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Cash flow is the lifeblood of all businesses. Learn the Cash Flow 101 Rules to free yourself from money worries. Use the basic rules of to help you take control of your cash flow so you can create the business you have always dreamed of. 1. Never Run Out of Cash. Running out of cash is the definition of failure in business. Make the commitment to do what it takes so it doesn't happen to you. 2. Cash Is King. It's important to recognize that the basics of cash flow 101 are what keeps your business alive. Manage it with the care and attention it deserves. It's very unforgiving if you don't. Remember, cash is king, because no cash means no business. 3. Know the Cash Balance Now. What is your cash balance right now? It's absolutely critical that you know exactly what your cash balance is. Even the most experienced person will fail if they are making business decisions using inaccurate or incomplete cash balances. This is fundamental cash flow 101. That's the r...

I just read Dr Helmenstine's article on water hardness/softness. She obviously understands the subject, so perhaps I've finally found a forum that can answer my question! Spa care forums have been of no help so far. My house is in Southern Maryland, St Mary's County, and we have our own well. When we moved from PA 13 years ago, one of the first things we noticed is the "slimy water" syndrome, which I eventually learned is due to the water being too soft. We can live with the slimy water, but there are two other problems it brings. First (a minor inconvenience) is that I CANNOT properly cook spaghetti! As it boils, it seems to abruptly go from uncooked to mush. So we buy bottled spring water from the store, adding a couple of dollars to the cost of our meal. The big problem is our hot tub. We've gone through hell trying to learn how to balance the water, but we've learned a thing or two in the process - and raised even more questions. The mos...

Question: Is There Really a Chemistry of Love? Answer: I don't think there are any magic love potions that you can use to make someone fall in love, but chemistry does play an important role in how a relationship progresses. First, there's attraction. Nonverbal communication plays a big part in initial attraction and some of this communication may involve pheromones, a form of chemical communication. Did you know that raw lust is characterized by high levels of testosterone? The sweaty palms and pounding heart of infatuation are caused by higher than normal levels of norepinepherine. Meanwhile, the 'high' of being in love is due to a rush of phenylethylamine and dopamine. All is not lost once the honeymoon is over. Lasting love confers chemical benefits in the form of stabilized production of serotonin and oxytocin. Can infidelity be blamed on chemistry? Perhaps in part. Researchers have found that suppression of vasopressin can cause males (voles, anyway) to abandon ...

Make Hot Ice or Sodium Acetate from Vinegar and Baking Soda Sodium acetate or hot ice is an amazing chemical you can prepare yourself from baking soda and vinegar. You can cool a solution of sodium acetate below its melting point and then cause the liquid to crystallize. The crystallization is an exothermic process, so the resulting ice is hot. Solidification occurs so quickly you can form sculptures as you pour the hot ice. Sodium Acetate or Hot Ice Materials 1 liter clear vinegar (weak acetic acid) 4 tablespoons baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) Prepare the Sodium Acetate or Hot Ice In a saucepan or large beaker, add baking soda to the vinegar, a little at a time and stirring between additions. The baking soda and vinegar react to form sodium acetate and carbon dioxide gas. If you don't add the baking soda slowly, you'll essentially get a baking soda and vinegar volcano, which would overflow your container. You've made the sodium acetate, but it is too dilute to be ...

Make Potassium Nitrate from Lite Salt and a Cold Pack Make potassium nitrate (saltpeter) from common household ingredients. Potassium chloride from lite salt and ammonium nitrate from a cold pack are reacted to yield potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride. This is an easy way to make your own potassium chloride if you can't find it in a store or just want to try a fun chemistry experiment. Potassium Nitrate Ingredients 40 g ammonium nitrate (from an instant cold pack which has ammonium nitrate listed as its ingredient) 37 g potassium chloride (sold as a salt substitute, with potassium chloride listed as the ingredient) 100 ml water The Chemical Reaction Aqueous solutions of ammonium nitrate and potassium chloride are reacted to exchange the ions and form potassium nitrate and ammonium chloride. The ammonium chloride is much more soluble in water than the potassium nitrate, so you will get potassium nitrate crystals, which can be separated from the ammonium chloride solu...

How to Make Copper Sulfate or Copper Sulphate Copper sulfate crystals are among the most beautiful crystals you can grow, but you might not have access to a chemistry lab or want to order the copper sulfate from a chemical supply company. That's okay, because you can make copper sulfate yourself using readily-available materials. Materials for Making Copper Sulfate There are actually a few different ways you can make copper sulfate yourself. This method relies on a little electrochemistry to get the job done. You will need: copper wire - which is high purity copper sulfuric acid - H2SO4 - battery acid water 6-volt battery Make Copper Sulfate Fill a jar or beaker with 5 ml concentrated sulfuric acid and 30 ml of water. If your sulfuric acid solution is already diluted, add less water. Set two copper wires into the solution so that they are not touching each other. Connect the wires to a 6-volt battery. The solution will turn blue as copper sulfate is produced. Wh...

AP, Washington President Barack Obama will ask Congress for an additional $33 billion to fight unpopular wars in Afghanistan and Iraq on top of a record $708 billion for the Defense Department next year, The Associated Press has learned - a request that could be an especially hard sell to some of the administration's Democratic allies. The extra $33 billion in 2010 would mostly go toward the expansion of the war in Afghanistan. Obama ordered an extra 30,000 troops for that war as part of an overhaul of the war strategy late last year. Military officials have suggested that the 2011 request would top $700 billion for the first time, but the precise figure has not been made public. The administration also plans to tell Congress next month that its central military objectives for the next four years will include winning the current wars while preventing new ones and that its core missions will include both counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations. The administration...

January 13 th marks the passing of Paul Niggli. Niggli was a Swiss mineralogist who was a pioneer of x-ray crystallography. He developed the mathematical system of space groups that defined 230 different atom arrangements based on x-ray diffraction patterns. X-ray crystallography works by shining x-ray radiation through a crystal structure and detecting the interference pattern generated by the gaps between individual atoms. This information can tell you the position of atoms in a crystal, the width of atomic bonds, and even the size of the atoms themselves. All this information can give detailed help in determining the structure of a molecule. All that is really needed is a pure sample that can be crystallized.

Litmus paper is a type of pH paper that is used to test the acidity of water-based liquids. David Gould, Getty Images

This animation illustrates the relationship between temperature and volume when mass and pressure are held constant, which is Charles's Law. NASA's Glenn Research Center

Boyle's Law describes the relationship between pressure and volume of a gas when mass and temperature are held constant. NASA's Glenn Research Center

This is a phase diagram, which includes the critical point and triple point. Booyabazooka, Wikipedia Commons

Many a lover has been seduced by a sincere and beautifully illustrated letter of affection. If the perfect words elude you at the moment, but your heart's in the right place, find help and inspiration below. How To Write a Love Letter Learning how to write a love letter isn't difficult. Once you gather your thoughts and follow these simple steps to express the way you feel in a love letter you'll know how to do it. Difficulty: Average Time Required: 1 hour Here's How: Clear your desk and your mind of distractions. If you love someone enough to craft this letter, he or she deserves your full attention. Place a picture of the one you love in front of you. Put on your favorite music. Take out your best letter writing stationery and pen. On another sheet of letter paper, make two lists: a) the unique qualities you love about him/her; b) your hopes for the future together. Personalize the love letter salutation. "Dear ___ ," or "To my darling __...

Love has a lot to do with chemistry, so if you're looking to connect Valentine's Day with chemistry, you've come to the right place. Take a look at these chemistry projects and topics that relate to Valentine's Day. Chemistry of Love Sweaty palms and a pounding heart don't just happen! It takes complex biochemistry to give you the symptoms of being in love. And lust. And security. Chemistry may even play a role in falling out-of-love. Get some of the details here, with links for further study.

This Lichtenberg figure or 'electrical tree' was formed inside a 1.5" cube of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) using a 3 MeV electron accelerator. Bert Hickman, Stoneridge Engineering

This Lichtenberg figure was formed inside a block of plexiglas as a result of dielectric breakdown caused by a high voltage discharge into the plastic. Bert Hickman

This is a high resolution spectrum of the Sun. It was compiled from data obtained from the Fourier Transform Spectrometer at the McMath-Pierce Solar Facility at Kitt Peak National Observatory. Kitt Peak National Observatory

Photograph of the metal uranium. U.S. Geological Survey

Diagram of an electrolytic cell. Todd Helmenstine