Vaseline(R) is good for your skin!

Recently, I've developed peeling skin all over my palms. I don't know why though..
:( Anyway, as I was walking back from class that day, I noticed there's actually a Guardian lot here. So I entered it. I walked up and down the aisle and finally something caught my eye(Did I ever tell I'm the worst shopper ever? I take too long figuring what I want and when I do, I compare prices, survey other shops, balance debit-credit accounts etc before I actually purchase something? I know.. business people's worst nightmare..) Anyway, what I saw was Vaseline(R), you would know that by now from the title. Now, I know Vaseline's been around for ages, probably since my mother's mother's and maybe another mother's time. That make it a reliable product to me..hehe.

Back to the chemistry part of it, what is Vaseline? The answer to that question is one word: Petrolatum. "Petro-what'" you say? Petrolatum. It's not the actual petroleum, rather, it was a deposit of paraffin-like material in the first oil rigs. These were really troublesome deposit, often causing machines to malfunction. Workers, however, used it for cuts bruises and burns because it hastens healing. This is partially true. Once a wound is cleaned and disinfected, the petroleum jelly may be applied on the bruise to prevent bacteria from infecting the wound. It's like a sealant from the bacterias. (But don't try eating it! It can cause lipid pneumonia, result of inhaling fat)

Petroleum jelly is colourless, flammable, viscous mixture of hydrocarbons and is devoid of taste and smell(Although I swear it smells a bit like plasticine!-but no surprise there, people. Apparently, petrolatum is used as a lubricant for plasticines, enabling a higher malleability and inelasticity) t does not oxidise when exposed to air nor is not readily reacted with other chemical reagents. It is insoluble in water but soluble in chloroform, benzene, carbon disulfide and oil of turpentine. This means it can only be dissolves in mildly polar or non-polar solvents. Water is extremely polar. There's a new fact for you today.

A lot of pharmaceutical oitments use petrolatum because of their low reactivity and lubricating effect. Petrolatum differs from glycerol, despite producing the similar feel when applied to thr skin. Petrolatum is a non-polar hydrocarbon that is hydrophobic(hydro=water, phobia=fear) whereas glycerol (an alcohol-the -ol is attached to the name) is the opposite. The glycerol is so strongly hydrophilic(philia-affinity) that it continuously absorb the moisture from the air, resulting a wet feeling similar to the greasy feeling of petroleum jelly.

Hydrophilic and hydrophobic properties are like allies that either like you or don't like you. They may be good for some certain party but it may differ entirely for the other. So..are allies necessarily a good thing? Well, some people like their lotions greasy and some don't. Hence, the chemical warfare. Haha, I'm a grease girl, you are?

So ends my post for today, hope you enjoyed this blog. Thank you!