The Science

Why do we smell when we sweat? Sweating can be quite annoying especially since it tends to leave a big wet patch either on your back or under your arms. It makes it especially worse when your sweat tends to smell really foul. Although the bad news is that there is no way to prevent it, the good news is that you can at least tackle it. Why do we sweat? Sweating or perspiration is our body's natural way of cooling us down. We may feel the heat more when we sweat but the truth is that the body is cooling itself by releasing all the built in heat. Our body needs to maintain a normal temperature of 98.6 Fahrenheit failing which we are likely to suffer a heart stroke. Sweat is released through small holes known as pores in our skin. When sweat comes in contact with the atmosphere, it evaporates leaving a cool feeling behind. Sweat is almost made of water with small amounts of chemicals like ammonia, urea, sugar and body salts like sodium . Our body has approxima...

How to Make Fake Snow! Missing out on white Christmas because you live in a country where there is no snow? Well, here's a solution! You can make your own Fake Snow! What is Fake Snow? Fake snow looks very similar to the actual snow and is non-toxic in nature. It is made out of polymer and gives you a cool feel when you touch it, just like real snow. The ingredients and procedure to prepare fake snow are simple. Things that you need to make fake snow: a) Common polymer or sodium polyacrylate b) Water You will find sodium polyacrylate or common polymer in disposable diapers or as crystals in your garden as it helps in keeping the soil of the garden moist. Here is how you make it: To prepare fake snow, all you have to do is add water to sodium polyacrylate or common polymer. It will take the form of a gel . Keep adding water till it is completely moist. The more water you add, the slushier the gel of sodium polyacrylate or common polymer will b...

 Gift a Handmade Perfume Choosing the right gift requires a lot of thought. But when you make a gift on your own, the effort immediately makes the other person feel special! Here is a simple way to make your very own handmade perfume to gift to a loved one! You will need: a) Essential oils like jojoba oil or almond oil b) Ethanol or vodka as alcohol c) Distilled water d) Coffee filter e) Dark coloured glass bottle. The essential oils form the base of your perfume and are known as the notes of the perfume. The base notes are the ones that stay longer on your skin. The middle notes evaporate a little quickly and the top notes will evaporate first. Bridge notes are the intermediate ones and help in tying the scent together. Here are the essential oils that have different notes you can choose from: Base notes: cedar wood, cinnamon, patchouli, sandalwood, vanilla, moss, lichen, fern Middle notes: clove, geranium, lemongrass, neroli, nutmeg, y...

Why are tomatoes red? Tomatoes are a significant ingredient in several food preparations. Whether they are used in a sauce, solid, puree or gravy form, tomatoes are a delicious and juicy treat. When tomatoes are raw, they are green in colour. However, the moment they start ripening they change colour and turn red. Have you ever wondered why this happens? Let us find out... What renders the red colour to tomatoes? Tomatoes have the chlorophyll pigment when they are raw and hence they are green in colour. As they start ripening, the pigment lycopene becomes dominant and this is why tomatoes turn red. Lycopene is a carotenoid and belongs to the same family as beta-carotene . It is a powerful antioxidant that neutralizes free radicals; especially those derived from oxygen. It is highly unsaturated hydrocarbon and contains 11 conjugated and 2 unconjugated double bonds making it longer than any other carotenoid. Lycopene obtained from plants tends to exist in a...

How do rechargeable batteries work? A rechargeable battery is a battery that can be recharged and used many times. It is also known as a 'storage battery' as it has the ability to accumulate and store energy. A rechargeable battery is also known as a 'secondary cell' . Gone are the days when we had to buy new batteries every time it stopped working. Any photographer will agree that rechargeable batteries are definitely a better and cheaper option than disposable batteries. Not to mention how they help save our planet! Let's find out how rechargeable batteries work. The function of rechargeable batteries Batteries have two electrodes; an anode, which is the negative end and a cathode, which is the positive end. Together, the anode and the cathode are called the electrodes. Every battery is made of chemicals and metals such as nickel, mercury and lead acid. In between the battery's two electrodes, an electrical current runs which is primaril...

 How is chemistry related to fats in your body? Most of us are health conscious. Almost every celebrity, magazine, newspaper or television channel are promoting fitness by losing fat and keeping our weight in check. But did you know there is a link between chemistry and fats in our body? Lipids? What are they? The modern obsession with fats and cholesterol is due to a greater understanding of the role of a group of bio-chemicals known as Lipids . Fats and oils are one type of lipids that are triglyceride molecules and are based on glycerol, which is an organic molecule made up of a chain of three carbon atoms with a hydroxyl (OH) group. Each hydroxyl group in glycerol connects to a long chain molecule known as a fatty acid. This results in a three-tailed molecule, which is called as a triglyceride . During the formation of triglycerides, the resultant fat molecules are totally hydrophobic, i.e. they do not dissolve in water. The human body stores these fats b...

Why Oil and Water do not mix? Every noticed that if you apply oil on your hand and wash it under water, the water doesn't stick to your hand? Or how when a drop of oil falls in a glass of water, it floats on the surface instead of mixing? There is a perfectly good explanation for this. It all comes down to chemistry! All About Polarity... Water is a polar molecule and this is a key reason why water and oil do not mix. Wondering what polarity is? Polarity is when one end is positively charged while the other end is negatively charged. Each water molecule is made of two hydrogen atoms and one oxygen atom. But the atoms are not arranged in a line. The two hydrogen atoms cling to one side of the oxygen atom making the molecule look something like a Mickey Mouse head. The electrons in the molecule spend more time on the oxygen side of the molecule, giving this side a negative charge and the hydrogen side a positive charge. Only other polar molecules can dissolve in w...