149 questions and answers in this section

Natural Sciences » Chemistry

Explain why adding baking soda to a tomato sauce can make it less acidic?

Explain why adding baking soda to a tomato sauce can make it less acidic?

Tomato sauce is naturally acidic largely due to its content of citric acid and malic acid, two components abundant in ripe tomatoes. It also contains...

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Explain why sugar caramelizes when heated?

Explain why sugar caramelizes when heated?

What is commonly referred to as sugar is sucrose. A carbohydrate made up of one glucose molecule attached to one fructose molecule. These molecules mainly...

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Explain why potatoes become soft if they are cooked in salty water?

Explain why potatoes become soft if they are cooked in salty water?

The cells of potatoes are surrounded by a fairly fragile membrane, whose mission is to maintain the balance between the inside and the outside. When...

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Explain why does ice float on water?

Explain why does ice float on water?

Most substances become denser when they cool down, but water is a rebel! When it freezes, it adopts a particular structure and becomes less dense...

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Explain why the colors of paintings fade over time?

Explain why the colors of paintings fade over time?

Light plays a key role in the gradual degradation of colors. More specifically, it is the ultraviolet (UV) rays from the sun that pose a...

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Explain why butter becomes soft at room temperature but solidifies again in the refrigerator?

Explain why butter becomes soft at room temperature but solidifies again in the refrigerator?

Butter is primarily made up of fat, around 80%, mainly consisting of molecules called triglycerides. Triglycerides, in essence, are glycerol attached to three fatty acids, somewhat like...

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Explain why bananas turn yellow?

Explain why bananas turn yellow?

The green color of still immature bananas primarily comes from chlorophyll, this well-known pigment that also gives leaves their green color. As the fruit ripens, this chlorophyll...

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Explain why fireworks explode in colors.

Explain why fireworks explode in colors.

The intense colors of fireworks primarily come from the phenomenon of chemical combustion. When the fireworks explode, they release a very strong energy in the...

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Explain why Marie Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize.

Explain why Marie Curie was the first woman to receive a Nobel Prize.

Marie Curie and her husband Pierre conducted groundbreaking experiments on radioactivity, a phenomenon that was still poorly understood at the time. They discovered two new...

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Explain why glass is translucent while metal is not.

Explain why glass is translucent while metal is not.

Glass is primarily a material that is classified as amorphous solid. This means that its atoms are arranged in a rather disordered manner, as if...

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