Dihydrogen monoxide parody story has since been used in science education to encourage critical thinking and discussion of the scientific method. A 1983 April Fools' Day edition of the "Durand Express", a weekly newspaper in Durand, Michigan, reported that "dihydrogen oxide" had been found in the city's water pipes, and warned that it was fatal if inhaled, and could produce blistering vapors. The first appearance of the parody on the Internet was attributed by the "Pittsburgh Post-Gazette" to the so-called "Coalition to Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide", a parody organization at UC Santa Cruz following on-campus postings and newsgroup discussions in 1990. This new version
Copper(II) oxide from the solids. These complexes are decomposed with steam to give CuO. It can be formed by heating copper in air at around 300 – 800°C: For laboratory uses, pure copper(II) oxide is better prepared by heating copper(II) nitrate, copper(II) hydroxide or copper(II) carbonate: Copper(II) oxide dissolves in mineral acids such as hydrochloric acid, sulfuric acid or nitric acid to give the corresponding copper(II) salts: It reacts with concentrated alkali to form the corresponding cuprate salts: It can also be reduced to copper metal using hydrogen, carbon monoxide, or carbon: When cupric oxide is substituted for iron oxide in thermite