Table Of ContentRadar_Cover_LightningSource:Chemistry Final 9/9/09 2:54 PM Page 1
“Joe Schwarcz tells it like it is. Whether he’s plumbing the mysteries of chicken R
soup ortracing the development of polyethylene, Schwarcz takes a little a
history, adds a dash of chemistry, and produces a gem of an essay every d
time. I wish he’d been my chemistry professor when I was in school.” a
— Christine Gorman, senior writer, Timemagazine r
,
Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs H
really does “tell it like it is” in 67 short, entertaining, and informative u
pieces about chemistry in everyday life. Find out the latest about l
a
homeopathy and alternative medicine. Fill up on facts about soybeans,
tomatoes, tea, ginseng, chicken soup, hot dogs, and the benefits of H
eating chalk. Explore the science behind Alice’s strange adventures in o
Wonderland, Rumpole’s deadly cheese soufflé, and Casanova’s experi- o
ments with “Spanish Fly.” Investigate the nefarious chemistry of the KGB,
p
the colors of urine, and the mysteries of baldness. Learn how shampoos
s
really work, and discover which cleaning agents must never be combined. Get
rid of that skunk smell in a jiffy, and get a whiff of what’s behind the act of passing gas. Take a a
painless glimpse into the discovery of anesthetics. Read about the ups and downs of underwear, n
the invention of gunpowder, zombies in Haiti, Van Gogh's brain, John Dillinger's chemical d
exploits, little Mikey's exploding stomach, and Dinshah Ghadiali's bizarre attempts to cure
P
disease with colored lights. Even Houdini makes a magical appearance. Finally, discover the
l
amazing links between radar, hula hoops, and playful pigs! a
y
Dr. Joe Schwarcz is one of North America’s foremost educators and is well known for his informa- f
u
tive and entertaining public lectures on topics ranging from the chemistry of love to the science
l
of aging. He has received numerous awards for teaching chemistry and for interpreting science
P
to the public. "Dr. Joe" appears regularly on the Discovery Channel, has a weekly radio phone-in
i
show on Montreal’s CJAD, and writes columns about the role of chemistry in everyday life for the g
Washington Post and the Montreal Gazette. He is the Director of McGill University's Office for s
Chemistry and Society. He lives in Montreal with his wife and three daughters.
“It is hard to believe that anybody could be drawn to such a dull and smelly subject as
chemistry–until, that is, one picks up Joe Schwarcz’s book and is reminded that with every
breath and feeling one is experiencing chemistry. Falling in love, we all know, is a matter of the D
right chemistry. Schwarcz gets his chemistry right, and hooks his readers.” r
.
— John C. Polanyi, Nobel Laureate J
o
“Joe Schwarcz’s magic is in convincing us that there is verve and value in real chemistry.”
e
— Roald Hoffman, Nobel Laureate
S
Dr. Schwarcz has written a book that is enormously enjoyable–it commands and holds your c
h
attention. It explains science and scientific phenomena in a simple and accurate way while
stimulating logical thinking. It will lead to a scientifically literate reader who will not be so easily w
misled by those who wish to paint science and technology as being a danger to humankind. a
— Michael Smith, Nobel Laureate r
c
z
ISBN: 978-1-55022-384-2
$16.95 ECW PRESS E
C
W
www.ecw.com
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RADAR, HULA HOOPS,
AND PLAYFUL PIGS
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RADAR, HULA HOOPS,
AND PLAYFUL PIGS
67 Digestible commentaries on
the Fascinating Chemistry of
Everyday Life
dr. joe schwarcz
ecw press
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The publication of Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs has been
generously supported by the Government of Canada through the
Book Publishing Industry Development Program (bpidp).
Copyright © ECW Press, 1999
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be
reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted
in any form by any process — electronic, mechanical,
photocopying, recording, or otherwise — without the prior
written permission of the copyright owners and ECW Press.
canadian cataloguing in publication data
Schwarcz, Joseph A., 1947– .
Radar, hula hoops and playful pigs:
67 digestible commentaries on the
fascinating chemistry of everyday life
isbn 978-1-55022-384-2
Cover design by Guylaine Regimbald.
Cover illustration © David La Fleur/sis.
Interior design by Yolande Martel.
Interior cartoons by Brian Gable.
Author photo by Georgio Campana.
Printing: Lightning Source
Published by ECW Press,
2120 Queen Street East, Suite 200,
Toronto, Ontario M4E 1E2
416.694.3348 / [email protected]
printed and bound in the united states
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION
A Quest for the Right Chemistry 11
Evangelists, Mad Scientists, and Kricket Krap 14
An Appeal for Chemical Literacy 22
THOSE FASCINATING CHEMICALS!
The Lot of Lot’s Wife 27
Basking in the Limelight 29
Boyle’s Law and a High-Flying Elmo 32
“Der Schwarzer Berthold” 36
Movies, Collars, and Billiard Balls 39
Jeanetics 43
John Dillinger, Fake Slush, and Counterfeit Money 47
Playing with Chemicals 50
Radar, Hula Hoops, and Playful Pigs 54
The Great Phenol Plot 58
The Rise and Fall of a Gas 62
Mentioning the Unmentionables 65
Some Magical Chemistry 69
—— 7 ——
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RADAR, HULA HOOPS, AND PLAYFUL PIGS
DOWN THE HATCH
But It’s Natural! 73
Living Can Be Fatal 78
An Eye-Catching Story 82
Let’s Have an Apple Day 86
Eggspertise 89
Chinese-Restaurant Syndrome 93
Hot Diggety Dog 97
It’s Always Tea Time 101
Relishing Tomatoes 105
Pour the Bubbly 111
Sole Food Is a Good Idea 114
Soupy Science 118
Soybeans, Cabbages, and Breast Cancer 122
The Feet of God 126
The Food of the Gods 130
This Pulp Isn’t Fiction 134
Vegetable à la ala 137
CHEMICAL CRIMES
A Love Potion Most Lethal 141
Alice in Mushroomland 145
Chemical Witchcraft in Salem 148
Death by Soufflé 152
Mad Monks, kgb Agents, and Sleeping Dogs 155
Chemistry for Zombies 159
—— 8 ——
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HEALTH AND DISEASE
Sola Dosis Facit Venenum 163
Anxiety about Anxiety 167
Colorful Wastes 171
Bee Pollen and the Office of Alternative Medicine 174
Fight Crime: Eat Chalk 178
Feeling No Pain 182
Hormones and the Hair Challenged 185
Going Nuts about Selenium 189
Hype, Hope, and Ginseng 194
Vitamin E Gets an A from Researchers 197
The Whiff of Romance 201
Van Gogh’s Brain 208
AROUND THE HOUSE
Sorting Out the Suds 213
A Solution to Skunk Pollution 217
Coming Clean on Laundry Products 220
The Little Mermaid and Optical Brighteners 224
The Wrong Chemistry 227
Zeolites to the Rescue 231
SENSE OR NONSENSE?
Getting a Charge out of Electrical Nonsense 235
Illusion, Delusion, or Solution? 239
Pop Rocks and Exploding Stomachs 242
Stranger than Fiction 246
Colorful Nonsense 250
“Where’s the Aura?” Asks Emily Rosa 255
—— 9 ——
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