Therapeutic uses of castor oil

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Castor oil is a popular remedy from ancient times that still finds therapeutic relevance today. It has a multitude of valuable healing properties including anti-microbial, antioxidant, analgesic, and anti-inflammatory. Castor oil is used topically and orally to treat gynecological disorders, gastrointestinal organs, and to promote general healing. The efficacy of castor oil is largely attributed to its primary component, ricinoleic acid, which resembles prostaglandins, and is thus able to influence a variety of biochemical pathways.

How activated charcoal can benefit the environment

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Activated charcoal is becoming increasingly useful as a way to prevent and mitigate environmental pollution. It is a highly effective adsorbent material that can be derived or recycled from most high-density, high-carbon materials. Thanks to its high surface area and chemical versatility, activated charcoal can be used for a wide variety of environmental applications.

Chemical Grades of Water

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Not all water is created equal, especially in the laboratory. It’s important to know which type of water to use for each application in order to achieve reliable results, preserve the life of your equipment, and save money. To make things simple, we’ve created a quick guide on the different types of water available at Lab Alley.

Mercury metal: history and current uses

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Mercury has long been revered as an almost magical substance thanks to its unique properties and versatile applications. Mercury is a heavy, silver-white metal, and the only metal that is liquid at standard temperature and pressure. In traditional Chinese, Tibetan, and Ayurvedic medicines, it has been used for over 3,000 years in the treatment of syphilis, convulsions, parasites, and many other ailments. It is also frequently used in the modern health sector, for medical tools and dental fillings. Despite its known neurotoxicity and environmental concerns, some experts argue that mercury should still have a role in modern applications. For example, experts in traditional medicine argue that the form of mercury and its valence state should be taken into consideration. Experts in the field of electrochemistry argue that mercury-based electrodes are superior to modern replacements due to ease of use, robustness, and reliability.

Glycerol in the food industry

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Glycerol is a ubiquitous compound in the food industry, and for good reason. It is found naturally in all fats and oils as the backbone of the triglyceride molecule. It is easily recognized and metabolized by the body as a carbohydrate, and therefore is not a toxicity concern. Glycerol has a slightly sweet taste, viscous consistency, and is easily soluble in both water and ethanol. These properties make it an excellent additive to improve mouthfeel and sweetness, or as a carrier for other compounds such as flavorants. It is also a useful humectant and antimicrobial agent. Glycerol is commonly derivatized to obtain other food additives that can act as preservatives and emulsifiers, such as glycerol monolaurate, polyglycerol, and polyglycerol esters.

Potassium Sorbate: How it works, when it doesn’t work, and how much is too much

By Jillian Jastrzembski

If you’re not familiar with the chemical potassium sorbate, then you are probably someone who doesn’t often read product labels. Potassium sorbate is used in tons of products as a preservative – from foods, to cosmetics, to pharmaceuticals. It has GRAS (Generally Recognized as Safe) status and is widely regarded as a safe, all-purpose antimicrobial and anti-fungal agent. Because of the chemistry of this molecule, its use should be limited to acidic matrices and the concentration must be kept below the legal limit to reduce the risk of cytotoxic and genotoxic activity. Used properly, potassium sorbate can help to improve the quality and safety of everyday products.

Acetonitrile in the Pharmaceutical Industry

By Jillian Jastrzembski

History has shown that acetonitrile is practically irreplaceable in many industries, the most critical of which is the pharmaceutical industry. This clear, colorless solvent, is an organic cyanide (also known by the name methyl cyanide). It has a methyl group (―CH3) bonded to a cyano group (―C ≡ N). Its chemical structure make it uniquely suited as an analytical reagent, reaction solvent, and synthetic substrate. One reason why acetonitrile is so important to the pharmaceutical industry is because it is a convenient source of cyanide, which is present in many medicinal compounds. It can also be used in the synthesis of heterocyclic compounds, which are known for their biological activity. Many critical applications of acetonitrile require high purity, USP grade chemicals that cannot be obtained via recycled waste.

The role of glycerin in skin care formulations

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Glycerin, also known as glycerol, has been used in cosmetic skin care formulas for the past one hundred years. In fact, it is in the top three most common cosmetic ingredients, after water and fragrance. This widespread use is largely thanks to its valuable moisturizing and soothing properties, and of course its low toxicity. Also known by its IUPAC name, propane-1,2,3-triol, glycerin is comprised of three hydrophilic hydroxyl groups (-OH) on a 3-Carbon backbone. Because of its hydrophilic chemical structure, glycerin acts as a humectant that locks moisture into the skin, maintaining hydration and optimizing skin barrier function. A major appeal of glycerin is that it is actually produced naturally by the skin. In fact, it is an essential chemical for skin health.

Ethyl Acetate in the Cosmetics Industry

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Ethyl acetate is found all over the cosmetics industry. It solubilizes other ingredients easily and evaporates quickly. It may also impart a fruit or wine-like aroma, and inhibit microbial activity. In some cases, like nail polish and nail polish removers, it may be the first ingredient on the label. In other cases, its role is less obvious, like when it’s used as a solvent to extract bioactive compounds from plants. Although caution should still be taken with sensitive skin and chronic exposure, ethyl acetate has relatively low risk of irritation and is generally preferred to harsher solvents like acetone.

The use of potassium chloride in the food industry

By Jillian Jastrzembski

Potassium chloride (KCl) may have an important role to play in the future of the food industry. That’s because potassium chloride is a promising table salt substitute – a sodium-free salt that can be used in processed foods to help reduce sodium intake across the population. Sodium intake, and more importantly, a high ratio of sodium to potassium, is a leading contributor to high blood pressure. Salt alternatives like KCl can be combined with regular NaCl and other flavor enhancers to give us the salty flavor we love, without the dangers of excess sodium consumption. Even though there is a start-up cost to reformulating food products, there is also a huge marketing potential and health incentive for the sale of low-sodium food products.