Wednesday, March 8, 2017

Fun with Chemistry in the Kitchen

I got a review in chemistry upon moving into my apartment in Baton Rouge, where my sink was spouting out hot water that smelled like rotten eggs. Running the hot water for several minutes cleared up the problem, though it returns anytime I've been gone for multiple days. While undesirable, the smell isn't the biggest issue: it's that my sterling silver ring turned black after being exposed to the water!
I was not pleased with this turn of events, so I turned to the internet to find a fix for my ring. The solution was the following: boil some water, place a piece of aluminum foil in a small bowl, pour a few teaspoons of table salt and baking soda onto the foil, add the boiling water, toss in the ring, and voila! Instant clean. Insert something clever here about ion exchanges... it's a little insight into what goes on in your water heater.