The French Colonized The Periodic Table Too

Just finished organic chemistry only to discover IUPAC decided to rename everything? Might as well be reading hieroglyphics. Nothing quite like mastering the art of calling a compound 4-methylhexan-2-one only for them to switch it to 2-oxo-4-methylhexane. Chemistry: where naming conventions are about as stable as nitroglycerin in a paint mixer.

The classic chemistry lab expectation vs. reality! What starts as "just a quick liquid-liquid extraction" turns into a four-hour nightmare when those stubborn emulsions form. Any chemist knows the pain of staring hopelessly at that separation funnel, watching two liquids that should neatly separate instead form a stubborn middle layer that refuses to budge. You promised your lab partner a 20-minute adventure, but now you're both trapped in extraction purgatory, questioning your life choices and possibly the laws of physical chemistry. The separation funnel has become your personal time-sucking portal to frustration.

The chemistry world's original ghosting story! John Dalton proposed element symbols based on English names (like O for Oxygen, H for Hydrogen) in 1803, feeling pretty smug about his brilliant system. Then Berzelius swooped in with those Latin-based symbols we use today (Fe for Ferrum/Iron, Na for Natrium/Sodium), and Dalton's contribution got completely sidelined. Talk about a scientific rejection that still stings two centuries later! Poor guy probably muttered "I created atomic theory too, you know" at parties for the rest of his life.

Chemistry teachers everywhere just had a collective heart attack! Someone took the beautifully chaotic periodic table and rearranged it into this monstrosity of symmetry. It's like organizing your bookshelf by color instead of author - sure it looks pretty, but good luck finding anything! 😂 The periodic table's traditional layout actually reveals incredible patterns in electron configuration and chemical properties. This "symmetric" version completely destroys those relationships! Imagine trying to predict reactivity now - it's like using a map of New York to navigate Tokyo! Dmitri Mendeleev is probably rolling in his grave fast enough to generate electricity right now. But hey, at least it's pretty?

Fun historical chemistry fact: Hennig Brand, a 17th-century German alchemist, literally boiled down 1,500 gallons of human urine in his basement trying to make gold. Instead, he discovered phosphorus—an element that glows in the dark! The yellow water in this image is reminiscent of his massive urine collection, which he let ferment for weeks before the distillation process. Imagine the smell! His neighbors probably thought he was taking the "p" in PhD way too literally. The man literally struck gold in pee—just not the kind he was hoping for.

The ultimate physics dad joke on a t-shirt. The top asks a legitimate scientific question about subatomic particles having mass (which they do, about 1.67×10 -27 kg). The punchline deliberately misinterprets "mass" as Catholic religious service rather than physical quantity. Been wearing this to department meetings for years. Still waiting for someone to laugh.