Bromine

There is something to be said about a heartwarming story. And that story gets even better when it's related to science and/or technology (okay, maybe just for me). Here is a great story that I ran across in a caption in Runner's World: Teva, a shoe company, designed a bootie for a penguin with a deformed foot at the Santa Barbara Zoo. Check out the video:

Isn't this fantastic? And I bet your asking how this relates to science. While it's not chemistry, this story is all about biomechanics and physics. The angle of Lucky's foot in the bootie was tinkered with after finding out that a 90 degree angle was uncomfortable. And the material for the bootie had to be light enough so that Lucky was not dragging it around and was wearable on land and in water. Who says science can't be heartwarming?


Common Occurrences: Other than hot tubs, bromine is found in flame-retardant pajamas and Mountain Dew (weird).

Fun Fact: While chlorine salts are used as disinfectants for cold-water pools, bromine salts are more effective for disinfecting hot tubs.