Dr. Joe Schwarcz’s The Genie in the Bottle relates chemistry to events that occur in ever day life whether its what your eating or natural herbs that you take. He relates his own experiences with other peoples’ and explains the chemistry behind all of it. This makes you wonder what other chemistry you encounter in your own life.
One of his commentaries brought up the old idea of a princess kissing toads to find her prince which in all fairytales involves magic, when in Australia its chemistry. Cant toads were imported into Australia to fix a bug problem. Yet they didn’t realize that the toads produced “toad slime” and when licked, boiled down, or dried out and smoked, you could get a quick high. The slime, they later realized, were the toads’ defense mechanism against anything that tried to eat them. This licking of toads would lead to hallucinations and the person might see their own prince or another unreal figure.
At one point in his life, his daughter wouldn’t eat peas because they looked “yucky” so he tried to make them appear a little more appetizing. To do this, he added baking soda to a pot of boiling water with peas which kept them greener after being cooked instead of losing color. This was because vegetables contain natural acids that are released during cooking and effect the color so when you add the baking soda it neutralizes the released acids and leaves the peas looking greener than usual.
One day the chemist decided to grow an alien toy which uses the same thing that super absorbent diapers use. A woman’s baby had a urinary tract infection and she got it fixed but when she starting using super absorbent diapers she realized the problem came back, they later realized that the baby had been going to the bathroom normally yet the new diaper absorbed 2 times more than a normal diaper so she had been fine all along. The super absorbent polymers in the alien and diapers look like a dry white powder but have amazing effects. When water is added it absorbs it and turns into gel which can be turned back by adding salt causing the water to flow out of the gel. It was also used for fires since it was not flammable, anti-leak tapes, and an underwater sealer for the Chunnel, linking England and France.
Another interesting commentary brought up the idea that many red dyes originate from ancient bugs. The Mesopotamians realized that the female kermes insect, which clings to trees all its life had a red color which they used for Pope Paul II’s robes, but the bugs had to be picked off the trees individually by people with specially grown fingernails so the prices were very high and the market for kermes was cut off. The Aztecs found another insect that produced a red dye, called the cochineal. It was easier to get these bugs for they could be swept off a branch into hot water and then dried in the sun. Another insect, bred in Peru and the Canary Islands, is used today to dye lipstick, cherries, and even other foods.
A boy once bought a muscle enhancer from Doc’s Gym and ended up in the hospital, the illegal substance he bought was GHB. GHB was once a legal dietary supplement that induced sleep which increased muscle growth but it had some serious side effects and was made illegal, yet the substance is easily made at home. After it became illegal, kids started buying it underground as a rave drug that reduced anxiety and was even used as a date-rape drug because it can make the kid powerless to resist. Yet, although it sounds so bad it also has a potentially good side. GHB unlike GABA can cross the membrane that protects the brain from intruders. It is often used as an anti-depressant and an anxiety reducer. The drug is also not harmful and even helpful when taken in the right dosage.
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