Proof religion is good for something

[daftbeaker]

In most cases, it has been replaced by "ingredients" like di- and tri-glycerides, sodium benzoate, sulfites, gluconates, and ascorbic acid. Some have their own problems, and some just look scary.

Glycerides are just fats, benzoate does not equal benzene, sulfites are useful preservatives, gluconates are formed naturally in the body (and used topically for HF exposure) and we've already covered ascorbic acid.

I'd rather eat a bunch of that stuff than raw cassava roots or coffee beans or kidney beans

Oooh, DB, you should teach about that! Forget the periodic table and other such useless trivia, get your students drunk on water!

How dare you insult my beloved Periodic Table

I did manage to get through to one kid today that's obsessed with drugs. We had a quick chat about cannabis potency and I doodled the structure of morphine/heroin which seemed to interest him for a few seconds. Still didn't get any work from him though

[Almighty Doer of Stuff]

Did you teach him enough for him to figure out how to manufacture drugs? I'd be careful if I were you...

[Arkaeon]

I've already got enough natural/legal herbal products in this room to eliminate the need for most recreational drugs. I could also cure athlete's foot and strep throat, among other things. Could also make a few deadly poisons. It's all about dosage, mixture, and application...

Di- and tri- glycerides apparently aren’t "toxic" in additive doses, but they do interfere with fat-burning, which aggravates overeating. Makes you more hungry more often. Combined with mixed sugars and complex carbohydrates, leads almost inexorably to obesity.

Sulfites are safe enough (except for people with allergies to them), but makes wines taste like you slopped in some battery acid, and they give a lot of people a headache from vasoconstriction. Sulfite reactions can lead to early strokes. Tastewise, might be why home-brewed wines have taken gold medals over the best commercial products in recent years’ wine contests.

I've got nothing against sodium benzoate at this point.