What are two things that are good on their own but bad when combined? And bad things that are good when combined?
I just learned about "Salt (NaCl) is actually a combination of a highly poisonous gas (Cl) and a hazardous metal (Na)".
I'm sure there are lots of examples in life that this rule also applies to.
Sex is good! Dogs are good! Sex with dogs is NOT good!
O2 is great! Vital, even! Unpaired oxygen is highly toxic to all forms of life
Fucking is legal, selling is legal, why isn't selling fucking legal? -- Carlin.
He's got a point. Sex work being illegal is wrong.
O3 is again not good for us. Not breathe it and die but it attacks your lungs if you inhale too much.
OZONE
Does it have an active poisonous effect, or is it just dangerous because it's not breathable?
O3 (Ozone) is effectively airborne bleach. The molecule is 'happy' to dump an oxygen and become O2, the last O needs something to bind to however. Large, complex hydrocarbons are particularly vulnerable to damage from this. Unfortunately, our bodies are basically made of complex hydrocarbon chains. While our skin is quite resistant to damage (we have an ablative layer of dead skin cells), our lungs and eyes aren't. Ozone will do significant damage, in even small doses.
Luckily, the same thing that makes it dangerous also makes it unstable. O3 breaks down to O2 relatively quickly (20 minute half-life, I think). It's also amazing at decontaminating and deodorising a room or building. Bacteria, viruses and VOCs(volatile organic molecules, aka smelly stuff) are particularly vulnerable to damage from O3. You just have to remove anything you don't want to damage (like houseplants, pets, or children), and keep the place relatively sealed to not pollute the area too much.
There's also something deeply unsettling about the smell of O3 in any concentration where you can truly smell it, not like getting punched in the lungs that ammonia bicarbonate is, and less irritating than than NOx compounds, but the almost sweet and sickly pleasant smell to it carries a sense of dread.
Speaking of which NOx is another good one; N2 is (essentially) inert and makes up most of our atmosphere, O2 has already been explained, but run a high frequency (white) electric arc in our atmosphere and you cause the N2 and O2 to combine in varying quantities producing NOx compounds.
NOx compounds are effectively gaseous nitric acid, it has a brown/red colour, and on constant with water it forms nitric acid. It doesn't matter whether that water is in a beaker with the NOx being bubbled through it, or the water that exists in your sinuses, lungs and eyes.
You lose your sense of smell pretty quickly when exposed to it and concentrations can build up quicker than you expected, if you've been overexposed to it, you'll wake up the next day or even a few hours later, feeling like you've got the worst sore throat in your life, like someone stamped on your throat then tried to scrape it clean... assuming you do wake up.
1/10 do not recommend.
This high propensity for reaction is also why we got a massive hole in the ozone layer. Aerosols and hydrocarbons got dumped into the atmosphere, causing a massive portion of our ozone to split into O2 and free O due to higher exposure to UV radiation. All of that newly freed singular oxygen then started binding with the hydrocarbons in the upper atmosphere instead of reforming into ozone, heavily depleting it over time
It's reactive and creates free oxygen radicals that will attack nearly anything, so it'll actively oxidize your lungs.
Freedom is good. Radicals are cool. so....
Not sure anymore. The lesson we were taught just basically said that it damages your lunge if you breath in too much. There were some other interesting thins in that lesson. Basically that cars release not only co2 but also pure c into the air which binds o3 elements into co2 and o2. Which is why in cities and region with more traffic less o3 can be found. O3 is also more common and really sunny days. But please take this with a grain of doubt as this was some years ago.
O3 is an unstable molecule that acts effectively like bleach, it forces an Oxygen atom/ion onto another molecule. This tends to do significant damage to large hydrocarbons, like those making up our bodies and the cells' internal machinery.
It's produced naturally by sunlight hitting oxygen molecules in the atmosphere, and by lightning. It's also a byproduct of a number of processes, like some combustion engine designs. It then breaks down quite quickly into normal oxygen, either by reacting with something else, or by combining with a 2nd O3 (2O3 ==> 3O2). This has a short half life of around 20 minutes.
CO_2 is vital for plants photosynthesis. CO kills everything.
This is Scary because both are formed in the exact same way the only factor is how much oxygen is available on combustion.
Yes this is exactly why you should always have a CO detector at your chimney.
I could make a joke considering the instance I'm on but I'll just bow out.
Nice distraction with the O2 factoid. We have our own instance... if you're interested.
Obligatory j/k because it would not surprise me if that was a thing.
Alcohol is generally well tolerated in reasonable quantities, the common ink cap mushroom is edible, but if eaten alongside alcohol it becomes poisonous
Jesus. Not even alongside. It is poisonous to consume alcohol up to three days after eating them.
If like to see this in a murder mystery
this one is pretty scary. my brother loves to get pissed and do mushrooms he forages himself. I know he knows what he's doing but you never know
Can't think of anything myself, but I just want to say this is a really good unique question.
When she says "don't" and when she says "stop".
Some might disagree but the one time I melted cheddar cheese on popcorn I nearly barfed.
Politicians and guillotines are terrible on their own, but when combined....
Chemistry is so weird like that, you should see the Nile red stuff where he turns paint thinner into cherry soda https://youtu.be/NIVkBs7oWDI?si=EK4OnaCu-zw4Ffzr
Or plastic gloves into hot sauce https://youtu.be/1B3Xi5L6siI?si=hqti_mueK2o-0A_h
Or cotton balls into cotton candy https://youtu.be/vHuFizITMdA?si=5-KRqq1qUz3S9Znq
No fricking way.
Haha the thought Emporium is similar too, but more biotech sort of stuff (which can be disturbing to some). He makes chicken soup out of chemicals as it's just taste buds manipulation https://youtu.be/sR8M4zARBXY?si=vuOkeYvR8IqFr3ZK
Milk into socks https://youtu.be/O4pVny7NV8E?si=ieas2EfrVMbNoTz1
Or a meat leaf https://youtu.be/JNfQCRzcr3o?si=AGwejFi2wqqoDSKv
So is it possible that these things really have of those properties of real things not just taste buds manipulation? So was the cotton to cotton candy... Made it REAL COTTON CANDY? IF YES THEN I'M LEAVING THIS PLANET.
Cotton to cotton candy isn't hard, they're both carbohydrates already.
Dude, you could really blow your mind by understanding what chemistry is.
Just say i can be an alchemist 🦌
Grapefruit fucks with a lot of medications (if you regularly eat grapefruit, check to make sure none of your medications are affected by it). The effects can range from nullifying the medication, to increasing the effects (potentially fatally), or causing the medication to become toxic (also potentially fatally).
Wrinkly, wet fingers (after a nice long shower) grabbing soft, dry, fluffy blankets. Eeeeuuuuggggghhhhjjjjj. God, it hurts just thinking about it.
You think wrinkly fingers are good on their own?
No, but they're a result of taking a nice, long shower, bath or swim.
I don't like espresso, or any coffee really, and I definitely don't like Liquor 43. But there's a South American cocktail called a Carajillo that's those two ingredients, fresh espresso and Liquor 43 and nothing else, dry shaken together... and its friggen delicious. Just absolutely amazing.
Hehe, not just South American, it's pretty common in Spain, with a variety of spirits ... I've seen people using Cognac, Anise ... all kinds really, some more controversial than others.
Steak sause and ice cream is bad, Making out and cousin are meh on their own but great together.
Fruit yoghurt is nice, soda is nice.
Mixing them is abomination.
Also milk and orange juice. Super yummy!
No, that's not an abomination
The gases of Hydrochloric Acid and Ammonia mixed together form Ammonium chloride. Which, among other things, is used as salmiak to make salty licorice.
I remember making this in high school, it's the very first thing that pops in my head whenever I think of bad + bad = good. Granted, you must like salty licorice, or it'll be bad + bad = disgusting :)
Good thing that I'm Dutch. Licorice is victory, victory is life!
Those double salt atrocities will never pass my lips again!
Tooth paste and orange juice.
Nuts & gum.
Together at last!
Chlorox and ammonia are effective cleaners on their own and life threatening if mixed.
Sugar and acidity go together well but can be unpalatable on their own at the levels that theyre used. i.e 45 grams sugar / can would gag you without that acidity. the acidity on its own would not taste great.
Some spices synergize with other spices but arent great by themselves.
fat by itself: gag, bread by itself: boring, bread + fat: tasty
Carbon Dioxide is poisonous by itself but in small amounts it can stimulate breathing. Pure Oxygen can cause nerve damage over long periods of time but is necessary for survival. Nitrogen isnt poisonous but it cant support life on its own either. The three mixed together in the right proportions is breathable over the long term (air)
Penacillin type antibiotics dont work on resistant strains on their own and drugs that inhibit the enzymes that bacteria use to neutralize those antibiotics wont do anything on theur own but together, they can kill bacteria that used to be vulnerable to antibiotics but developed resistance to them.
Alloys are examples of materials that are greater than the sum of their parts.
Sulfur, charcoal and saltpeter are relatively unremarkable. Sulfur and charcoal burn but not particularly violently. Saltpeter doesnt do much unless it is paired with fuel. Together they make gunpowder.
For what it's worth, there's much more argon and water vapor in the air (each around 1%) than there is CO2 (around 0.04%).
I am well aware that air isn't just Oxygen, Nitrogen and Carbon Dioxide. I didn't mention these other components because they are not relevant to the point I was making. CO2 concentrations can easily exceed 1,000 ppm indoors and in heavily populated cities. CO2 really only drops to around 400 ppm far away from populated areas. Your body relies on CO2 concentration in your blood (technically bicarbonate) to stimulate breathing. It does not use Oxygen concentration to do so. This is why some industrial environments can be incredibly dangerous if Nitrogen, Argon etc. displace Oxygen. Youll breathe in and out just fine until the lack of Oxygen knocks you unconscious.
If your bread is boring you need better bread.
Good bread doesn't need anything else.
Blue cheese and orange juice! It's such a bad combo it's worth trying.
That already smells like puke in my head!
i have another one like this: salty paprika chips and nutella!! i swear, puking it out was worth it 😂😂
is it sooo bad that it's good? or something else
No, it's just bad. Still worth testing. Kind of amazing how bad it can be. It can also be a practical joke to add to your bag.
Skittles and M&Ms. Trust me. They smell great but are inedible together.
Nothing like a bowl of S&Ms on an office desk. Those who just take a couple are fine. Those who grab a handful are in for an unpleasant surprise.
The modern office equivalent to the Pythagorean cup
Butternut squash soup is awful without any spices and spices are too strong to be ingested by themselves but together it's one of the best soups.
I'm in the minority with this. But I like bananas on their own. And I like milk on its own. But I don't like banana milk.
There are two groups of people, people who hate drinking milk and creeps
Edit: I'll accept babies as a third but they are creeps too ngl, I just cant say that without being judged
Banana milk is odd, both loved and hated it as a kid, and nowadays something about it makes me feel really ill (even when accounting for lactose intolerance), yet I love the banana from banana and prawn sweets.
In a similar vein hotdogs make me feel like death, like doubled over from stomach cramps
Can we stop at “banana and prawn sweets”?
They're a classic English pick'n'mix sweet, with a texture that basically like somewhere in-between a candy cigarette that's been inflated/puffed up and what I imagine the circus peanuts candies (which we don't have in the UK) would be like, flavored with artificial banana flavour and I think the prawns are supposed to be strawberry (but I honestly don't know).
They're somewhere in-between gross and great, depending on if you like sweet things or not.
Never heard of this banana milk, but it sounds gross to me.
The weirdos in my family like spearmint milk. It skipped a generation with me. I think it is our state drink. Toothpaste and milk ....
I've never heard of banana milk but as a kid I discovered that I loved to chop up a banana and eat it from a glass of milk. Is that it? Also, banana smoothies are tasty. Chocolate banana spoothies are tastier. But banana and strawberries and chcoloate smoothies are gross.
Try freezing peeled ripe bananas. Then puree them in a blender with some chocolate and peanut butter. Refreeze and you get a chocolate peanut butter banana "ice cream."
Tuna fish milkshake
Gummy bears + Spaghetti with meatballs
Love onions and love gravy. Put them together and we’re going fall out quickly.
What!? Onions with gravy on them, and gravy with onions in it, and onion flavoured gravy are three of my favourite things!
And this is why we’re not friends !
Cold, but I respect it. We’re not friends either.
You're insane! Caramelized onion chunks are the best part of gravy!
You can't live without Na, it's vital for your body to function.
No pure sodium tho, which is really where its dangerous
Those are fairly subjective, but:
Doesn’t cheese sauce + pasta = mac and cheese? Do you not like mac and cheese?
It is mac and cheese, and I find its texture strongly disagreeable. Same deal with the soft yolk egg with rice.
Just personal preferences, mind you.
Understandable. I have a strong aversion to lots of foods based solely on the texture, but thankfully, mac and cheese is not one of them!
Also very subjective: I would not say cheese sauce is good on its own. I only eat it with tortilla chips, pasta, or Taco Bell’s nacho fries.
I don't eat it on its own either, but it's a great dipping sauce nonetheless. I tend to use it mostly on toasts or crackers.
You don't like mac'n'cheese?
I don't. It's the texture - I can't exactly pinpoint what, but it feels off, in a way that (say) cheese sauce on harder carbs doesn't.
I've had both good and horrible mac 'n cheese and I think the difference was the cheese but I remember having that feeling you mentioned. Have you tried different ones? Maybe there's one you'll enjoy.
I tried it twice: first from an ethnic aisle (I'm neither from CA or USA, so this stuff is "ethnic" here - I found it while looking for nori, got curious) and really didn't like it. Then I tried it homemade (I can actually pull out a fairly decent cheese sauce, using Parmesan and Emmenthaler), and the same feeling was there.
Adding some crumbly stuff over it (breadcrumbs and bacon bits, right before grilling/broiling it) improved it a bit, but not enough to avoid that feeling. (I salvaged it by making croquettes out of it. Deep-frying fixes everything.)
Red wine and Champagne.
Goed or bad?
Yes.