what is this white powder?

[bubbles4920]

i put a metal coated? wine stopper inside an empty red wine bottle for effect. we are moving house so did it to look homely! anyway, house sold now so removed stopper today and there was white powder at the bottom of the bottle and the stopper had white powder on it and it had made the metal start to disintegrate. what is the chemical process that has taken place here?

[theprof]

I've got a few ideas but I need to know more about this wine stopper.
What did the metal look like originally?
Was the stopper spongy/compressible?
What size and shape was the stopper and how did you get it in the bottle?
Are you talking about the type of decorative stopper you can buy for wine bottles or some type of metallic stopper that came with the bottle?

[lord molly]

yeast

[theprof]

Hmmm. Biocorrosion and biodegradation of alloy by Saccharomyces strains et al in virescent red wine bottles.

I don't think I'll get far trying to get a paper with that title published.

[Daave]

holy hell!

prof, where do you get all this stuff from?

are you actually a professor of something?

you really know your long words!!!!!

[theprof]

All this stuff is in my head. Latin and big words come naturally in my job. Besides, scientific journal publishers like complicated scientific phraseology at it makes an article look impressive.

I'm a science dean, professor of biochemistry and sit on the "board of management" at one of the most prestigious universities in the UK. I also work in a medical school and I'm a visiting professor at a couple of other universities as well as two ivy-league ones in the USA.

Sometimes, like today, the government requires my talents and I'm currently at one of their research establishments overseeing projects and acting as an advisor. I'm also sometimes to be seen on the telly.

In my time I've been a lecturer, reader and professor in biological sciences and held the same posts in chemistry in this country and the USA. Oh, I almost forgot - I've got degrees in biochemistry as well.

I won't list my qualifications. Suffice to say, the last time the rubber stamp salesman visited my department and offered one of his finest, gratis, I personally showed him the door.

[jofish]

Well, it's good to know that while you're working at the tax payers expence, you have the time to sit about answering questions on AB!

[theprof]

I was on lunch - might as well do something on the laptop instead of sitting around twiddling my fingers.

I'm paid for working 9-5 each day in my government advisory capacity. Today, I've been in this research complex since 7.40am and I'll leave around 7.30pm. In other words, I'm working almost four hours free of charge for the taxpayer. I think I'm entitled "to sit about" for part of the time, don't you?

Incidentally, my university is also paying me for working today!

[theprof]

Where are you bubbles4920?

[alvin100]

Would it be fair to describe you as a bit of a smart arse then Prof (LOL!!)

[Carakeel]

Prof, take no notice of jofish's remark. Nice to have you here lunch time or not. My cousin by marriage is leading lecturer in Chemical Engineering in Dublin. Lovely, lovely man. He has lectured in the US quite a bit as well. It is always nice to get an answer from someone who is interesting and knows their stuff, so to say. Thanks.

[theprof]

Well alvin100, you're not far off the mark

My party piece at uni is when the staff blindfold me, get me to sit on a tub of ice-cream and tell them what flavour it is!

Thanks Carakeel. You make it all worthwhile.

[Bazile]

As the famous animal , Mr B Brush would say .. Bum Bum

Anyway prof - you boffin types are not supposed to have a sense of humour - are you ?

[curlyfilm]

prof i must admit i'm little jealous, though i like the taoist saying
"i don't need the too know the chemical breakdown of jam on toast, i just need too know that it tastes nice"

but if everyone felt like this, we would not have computers, medicines or men visiting the moon

[Daave]

aha, so, as i thought from the long words that you can spell and i can hardly read....

you are pretty qualified to answer the science questions on here...

i think ill stick to moaning about women for a while!

[theprof]

Oxbridge and other UK university educated I may be but I'm far from being a pompous pedagog lacking a sense of humour. Believe me, I call a spade a spade most of the time but when the need arises you'd never guess I hadn't been to a major public school.

I've never had much time for pomposity and I realise that this attitude is a rarity amongst boffins as Bazile rightly implied - and I've met some right ones in my time. I use AB as a method of relaxation at my places of work, home and in transit between.

If I can disclose some of my knowledge to the general public when they need it without overwhelming them, I'm a happy man. The thanks I usually receive at the conclusion of a thread make it all worthwhile.

[curlyfilm]

cool dude!!!

why do other well educated people have to hold their heads higher than others, and act pompus and superior,

which leads to a question, why are some people more intelligent than others

[Hamish]

I like the yeast idea

[theprof]

Yes, lord molly deserves some credit for the yeast suggestion. Good effort.

[Madgirl2]

I feel as if I need to add my tuppence here. The prof is amazing. I am a nursing student and he has helped me understand certain aspects of physiology better than some of my lecturers. I am in awe!

And women find brains and intelligence VERY sexy........Grrrrrr!

[theprof]

Aww shucks. I haven't blushed for years but I'm doing it now.

Thanks Madgirl2.