Instant Fire. Potassium chlorate, KClO 3, is a white, crystalline or powdery solid which is a very good oxidizing agent; it is used in explosives, fireworks, matches, etc. When it decomposes under heating (especially in the presence of a manganese catalyst), it releases molecular oxygen, O 2 : 2KClO 3 (s) â.
Bluing for Laundry. Bluing is an old-fashioned product that was once a staple of the laundry room; chances are good that your grandmother was very familiar with it. Referred to as a whitener, bluing is added to the wash or rinse cycle for the purpose of giving whites a very subtle blue tint. Why blue?
A blunder is an embarrassing mistake. Accidentally called your new boyfriend by your old boyfriend's name? Ouch. That's a blunder you don't want to repeat. Has an embarrassing mistake ever made you feel like youâre stumbling around with your eyes closed? If so, it wonât surprise you to learn that blunder comes from the Old Norse word blundra, meaning to âshut one's eyes.â It wasnât until the eighteenth century that blunder came to refer to a stupid or embarrassing mistake, or as a verb, to describe making such a mistake, as in âI tend to blunder when I'm nervous.â.