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It's one of life's most head-scratchy questions, and one of the most popular chemistry mysteries for youtubers. So let's get to the bottom of this crazy, shape-shifting substance, and finally find out why cornstarch and water do that thing!
#078
It's one of life's most head-scratchy questions, and one of the most popular chemistry mysteries for youtubers. So let's get to the bottom of this crazy, shape-shifting substance, and finally find out why cornstarch and water do that thing!
How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!
References from this episode
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A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life.
Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life!
In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of lifeās mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating.
If youāre someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.
Hey. I'm Melissa.
Jam:I'm Jam.
Melissa:And I'm a chemist.
Jam:And I'm not.
Melissa:And welcome to chemistry for your life.
Jam:The podcast helps you understand the chemistry of your everyday life.
Melissa:Hey, Jim. How you doing?
Jam:Dude, I'm good. Drinking some tea. Just trying to keep warm. You know?
Melissa:Yeah. It's been chilly in Texas lately. Pretty Yeah. Pretty cold for our standards, but I've been loving it.
Jam:Yeah. Me too. It kinda feels like actually winter, which It's funny because it just seems like not that long ago that it was kind of like you know, other parts of the country are experiencing the new seasons, And we're not. Why is it so so hot here? And it's just short few what feels like a few weeks later only.
Jam:It's very cold For ours Yeah. For Texas.
Melissa:Yeah. And the only drawback that I found about the cold is that now we have to be more creative in How to safely hang out with others due to COVID.
Jam:Yeah. And with how how dark it gets to. It's like fewer hours we have And Mhmm. Also less ideal temperature for it.
Melissa:So Yeah. Definitely. I've been favoring spaces that are outdoors with an industrial heater.
Jam:Nice. I've been hanging in my garage more than I would expected. It's, like, less cold than outside, But Mhmm. Not necessarily great. I mean, there's no wind, so that's good.
Jam:But yeah.
Melissa:Yeah. Garages are great. I saw some people in my neighborhood who had some mosquito net over their garage.
Jam:Oh, nice.
Melissa:I was like, so you just open the door, and it feels like you're outside, but you don't have to deal with mosquitoes. That's a genius.
Jam:Yeah. Wait. Did they do that recently? Or because I don't think there's many mosquitoes out right now.
Melissa:I think it was probably over the summer, but I just drove by that area today. So
Jam:Oh, okay. Gotcha.
Melissa:That's that's pretty smart. Hangout session. You know? It's an outdoor space without the irritation of bugs.
Jam:Mhmm. That's huge.
Melissa:In other news of huge things, we're gonna talk about something that Jam has been waiting for for a long time.
Jam:It's true. I know just what it is, but not anything else.
Melissa:Mhmm. And that is non Newtonian fluids.
Jam:Yes, dude. I'm so ready for this.
Melissa:So for those of you who don't know, non Newtonian fluids are we're gonna talk about what they are, but an example is a cornstarch and water situation. I think a lot of people have done that. You mix cornstarch and water up, and if you poke it really hard, it feels like a solid. And if you go slowly, it feels like a liquid.
Jam:Mhmm. Mhmm. Very crazy.
Melissa:Very crazy. So that is what we're gonna be talking about today. And it might seem like, oh, this is gonna be a really simple science at home kind of explanation, but it is not.
Jam:Woah.
Melissa:Yes. The chemistry here is very complicated. In fact, it's studied by a rheologist, and I had never heard of rheologist before I started looking up these papers.
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:These are scientists who specifically study how materials flow or deform under force or applied pressure.
Jam:Wow. Weird.
Melissa:Mhmm. And they basically have really only in the last 10 years started to figure out what's going on with these non Toni in fluids. So I'm gonna do my best to communicate to you what I know, but I am just gonna give the disclaimer that I may not fully be able to answer your questions, and I think there may be some misunderstanding or maybe some misconception that Hasn't been cleared up in the wider science community yet. So there may be things that aren't a 100%, but I did my best, and I got the best, most reliable sources I could. So I used the American Chemical Society.
Melissa:I used chemistry and engineering news, which is a magazine associated with the American Chemical Society, and I looked up other papers for people from rheologists who had David this.
Jam:Nice. Dude, awesome. I've been very interested in this ever since I saw I think probably the highest profile Version of this that a lot of us lay people saw was on Mythbusters where
Melissa:Mhmm.
Jam:Yes. They were the 1st I knew of that tried a large scale Run across cornstarch and water thing. See if you can move fast enough to run across it, and it Feel like you're kind of running across the solid thing.
Melissa:The only thing I've seen with this is our our mutual friend, Daniel, once Sat in the back of another Farm Bureau friend, Grant's truck, that was lined with tarp And filled with cornstarch and water because his dream was to take a bath in cornstarch and water.
Jam:Wow. I cannot imagine how much Evolv that they had to buy.
Melissa:Oh, I guess,
Jam:really, it's the cornstarch, but, man, seems like it'd be hard to get a lot of it for as as regular folk. I mean, you'd have no need to get that much of it for any other reason.
Melissa:I know.
Jam:But ever since that I've been obsessed with that, I remember, like, doing little just trim it up with it at home for fun and stuff, but have never understood what could be going on there.
Melissa:Yeah. It's pretty amazing. I'll say that. I also wanna say that the reason we're doing it and the reason that Jim knows about is it was a request by mister Hollis. He is a chemistry teacher in Illinois who invited us to come speak to his class, So we've done that a few times now, and it has been really, really fun.
Jam:Virtually. We've not taken any trips to Illinois, unfortunately. But,
Melissa:That's correct. Yeah.
Jam:But that's been really cool.
Melissa:And he requested that I talk to his class about this, so Jam had to bail out because he hadn't learned about it yet.
Jam:Yeah. I think mister Hollis thought we already had, which is, like, such a fascinating topic. And so I was like, I definitely don't want to learn about this before I learn about it on the podcast. So we were both, okay with me skipping out on it just to wait a few more days before learning it for real.
Melissa:So that's what that's how we came to be where we are today. So a non Newtonian fluid, before we talk about that, we have to talk about what a Newtonian fluid is.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:Okay. So I want you to picture in your mind either honey or maple syrup.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And you know how they flow kind of slowly.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:The rate at which a material flows or maybe this more proper term is resists flow Mhmm. Is called its viscosity.
Jam:Mhmm. Mhmm.
Melissa:So that's if it's more viscous, it's thicker. If it's less viscous, it's thinner. K. When I say thick and thin, I mean flows more quickly, flows more easily.
Jam:Okay. Got it.
Melissa:Okay. So if you want honey to be more viscous or less viscous, how do you change it?
Jam:You heat it up.
Melissa:Heat it up, and that gets it more or less viscous?
Jam:Less. It becomes That's right. Thinner and less viscous and flows more quickly.
Melissa:And I know from experience when I tried to put honey in my Cold brew iced coffee one time that if you wanted to be more viscous and basically turn into a solid, you put it in Colder temperatures. Yeah. So that is a Newtonian fluid, a fluid that will Flow more easily if its heat is increased and will flow less easily as it gets cooler.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:The viscosity of most fluids are not changed if you apply pressure to them.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:So for example, if you push on water, It won't suddenly change its viscosity, make it thicker or thinner. Or even if you push on honey, it won't change its viscosity. Right?
Jam:Right. At least not that I've seen.
Melissa:Not that you've seen. And same thing with honey or maple syrup.
Jam:Mhmm. If
Melissa:you push on those, the pressure and the viscosity have nothing to do with each other.
Jam:Right. Right. Right.
Melissa:So that is a Newtonian fluid.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:A non Newtonian fluid is one whose viscosity is impacted by something other than just heat. It is impacted by pressure, force, friction applied to it, something like that. Any kind of applied pressure can Impact the viscosity of a non Newtonian fluid.
Jam:Okay. So it kinda seems like there's characteristics that are true of most fluids, and so that ends up kinda being labeled as Newtonian. Mhmm. Fluids.
Melissa:Newton discovered the relationship between heat and viscosity, I believe. So I think that's why it's Newtonian.
Jam:Got it. So when he discovered fluids, He he thought there were only these kind that could exist.
Melissa:And Only these kind.
Jam:But there ended up being some other kinds That don't behave like expected.
Melissa:That's right.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And so these misbehaving fluids are non Newtonian fluids. And that pressure that you apply to them is sometimes also known as shear. It's like pressure or force or friction, shear. So sometimes applying pressure or force can result in more viscosity. So those are called shear thickening Fluids.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:An example of that is oobleck. You squeeze on it, and it feels hard. Mhmm. It resists flow.
Jam:Right. And oobleck is the term for cornstarch and water?
Melissa:Cornstarch and water mixed together. Yes. I probably should have said said that at the top. The cornstarch and water combo Uh-huh. Is sometimes called Oobleck.
Jam:I've seen that word used just describe it on, like, YouTube and stuff, but I have not really heard if that was a kind of colloquial thing or I didn't know where that word came about because I think for a long time, It was just called cornstarch and water. I'm like, you know, the myth busted episode and stuff.
Melissa:I think it is colloquial, and I think it came from a doctor Seuss book, Actually.
Jam:Oh, interesting.
Melissa:But I did hear a scientist use it in their talk in a presentation to the chemistry department At UNT. So I
Jam:mean, it's nice for it to have a word Yes. Instead of just being the ingredients every time.
Melissa:Yes. It really is nice to have a name for it. I I'm very appreciative of that. So those are things that you that is something that you apply pressure and it gets thicker. Another place where that happens is actually in the fluids around your joints.
Melissa:Uh-huh. They actually get a little bit harder to cushion blows.
Jam:Interesting.
Melissa:They can absorb some of that impact. So it's not I think, so that it's not just like bone on bone. Mhmm.
Jam:Woah. That's cool. That makes a lot of sense. I didn't think about there being, like, potentially some benefits to it in a way that it might occur on purpose like that in a
Melissa:know. Isn't that amazing?
Jam:Yeah. That's crazy.
Melissa:So then there's another kind that I think you're gonna be familiar with, but I think it might be hard to place it.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:And that's called shear thinning or pressure thinning. It's something that you apply pressure to
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:And or force or friction. You can shake it or, like, rub it between your fingers, and it starts to get thinner.
Jam:Okay. I think I have an example of this, but it's a it's cheating because I think I heard of this somewhere.
Melissa:Okay. What do you think?
Jam:K. Okay. I've heard that ketchup is one of those.
Melissa:How have you heard that?
Jam:I don't remember, honestly. I can't I I did not come from my brain, originally, so I I wish I gave credit somewhere. But
Melissa:Sneaky sneaky.
Jam:In my head, I have it stuck in there because something I watched at some point said that that was, like, the opposite. I mean, it it even could have been in a book or something. I don't know. But I remember thinking, oh, I mean, like, remember glass bottles of Ketchup. It's so hard to get it out.
Jam:Mhmm. But you can shake it up, and it moves around just fine. But then you're just, like, turning upside down, And it's like the opposite. It's like when it's still, it's thicker, and when it's being moved and jostled, it's thinner. It seems like this anyway.
Melissa:That's a great example. Can you think of any examples where you aren't cheating? I'm proud of you for knowing things and for, for improving your knowledge base, though. I'm proud I'm always proud of you for knowing things, but I thought that was for sure gonna be a shocker for you. So Yeah.
Melissa:Kinda disappointed.
Jam:Sorry. Sorry. I didn't even know we're gonna go there. I just like, you started asking about the opposite and I was like, woah. There's this folder in my brain that's becoming to the forefront.
Jam:It's like the is like, actually, you know what? We've got a folder on this. Here it is. Ketchup.
Melissa:Brain librarian. That's funny. Okay. So Can you think of anything else? If not, I can lay some out.
Jam:Okay. So gets The get thinner when it's being manipulated some way and force is being put on it.
Melissa:Yes.
Jam:Dang, dude. I don't know.
Melissa:There's one that comes up in movies a lot.
Jam:There's a few movies.
Melissa:The more you move around, The more you sink into it
Jam:Oh, quicksand?
Melissa:Quicksand is a non Newtonian fluid.
Jam:Oh, classic.
Melissa:A sheer Thinning, not on the tangent fluid. Also shaving cream. As you move it around, it will change its texture.
Jam:Oh, yeah.
Melissa:And another one that gets used a lot is shampoo. Although I'm I'm not sure I've seen that with shampoo, but I can get behind quicksand ketchup and shaving cream.
Jam:One thing I've noticed about shampoo is that if you put some in your hand and you push your finger in it quickly, Your finger will come back out without any on it, but if you go a little slower, it will stay on your finger.
Melissa:Interesting. So maybe that is an example of a shear thinning fluid.
Jam:Interesting. You know what maybe kinda chuckle when you Brought up quicksand. Is that, John Mulaney joke? I think it's his.
Melissa:It is his.
Jam:Yeah. Where he's like, as a kid, you know, I really thought quicksand was gonna come into play much more in my life.
Melissa:Yes. And Absolutely. And then the end, he goes, looks like regular sand, but then you're gonna start to sink into it.
Jam:Just like so funny because I felt exactly the same way. Like, when you see that in movies, just thinking like, oh, man. I've gotta keep that in my brain somewhere because I gotta keep a lookout For that, who knows when I'm gonna be just on my way somewhere, anywhere, and I'm gonna stumble on this quicksand. I gotta remember not to struggle, not to move too much, and hopefully, Spot it before I even get into it.
Melissa:That's exactly what I thought about. That's what I think about anytime I think about quicksand. I listen to John Mulaney's stand up comedy Awesome. Okay. So now you have some sheer thinning liquids and some sheer thickening liquids.
Melissa:Do you want to take a pause? You've kinda been along with me for the ride, but do you wanna take a pause and explain that back to me in your own
Jam:way? Love to. Okay. So they're fluids that abide by some rules that Newton Observed and probably at the time thought were kind of the norm for every kind of fluid when he Observed these qualities. And it was that the viscosity of A fluid can be changed by temperature or whatever, but not by other factors like Force applied to it.
Jam:Pressure or whatever. Mhmm. And as we have gone a longer time, it's been a few years since Newton was doing his thing. And now we've come across some fluids that definitely are affected by being agitated, their viscosity changes in different directions based on how they're being Manipulated. So whether it's a lot of force being put on it and it becomes much more viscous while the force is being applied to it, which is the sheer thickening fluids, or the other way around where when you Apply some sort of force to it.
Jam:You stir it really quickly. You you push on it really quickly or whatever. It becomes thinner, Shear thinning fluids, and their viscosity decreases while it is being Agitated in some way. Is that correct?
Melissa:Yes. That sounds exactly right to me.
Jam:Okay. Perfect.
Melissa:Now let's talk about the science behind it. There are 2 things that I've seen so far. So I'm just gonna summarize those 2 things the best I can.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:One thing that I've read is that they're polymers or solids that have intermolecular forces to act Just 1 wide network of solid suspended in some kind of liquid. Okay. And those polymers under different conditions or the network of solids under different conditions will act differently. So in shear thinning fluids, they would theoretically have intermolecular forces that cause them to be able to take a certain amount of pressure. Once that pressure or force has overcome what you need to break the intermolecular forces, then the polymers could slide easily back and forth each other.
Melissa:They're no longer one solid network. They've now been broken down into smaller pieces, so they can easily move around between one another.
Jam:Okay. So
Melissa:that's one theory on the shear thinning liquids.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:For and in that way, they're not even really liquids. Right? They're more Solid suspensions, which I think is kind of why they act non Newtonian is they're not really liquids, they're fluids, but they're not really liquids In the same way that you think about it, it's solids dispersed in a liquid medium almost.
Jam:Got it. Got it. Okay.
Melissa:So for sheer thickening, you're basically gonna have the same thing that we talked about on our episode about eggs.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:So you'll squeeze on whatever it is, apply that force, apply that pressure, and you'll have your polymers quickly unravel and then start to interlock with each other, and they make the solid resisting flow. And then when the force is reduced, they can they can start to unravel.
Jam:Okay. Okay. Interesting.
Melissa:So that's 1 core 1 theory or one type of idea that I got from the American Chemical Society. Okay. That makes a lot of sense to me for the sheer thinning process. But for the sheer thickening, there's something else that made a lot of sense for me as well. And I think This has got to be what's going on with cornstarch.
Jam:Okay.
Melissa:So, Really, they are super fine particles suspended in water. Super small, very, very, very Fine. Particles of cornstarch suspended in water. And sometimes when you get to particles that small, they start to act a little bit different than larger particles. Mhmm.
Melissa:So now that we have these super small particles suspended in water, they can experience what's known as intergranular or between the grains repulsion. Imagine, like, if you have 2 magnets and they both have the negative end and you try to bring them close to each other and they just slide off of each other. Yeah. It's like that.
Jam:Mhmm. Okay. So
Melissa:but on the super small scale, as you're trying to force These super fine particles really close together while you're squeezing it or putting pressure on it, they will start to repulse one another, And then you're experiencing that as a solid because as you push, you're feeling their repulsion that these grains don't wanna get any closer than they already are to one another.
Jam:Oh, interesting. Okay. Because you're trying to push them closer, then they resist.
Melissa:Mhmm. But if you have small applied stresses, you know, smaller forces, it's not gonna be as intense because they have time and space to move away from one another, so you're Feeling the repulsion in the same way.
Jam:Right. Right. Interesting.
Melissa:But I didn't see that applied to sheer thinning suspensions. I Only saw that applied to sheer thickening suspensions.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:So those were the 2 best explanations I got. 1 is the polymer, and the other is the fine particles.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:I saw very briefly someone talking about quicksand mentioning that, essentially, there just wasn't friction between them, and that's why it got to be thinner, but I didn't feel satisfied with that explanation, so I'd need a little bit more.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:So if there are any realtists out there You know a lot about non Newtonian fluids. I would love to hear from you to explain what you know. But I will say I found a paper as old as 2011 and as new as 2017 that seemed like there was some disagreement about exactly what was happening. The there's one that at MIT, this is the one that talked about the super fine suspension of particles. Uh-huh.
Melissa:They were able to use computer modeling to predict the behavior of Oobleck in different situations just so they could understand it and then work on applying it Two different things.
Jam:Interesting.
Melissa:And, actually, mister Hollis with his class had them come up with different ideas for what The application could be of cornstarch and water type substances, and they talked about you could use it for impacts for Car accidents. In the same way, it cushions the blow you've got going on in your joints if you have a seat that somehow responds to force in an appropriate way to protect your body. Uh-huh. Maybe that fluid can be an added safety fish feature in a car, Which I thought was really cool.
Jam:Interesting. Yeah. That is cool. Especially if you, like, mess with the ratio of, like, Okay. How cornstarch y is this or whatever?
Jam:And maybe find, like, the right mix that that doesn't make it, you know, become too hard or something, but Helps it firm up or something like that. That's crazy to think about.
Melissa:And in fact, I read an article in the American Chemical Society where they talked about a synthesized Polymer, I believe, that is a non Newtonian fluid called d three o.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:Just sort of like water, h two o, but it's d with a small three and then o. Uh-huh. And they are using it in applications in bulletproof vests, in Helmets and kneepads, and they even talked about how it could be really useful in cell phone cases. If you drop your phone and it has this impact absorber that hardens and takes the impact Mhmm. Of the force, then it won't shatter your case as much or your screen as much.
Melissa:So, really, there are all kinds of applications for non Newtonian fluids in the world. And even one article I read was about an engineer whose job was figuring out how to move Sludge in city settings to better places or to get rid of something that's not in the right place for the city or is not looking good or whatever.
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:So there's all kinds of applications for understanding how non Newtonian fluids flow In for using it in everyday life.
Jam:Wow. Dude, the idea of using it in, like, some sort of armor kind of protection thing Immediately, it made me think of mithril from Lord of the Rings. Obviously, that's not fluid, but, like, just the idea of, like it's just, like, light thin, like, very flexible, Little, you know, just thin layer you put on, and then it's like can take a ton of force or whatever.
Melissa:Yeah. Then you're protected.
Jam:Yeah. That'd be cool to have, like, a thin layer of, like, this something that just has a thin layer of that d three o in it.
Melissa:They said it's usually best if it's layered with other materials, but that seems like a really good thing to make it lighter, but still be able to withstand those impacts.
Jam:Yeah. Dang, that's crazy, dude.
Melissa:So that's it.
Jam:Wow. Dang.
Melissa:That's that's how cornstarch and water that's how oobleck Oobleck.
Jam:Wow. Yeah. Oobleck. Is that also yeah. Is it noun and verb?
Jam:Both?
Melissa:I guess if we're making up words, we can do whatever we want.
Jam:That's
Melissa:good. Have Ask doctor Seuss.
Jam:That's a good point. RIP.
Melissa:So while definitely a highlight of my week was going and talking to mister Hollis's class
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:I was thinking maybe since that's kind of already been talked about, we should share a different thing that made us happy this week.
Jam:Okay. Fair enough. This sounds good. So mine is you probably wouldn't know anything about it, but one of my podcast cohosts, With this podcast that I do called Coaching For Your Life, got got me a, it wasn't a joke. That's really true.
Jam:Okay? Got me this insanely cool book that I have wanted for At least 2 years probably. And when I first ever discovered it, like, found out that it existed, it was not available to buy in any reasonable way that I could find in the United States. And it's called The World Atlas of Coffee by James Hoffman, who's, like, my coffee hero. And
Melissa:Yeah. My top I've heard James talk about him a lot.
Jam:He's great. Definitely check him out on YouTube. He's amazing, and this book is super cool. And I we've talked about him a ton, And I didn't even really see it coming, but Melissa was asking some question about him. I was like, oh, I'm on his website, and he's really legit and stuff.
Jam:And I was like, oh, yeah. And she mentioned the book, and I I said something like, oh my gosh, dude. Yeah. That book seems so cool. I've tried to get it for, like I put it on my Christmas list for, like, 2 years now or something.
Jam:And then, like, the next day, when we had a social distanced hangout with Melissa and her dude, She was like, oh, hey. I got you something. And it was the book. I was like, holy. So very That
Melissa:was so fun.
Jam:Very excited. I don't get it's hard for me to get super excited about GIFs, partly because I'm so picky and have such weird interests and stuff. But it's just such a perfect thing, and it was also so easy because It was so obvious that it was something I was gonna get a lot of enjoyment out of and was very interested in and had not bought for myself. That's the problem, is that I would Yeah. Typically maybe have bought this for myself already, if I had had the chance to.
Jam:So I'm very Excited. And if you were wondering, it actually actually was Melissa who got it from me. It wasn't some other chemistry for your life cohost.
Melissa:To be fair, it was very low hanging fruit. Also, I saw a year ago in a gift guide. I think it was that exact book, but it was some kind of information about coffee book
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:And made a mental note to buy that for you at some point, and then it kind of all came together when I was looking at the website. Yeah. Because we're thinking about doing our episodes on coffee, so I went to his website to look for those. And then I saw that he had a book, and it all came together perfectly.
Jam:Yeah. I'm super I did. I got kinda sucked into it, like, that night and was flipping through it and stuff and was just gonna be look at, like, for a couple things. Ended up spending way more time in that book than I had expected. And Em was like
Melissa:Yay.
Jam:I was just standing in our bathroom, and Em was like, Are you gonna come to bed, or could you go read that somewhere else and not have it just, like, the light on in there for close the door? It was just so funny. Vibrant really sucked into it. So I'm I'm excited. Thank you.
Melissa:Well, on the theme of things that I bought for people, I also I am not Wealthy, and I don't often buy this many things. Okay? So just listen. It was, both of them were happy accidents, but I wanted a KitchenAid stand mixer for a very long time. I love baking.
Melissa:Uh-huh. It's a big expense, and you have to be sure you really are gonna love The color that you get because you're gonna have it for the rest of your life. And there's never been a color that seemed Exactly right, and the time never seemed right, or I'd be short on money or whatever. And then happily, one of my friends sent me a picture of the KitchenAid 100 year collection.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:And I was instantly in love with it. It's misty blue, which is my favorite. I love that kinda grayish blue color.
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:It had a white Stainless steel bowl instead of the typical regular stainless steel color.
Jam:Uh-huh.
Melissa:There was white accents. It was beautiful. And I instantly fell in love, and it was out of stock. But I just knew that I had to have it, so I kept refreshing and refreshing and refreshing.
Jam:Mhmm.
Melissa:And It came back in stock the next morning, and I purchased it very quickly. It was on sale for $100 off because it's limited edition. It's the end of The time I think that they're gonna be running it or maybe not. Maybe they're tricking me, but it was still $100 off its full price. Yeah.
Melissa:And so it's such a good deal, and the timing is right. And I Finally, I'm financially stable, and I got myself a KitchenAid stand mixer.
Jam:Dude, awesome.
Melissa:I'm very happy. And there was a more expensive one that came with a ceramic bowl, But I just bought a separate ceramic bowl, and my beautiful white stainless steel bowl and that ceramic bowl together were less expensive than the other one, so I think I made the right call.
Jam:Nice.
Melissa:I love a good deal, so I was very excited about that.
Jam:It's also just so awesome when it's something you've wanted for a while Mhmm. Is is achievable for you, especially if it feels like it used to pay it off to wait for it because This one's more the color that you like or it's cheaper or, in this case, both. Mhmm. And you were able to get just the best of all worlds, and It was worth the wait. That's such a great feeling.
Melissa:I mentioned to someone that it felt really impulsive, and they said it's an Impulsive purchase, but it's not an impulsive want. You've been waiting for years to get this. Yeah.
Jam:Yeah.
Melissa:So I'm very, very and it will come in handy for me baking all the baked goods for people once this COVID is over because I love to bake cakes and treats for people, so I'm very excited.
Jam:Absolutely. Yeah. It's been a too long that I've been able to have a spontaneously baked thing Melissa is sometimes it's like a leftover. Like, hey. I made this for this, but I have some left.
Jam:Who wants some? And stuff. That used to be a regular thing, and it has been a while since been able to experience that. So I'm also glad that you got that mixer.
Melissa:Yeah. The frequency will increase just as soon as COVID ends.
Jam:Dude, that's awesome. Congrats.
Melissa:Thanks, Jam. Thanks for being excited for me, and I'm glad you really love your book. And thanks to all you listeners who have Come and shut up and learn about the craziness of non Newtonian fluids.
Jam:And thank you for teaching us. Thank you for demystifying. It's still Very interesting and and mystical in a lot of ways, but at least to some degree, demystifying this Chemistry mystery that I've wondered about for a long time, and I'm sure that many other people have too. So and these are the kind of questions that we want to hear from you. Ideas of topics, things that you've wanted about just like this.
Jam:So please reach out to us on Gmail, Twitter, Instagram, or Facebook at chem for your life. That's chem, f o r, your life, to share your wonder and thoughts with us. If you'd like to help us keep our show going and contribute to cover the cost of making it, Go to kodashfi.com/chemforyourlife. Don't at the cost of a cup of coffee. If you're not able to donate, you can still help us by subscribing on your favorite podcast app and rating and writing our review on Apple Podcasts.
Jam:That also helps us be able to share chemistry with even more people.
Melissa:This episode of Chemistry For Real Life was created by Melissa Collini and J. M. Robinson. References for this episode can be found in our show notes or on our website. J.
Melissa:M. Robinson is our producer, and we'd like to give a special thanks to In Noor and a Hefner who reviewed this episode.