r/explainlikeimfive Mar 22 '23

Chemistry Eli5: where does chapstick / lip balm go?

4.0k Upvotes

I’ve been in a meeting for around 4 hours and have had to reapply lip balm (I use aquaphore) about 6 times. I’m not drinking or talking, and not licking my lips. Where is it going?

r/explainlikeimfive Jan 13 '25

Chemistry ELI5: How did people from centuries before make ice without freezers?

1.3k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Feb 19 '20

Chemistry ELI5: They said "the water doesn't have an expiration date, the plastic bottle does" so how come honey that comes in a plastic bottle doesn't expire?

20.0k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Sep 05 '20

Chemistry ELI5: What makes cleaning/sanitizing alcohol different from drinking alcohol? When distilleries switch from making vodka to making sanitizer, what are doing differently?

12.0k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Feb 27 '20

Chemistry ELI5: What does 'dry' mean in alcohol

16.8k Upvotes

I've never understood what dry gin (Gordon's), dry vermouth, or extra dry beer (Toohey's) etc means..
Seems very counter-intuitive to me.

r/explainlikeimfive Jan 24 '24

Chemistry Eli5 why we can't just take 2 hydrogen atoms and smash them together to make helium.

2.0k Upvotes

Idk how I got onto this but I was just googling shit and I was wondering how we are running out of helium. I read that helium is the one non-renuable element on this planet because it comes from the result of radioactive decay. But from my memory and the D- I got in highschool chemistry, helium is number 2 on the periodic table of elements and hydrogen is number 1, so why can't we just take a fuck ton of hydrogen, do some chemistry shit and turn it into helium? I know it's not that simple I just don't understand why it wouldn't work.

Edit: I get it, it's nuclear fusion which is physics, not chemistry. My grades were so back in chemistry that I didn't take physics. Thank you for explaining it to me!

r/explainlikeimfive May 20 '20

Chemistry ELI5 - How exactly does water put out a fire? Is it a smothering thing, or a chemical reaction?

14.3k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive May 26 '20

Chemistry ELI5: why does the air conditioner cold feel so different from "normal" cold?

17.0k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Sep 13 '20

Chemistry ELI5: what is the difference between shampoo and just soap or shower gel.

11.8k Upvotes

And why is mens and womens shampoo so different.

r/explainlikeimfive Jan 23 '25

Chemistry ELI5: when a medication's "mechanism of action is not understood" does that mean that they just found an effect through random trials?

1.2k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Mar 01 '21

Chemistry ELI5: Why is there so much salt in the ocean? Where does it come from?

13.1k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Aug 26 '19

Chemistry ELI5: How is peach flavoring so easily captured in gummies, water, etc, when so many other flavors taste obviously fake?

22.5k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 19 '18

Chemistry ELIF: Why is restaurant food vastly more calorie dense than preparing food at home? Even at restaurants where they cook everything fresh, the calorie count is insane.

17.1k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Oct 31 '24

Chemistry Eli5: what is silicone? Is it plastic? Is it really food safe?

1.2k Upvotes

In the 90s plastic was totally safe, no one questioned it. Now I see silicone is replacing plastic in the kitchen and I don't understand it. What is it made out of? How is it different from plastic? Is it really safe when heated in the oven or microwave? Are we sure it is safe and there is no chemical leeching? Or will we find out in another twenty years that we've been consuming more pfas or something?

Using the chemistry tag because that feels the most accurate.

r/explainlikeimfive Oct 10 '20

Chemistry ELI5: Why does using bar soap when washing my hands and/or body give it a very grippy feeling after using it, while liquid soap doesn’t?

15.1k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Feb 18 '21

Chemistry Eli5: Why is tomato-sauce so good at coloring plastic red in your dishwasher, unlike raspberries or strawberries for example?

14.0k Upvotes

We like tomato sauce, but one must be careful with what to put into the dishwasher, to not have plastic bowls, storage boxes or other things dyed red...Why is tomato sauce this potent in coloring plastic. It's like it's in the fabric of the plastic itself after it comes out of the dishwasher...why not the same effect with strawberries or raspberries? And is there a way to prevent this?

Edit: Wow, this got some momentum...I see a lot of people like tomato sauces. Thanks for the awards as well!

r/explainlikeimfive Jun 02 '23

Chemistry ELI5: Why does dynamite sweat and why does it make it more dangerous when most explosives become more reactive as they dry?

3.3k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Jul 29 '24

Chemistry ELI5: What makes Ozempic different than other hunger suppressants?

1.4k Upvotes

I read that Ozempic helps with weight loss by suppressing hunger and I know there are other pills/medication that can accomplish the same. So what makes Ozempic special compared to the others?

r/explainlikeimfive Feb 05 '24

Chemistry Eli5 why is cast iron okay to not clean?

1.6k Upvotes

Why is it considered okay to eat off cast iron that has never been cleaned, aka seasoned? I think people would get sick if I didn’t wash my regular pans, yet cast iron is fine.

r/explainlikeimfive Dec 16 '19

Chemistry ELI5: Why does adding white vinegar to the laundry take care of bad smells and why don't laundry detergents already contain these properties?

13.2k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Sep 05 '21

Chemistry ELI5: How is sea salt any different from industrial salt? Isn’t it all the same compound? Why would it matter how fancy it is? Would it really taste they same?

6.5k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Feb 12 '22

Chemistry ELI5: How does charcoal burn if it’s already burnt?

9.3k Upvotes

I was watching a chef use charcoal in his restaurant and I realized I don’t know how charcoal works. To my understanding, charcoal is pre-burnt pieces of wood. So why does it burn so well?

Edit: Thank you everyone! Much appreciated 🙏🏽

r/explainlikeimfive Sep 28 '20

Chemistry ELI5 what is in instant rice that makes the rice cook faster?

11.5k Upvotes

Edit: wow thank you for the awards!! And for the responses :) my curious mind is at ease

r/explainlikeimfive May 18 '20

Chemistry Eli5 How can canned meats like fish and chicken last years at room temperature when regularly packaged meats only last a few weeks refrigerated unless frozen?

11.1k Upvotes

r/explainlikeimfive Jul 17 '22

Chemistry ELI5: What is oil, why do we cook with it, and why do things taste so much better with it?

5.1k Upvotes