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Answers to Readers' Questions on Chemistry:
DHMO
The following 6 comments and questions have been sent in. They are listed according to date.
List of first 10 items
- Is DHMO dry ice?
- You shouldn't tell people what DHMO is
- How do you come up with these ideas?
- Concerned about Hydric Acid
- City planning on banning DHMO
- How does DHMO harm us?
Is DHMO dry ice?
Question
February 28, 2008
Is DHMO dry ice?
Thanks
Billy - USA
15452
Answer
DHMO is di-hydrogen (2 H) mono-oxygen (1 O). That would be H2O or water. DHMO is just a complicated way to name water. No one really uses it, because it is easier just to say water or H2O.
But also, the properties are the same.
Dry ice is frozen carbon dioxide CO2.
You shouldn't tell people what DHMO is
Question
November 20, 2007
You tell people what it is and u shouldn't do that. It ruins the fun about trying to find out what it is.
- USA
14809
Answer
Some people don't catch on what the material is.
How do you come up with these ideas?
Question
January 27, 2006
How do people like you come up with these ideas?
D'Nesha - USA
9824
Answer
I did not come up with the idea about the DHMO compound. There are a number of resources that talk about the issue, somewhat with a humorous twist. Our purpose is for chemistry students to be able to identify various chemical compounds and their properties.
Concerned about Hydric Acid
Question
December 11, 2005
First of all I would like to say there is more behind this than meets the eye. The first thing I did as being ignorant of chemistry was to google the meaning and of course I found the answer - water. However, there are many types of water including one with the formula H3OH, ALSO KNOWN (ACCORDING TO THE ATTACHED) BY DIFFERENT NAMES, ONE OF WHICH IS SUPPOSEDLY DHMO - THIS IS A LIE - THIS WATER IS NOT THE SAME, BUT IS HIGHLY IONIZED WATER CREATED BY THE ADDITION OF AN ACID AND THEN USED AS A SOLVENT BECAUSE, LIKE DISTILLED WATER BUT MUCH MORE SO IT CAN BE USED IN INDUSTRY TO COMBINE WITH OTHER ELEMENTS - IT IS THEREFORE VERY DANGEROUS BECAUSE AS A WASTE PRODUCT IT CONTAINS DISSOLVED INDUSTRIAL REFUSE. IT IS ESSENTIALLY ACIDIFIED IONIZED WATER. THAT IS THE FEELING I GET AND I COULD BE WRONG BECAUSE I DO NOT REALLY KNOW THAT MUCH ABOUT CHEMISTRY - BUT I DO NOT THAT THE PEOPLE WHO GAVE THE FORMULA FOR THIS WATER ON THE FOLLOWING WEBSITE (?EPA GUIDELINES) LIED OUTRIGHT ABOUT DHMO BEING A SYNONYM FOR THIS THIS H30H STUFF - THAT IS A LIE AND THERE IS UNFORTUNATELY SOME NASTY COVER-UP OF THIS ACIDIFIED WATER GOING ON AND THE MOCKERY OF THE DHMO WEBSITE IS PART OF IT BECAUSE THEY NEVER EXPLAIN THIS H3OH STUFF AND OBVIUOSLY THE INDUSTRIAL FOLKS MUST BE LAUGHING THEIR HEADS OFF PULLING THIS OFF. THEY ARE CHANGING THE NATURE OF THE WATER THEY USE TO MAKE IT INTO A SOLVENT AND TRULY ARE EFFLUXING THIS SHIT TO US THROUGH OUR WATER TABLES.
THE LAST LAUGH MAY BE ON THE AMERICAN PUBLIC.
- USA
9338
Answer
The site you refer to (http://www.ags.uci.edu/~drego/HydricAcid.PDF) is a joke that a student at the Univ. of Calif-Irvine entered on his school website. Also, I don't think there is any chemical H3OH. Water (H2O) can be written as HOH.
I tried to provide enough hints so that students and others could realize that DHMO is water. I think the "official" document on the site you indicated is a disservice to science, as well as to society. Jokes are no fun unless people can catch on.
City planning on banning DHMO
Question
December 3, 2005
As a chemist, I obviously knew what DHMO was. Interestingly, I search the Internet for DHMO and there's several Web sites supporting the ban of DHMO. There was in fact, a city considering bannng DHMO.
From my perspective, this is a really good example of how reporting news can be bias simply by phrasing words differently. You state "Knowledge of Chemistry will help avoid misunderstandings." I might add that knowledge of everyday happenings is essential in filtering out bias phrases in a news reports.
Frank - USA
9248
Answer
Thanks for the feedback. I think a big problem is that many people simply don't read very carefully. Several people have written, voicing their concerns about DHMO. I was thinking of clearly stating it is water, but then the material wouldn't do much for students.
As far as news reporters go, many simply repeat news reports they get without thinking or checking the facts. I've seen so many incorrect news items that it makes me wonder what is happening in the Journalism schools.
How does DHMO harm us?
Question
October 31, 2005
how did dmho get in the world and how does it harm us?
what form of life does it affect the most???
thank you ... Nicole
Nicole-Lynn - Canada
8762
Answer
DHMO is dihydrogen monoxide. That means 2 atoms (di) of hydrogen (H2) and 1 atom (mono) of oxygen. That is H2O or common water.
Note that water can result in problems as mentioned. The main idea of this article was to test chemistry students on being able to figure out what DHMO is. It was not to put a scare into anyone about some "dangerous" substance.
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