PSA

This is my public service announcement...and perhaps a bit of a nerd rant.


We still haven't taken CSI Miami off of our scheduling recordings on the DVR.  It's often nice because I then have something brainless for background noise.  Monday morning, after Avery's sleepless night, I watched it...and my head exploded.


I'm a science nerd, chemistry to be exact.  

Solutions of iodine in cyclohexane and varying amounts of pyridine from my chemistry days.

I have often overlooked this show's liberties with science....like when they said they put a solid sample into the GCMS.  (GCMS stands for GAS Chromotagraphy Mass Spectrometer).  I even overlooked when they got a totally absurd and impossible chemical product from a particular chemical reaction.  (Although - my husband says complaining to him about it doesn't count as overlooking it).


This past week though, their science mistake could get idiots people hurt.  They violated a major safety rule.  SPOILER ALERT.  The girl spilled acid on her arm.  She went to the sink to flush it with water (or so I thought - because that is the CORRECT method for dealing with an acid spill on your body)...and then asked the guy to pass her the base.  She then dumped the base onto the acid, and performed an acid-base neutralization reaction ON HER FREAKING ARM.  This is ultimately how they figured out how to catch the killer, by the yellow stain it left.  


First, acid base neutralization reactions typically generate HEAT.  In addition, bases are just as corrosive to your skin as an acid is.  So rather than having one hazardous substance on her arm, she added a second one and performed a reaction on her skin that generates heat.  And yet, there was no fire and no screaming.  I feel completely deprived.  At the very least, the yellow mark should have been accompanied by skin burns.


I looked and looked for a proper video of cool acid-base reactions, but alas, you'll have to settle for this awesome video of Avery.  I fully intend to save this for when she is a teenager and thinks she should be dating. 

She was obviously as unimpressed by their lab safety techniques as I was.  Hopefully, the amount of laughing you did at this video made up for having to read my nerd rant.  :)


My husband has now forbidden me from watching shows about "scientists." This is the same reason I'm not allowed to watch lawyer shows. 


Are there any television or movie liberties that make your head explode?