCP (Robert Kelley) writes: > We balanced the stoichiometry by noting a color change > from reddish-brown to grayish-green. Is that sound? No. > Also, it seems that there may have been two different crystalline products > produced, and perhaps a gas evolved. > Where can I read about this? On the Net, of course. :-) Depending upon the stochiometry, temperature and pressure, more than one product may result from the reaction between iodine and ammonium hydroxide (aqueous ammonia). At slightly above 20 deg C, with the proper stochiometry, the reaction will produce nitrogen triiodide 1-ammonate (NI3.NH3)n, which are black crystals comprised of zigzag chains of NI3 tetrahedra, with NH3 molecules lying between these chains and *linking them together*. This configuration is known as an "ammonate". At temperatures higher than 20 deg C, the above reaction will produce nitrogen triodide 3-ammonate (NI3.3NH3)n. Nitrogen triiodide n-ammonates where n is higher than 3 have been identified. The nitrogen triiodide ammonates are NOT stable in water, and readily undergo hydrolysis. Under relatively neutral pH comditions, nitrogen triiodide ammonates undergo hydrolysis to form hydrogen iodide (HI) and nitrogen (III) trioxide (N2O3). Under alkaline pH conditions, such hydrolysis yields ammonium hypoiodite and ammonia. Note that the above hydrolysis produces gaseous products. I can assure Net readers that the internal structures of the nitrogen triiodide n-ammonates have been well studied using x-ray crystallography, although the results may not be in the literature. I helped a fellow PhD candidate conduct such a study somewhat over 20 years ago. Since we both had the same thesis adviser, who was not known for either sense of humor or "adventuresome spirit", and since our efforts placed some rather expensive analytical apparatus at some considerable risk, we elected not to publish the results. :-) ---------- From: minsky@media.mit.edu (Marvin Minsky) Subject: In Memoriam: Larry Lippman Organization: MIT Media Laboratory Date: Fri, 24 Jan 1992 04:43:38 GMT I regret to tell you that Larry Lippman suddenly passed away. (Heart attack, no warning whatever.) I never met him myself, but I tremendously appreciated his thoughts and ideas on this network. It meant a lot to me -- and I'm sure to hundreds of you, as well -- to feel that if I had any question at all, about the most exotic chemical (or electronic) issues -- I would always know a resource to try. Just type a little note, with no effort, and get a wise reply the next day. And then no words from him for such a long time that I could not resist breaking the rules -- as in "True Names" -- of invading another person's private life. His wife Cindy told me what had happened, and that he was only 42, and went to college at the age of 12 (as you might have guessed) and a few things like that. It isn't fair. Marvin Minsky