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What's It Made Of?

Acrylic plastic (Acrylite, Lucite, Plexiglas)

Polymethylmethacrylate

Bullet resisting:
1.34 inch thick (resists 9 mm, 124 grain ammunition)

Air

Nitrogen (N₂) 78%
Oxygen (O₂) 21%
Argon (Ar) 0.9%
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) 0.03%

Artificial fingernails

n-butylmethacrylate with ultraviolet light-absorbing coat.

Brass

Naval brass: 60% copper, 39% zinc, 1% tin
Pin wire brass: 61% copper, 39% zinc
Red brass: 90% copper, 10% zinc
Yellow brass: 67% copper, 33% zinc

Bronze

Aluminum bronze: 90% copper, 10% aluminum
Coinage bronze: 95% copper, 4% tin, 1% zinc
Commercial bronze (red brass): 90% copper, 10% zinc
Gun metal bronze: 90% copper, 10% tin
Hardware bronze: 89% copper, 9% zinc, 2% lead
Manganese bronze: 95% copper, 5% manganese
Medal bronze: 92-97% copper, 1-8% tin, 0-2% zinc
US govt. bronze: 88% copper, 10% tin, 2% zinc

Cement

Lime (CaO) 64.2%
Silica (SiO₂) 21.2%
Alumina (Al₂O₃) 4.9%
Ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃) 2.7%
Sulfuric anhydride (SO₃) 2.6%
Magnesia (MgO) 2.2%
Potash (K₂O) 0.4%
Soda (Na₂O) 0.2%
Chloride (Cl) 0.01%

Clouds

Higher than 6 km (4 miles)

Cirrus - mostly ice crystals. Fair weather
Cirrostratus - ice crystals
Contrails - ice crystals from jet engines
Cumulus - air/water vapor. Fair weather
Cumulonimbus - water/ice. Thunderstorms

Between 2 to 6 km (1 to 4 miles)

Altocumulus - water droplets (precipitation)

Below 2 km (1 mile)

Nimbostratus- water droplets (precipitation)
Stratocumulus - (precipitation)

Coin metal

US coins presently minted:

Lincoln cent: copper plated zinc
2.5% copper (Cu), 97.5% zinc (Zn)
2.500 gram

Jefferson nickel: cupro-nickel
25% nickel (Ni), 75% copper (Cu)
5.000 gram

Roosevelt dime: cupro-nickel clad
8.33% nickel (Ni), 91.67% copper (Cu)
2.268 gram

Washington quarter: cupro-nickel clad
8.33% nickel (Ni), 91.67% copper (Cu)
5.670 gram

Kennedy half-dollar: cupro-nickel clad
8.33% nickel (Ni), 91.67% copper (Cu)
11.340 gram

Susan B. Anthony dollar: cupro-nickel clad
8.33% nickel (Ni), 91.67% copper (Cu)
8.1 gram

Sacagawea Golden Dollar: manganese-brass clad
88.5% copper (Cu), 6% zinc (Zn),
3.5% manganese (Mn), 2% nickel (Ni)
8.1 gram

Compact disc (CD-ROM)

A one millimeter thick polycarbonate disc covered with a
thin layer of aluminum (the information layer), and coated
with lacquer. The laser beam reading the data enters
through the face opposite to the label face.

Dental work

Dental composites:

Photochemically induced free radical
polymerization of acrylate esters mixed
with barium glass, silica, and titanium oxide.

Dental restoratives:

Methacrylic esters in acetone plus
benzoyl peroxide catalyst.

Mercury amalgams:

Mercury (Hg) 50%
Silver (Ag) 20%
Tin (Sn)16%
Copper (Cu) 12%
Zinc (Zn) 2%

Earth

Continental crust:

Silicon dioxide (SiO₂) 58.2%
Alumina (Al₂O₃) 15.8%
Iron oxide (FeO) 7.8%
Calcium oxide (CaO) 6.9%
Magnesium oxide (MgO) 4.8%
Sodium oxide (Na₂O) 3.2%
Potassium oxide (K₂O) 1.5%
Titanium oxide (TiO₂) 0.8%
Phosphorous pentoxide (P₂O₅) 0.2%
Manganese oxide (MnO) 0.1%

Glass

Aluminosilicate glass:
57% silica (SiO₂), 20% alumina (Al₂O₃),
12% magnesium oxide (MgO), 5% calcium oxide (CaO),
4% boric oxide (B₂O₃), and 1% sodium oxide (Na₂O)

Borosilicate glass:
81% silica, 13% boric oxide, 4% sodium oxide,
2% alumina

Ceramic glass:
46% silica, 17% magnesium oxide, 16% alumina,
10% potassium oxide (K₂O), 7% boric oxide

High silica glass:
96.4% silica, 3% boric oxide, 0.5% alumina

Lead crystal:
60% silica, 14% potassium or sodium oxide,
28% lead oxide (PbO)

Soda-lime glass:
73% silica, 14% sodium oxide, 12% calcium oxide

Volcanic glass (obsidian):
77% silica, 13% alumina, 4% potassium oxide,
4% sodium oxide, 1% ferric oxide (Fe₂O₃),
0.6% calcium oxide, 0.06 % titanium oxide (TiO₂),
0.04% manganese oxide (MnO),
0.03% magnesium oxide

Gold

8 karat gold: 33% gold, 47% copper, 20% silver
10 karat gold: 42% gold, 38-46% copper, 12-20% silver
14 karat gold: 58% gold, 14-28% copper, 4-28% silver
14 karat dental gold: 58% gold, 30% silver, 12% copper
15 karat gold: 62% gold, 13% copper, 11% silver
16 karat gold: 67% gold, 8-27% copper, 6.6-26% silver
18 karat gold: 75% gold, 10-20% silver, 5-15% copper
20 karat gold: 84% gold, 8.3-11% silver, 6-8.3% copper
22 karat gold: 91.66% gold, 4.16% silver, 4.16% copper
22 karat dental gold: 92% gold, 4.9% silver, 3.1% copper
24 karat gold: 100% gold

Human hair

Trace metals in normal populations.
(water, air, and diet also contribute to hair constituents.)
(µgm/gm = micrograms per gram = parts per million)

Cadmium (Cd): 0.21 µgm/gm
Lead (Pb): 2.7 µgm/gm
Lithium (Li): 0.063 µgm/gm
Manganese (Mn): 3.5 µgm/gm

Inks

(Dyes dissolved in oleic acid with solvent.)
Black: Nigrosine (azine dye)
Blue: Victoria blue B (tris(p-aminophenyl)methane dye)
Red: Rhodamine (xanthene dye)
Violet: Methyl violet (tris(p-aminophenyl)methane dye)

Landfill gas

Methane (CH₄) ~50%
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) ~50%

Magnetic media

Audio cassette tapes:
Chromium dioxide (CrO₂), gamma ferric oxide
(gamma-Fe₂O₃), or gamma ferric oxide plus cobalt

Computer floppy disks and hard disks:
gamma ferric oxide or gamma ferric oxide plus cobalt

Computer tape:
Chromium dioxide or gamma ferric oxide

Home video tape:
Gamma ferric oxide plus cobalt

Metal tapes:
Cobalt and cobalt-nickel alloys

Professional video tape:
Chromium dioxide, gamma ferric oxide, or
gamma ferric oxide plus cobalt

Reel to reel tapes:
Gamma ferric oxide

Binders:
Methacrylate, polymethylmethacrylate,
polyvinylchloride, polyurethane, or vinyl chloride

Substrates:
Flexible media: polyethylene terephthalate
Rigid media: aluminum

Natural gas

At the well:

Methane (CH₄) 70 - 90%
Ethane (C₂H₆) 0 - 20%
Propane (C₃H₈) 0 - 20%
Butane (C₄H₁₀) 0 - 20%
Carbon dioxide (CO₂) 0 - 8%
Hydrogen sulfide (H₂S) 0 - 5%
Nitrogen (N₂) 0 - 5%
Oxygen (O₂) 0 - 0.2%

To the consumer:

LNG (liquefied natural gas):
methane

NGL (natural gas liquids):
ethane, propane, butane

LPG (liquefied petroleum gas):
propane, butane

Average pipeline gas:
Methane 94%
Ethane 4%
Nitrogen 1%
Propane 0.9%
Butane 0.2%
Carbon dioxide 0.2%
Isobutane 0.1%
Isopentane 0.02%
Pentane 0.02%
Oxygen 0.01%

Paper

For books and stationery:
cellulose from chemically treated wood pulp.

Acid paper:
pH 6 or less due to chemical treatment
and use of alum/rosin sizing.

Acid-free and alkaline paper:
pH 6 or greater due to chemical treatment
followed by neutralization. Uses neutral
sizing (alkenyl succinic anhydride or alkyl
ketene dimer) and calcium carbonate filler.

For comic books and newspapers:
cellulose and lignin from mechanically shredded wood.
pH of 4.5.

Pencil lead

Graphite and clay.
Higher graphite to clay ratio as one moves from B to 6B.
Higher clay to graphite ratio as one moves from H to 9H.
B stands for Black; H stands for Hardness.
Artists use 6B; stonemasons use 9H.

Pewter

85% tin, 6.8% copper, 6% bismuth, 1.7% antimony

Plaster of Paris

Hydrated calcium sulfate

Plastic items

Food-grade plastics:

acetyl tributyl citrate (ATBC)
acrylonitrile monomer (AN)
butylated hydroxyanisol (BHA) (a plasticizer)
Cellophane
cellulose acetate (CA)
dioctyl adipate (DOA) (a plasticizer)
ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer (EVA)
ethylene vinyl alcohol (EVOH)
high-density polyethylene (HDPE)
low-density polyethylene (LDPE)
oriented polypropylene (OPP)
poly(acrylonitrile-butadiene-styrene) copolymer (ABS)
polyamides (Nylon-6, Nylon-12)
polycarbonate (PC)
polyethylene (PE)
polyethylene terephthalate (PET)
polypropylene (PP)
polystyrene (PS)
polyvinyl chloride (PVC)
polyvinylidene chloride (PVDC)

Recyclable:

PET or PETE (polyethylene terephthalate); labeled #1
(example: two-liter soda bottles)

HDPE (high density polyethylene); labeled #2
(example: milk bottles)

V or PVC (polyvinyl chloride); labeled #3
(example: shower curtains)

LDPE (low density polyethylene); labeled #4
(example: plastic wrap)

PP (polypropylene); labeled #5
(example: pipes and tubes)

PS or Styrofoam (polystyrene); labeled #6
(example: coffee cups, egg cartons)

Other plastic resins; labeled #7

Sun

Hydrogen (H) ~75%
Helium (He) ~25%
Oxygen (O) 0.0676%
Carbon (C) 0.0372%
Nitrogen (N) 0.0115%
Lithium (Li) 0.000000155%
Boron (B) 0.00000002%
Beryllium (Be) 0.00000000141%

Tin cans

Sheet steel coated with a thin layer of tin.

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