Wikipedia:Reference desk/Archives/Science/2019 September 28

= September 28 =

Bromhexine residue
I noticed that the drops of Bromhexine which I bought for cough dry up to form lumps of a hard residue similar to a dried toothpaste (so I have to watch out not to swallow them). Why is that? 212.180.235.46 (talk) 08:44, 28 September 2019 (UTC)
 * Check the composition of the medicine (syrup? these often have some sugar). Also, medicines have an expiration date and storage condition you should respect, and if it dried, you probably should discard them instead of using them Gem fr (talk) 13:25, 28 September 2019 (UTC)


 * "Consult your pharmacist or other health care professional." 2606:A000:1126:28D:884E:DE47:19EE:3DC1 (talk) 19:23, 28 September 2019 (UTC)
 * The expiration date is fine (until 2020), I think it has to do with chemical properties or some kind of chemical reaction going on. Weird if sugar condenses like that. 212.180.235.46 (talk) 20:28, 28 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Some forms of sugar are hydrophilic. Brown sugar, for example, is forever absorbing moisture from the air and clumping into lumps. For some reason, white sugar seems less prone to do so. So, there must be something else besides sugar which is required.


 * Was the package sealed airtight ? That should keep the moisture out.


 * Or, perhaps the reverse happened, and you had something like gummies, but most of the water evaporated, leaving you with something more like rocks, all fused together. Temperature is also important in the behavior of such items, determining whether they absorb or shed moisture.SinisterLefty (talk) 20:41, 28 September 2019 (UTC)


 * I wonder if you may be confused about what happens with brown sugar. Perhaps not the best sources but see e.g. [//www.popsugar.com/food/Why-Does-Brown-Sugar-Clump-6976951] [//www.thekitchn.com/rock-hard-why-does-brown-sugar-118468] [//www.dominosugar.com/baking-tips-how-tos/usage-faqs] [//www.leaf.tv/articles/what-can-you-put-in-the-sugar-jar-to-keep-it-from-lumping/]. As I understand it, molasses is hygroscopic and so brown sugar is naturally more moist than white sugar and so brown sugar tends to stick together a lot more easily than white sugar. However when exposed to air, brown sugar tends to dry out which is why you get hard lumps over time. Nil Einne (talk) 02:53, 29 September 2019 (UTC)


 * So what component present in brown sugar and molasses, but absent in white sugar, attracts water ? And does that component alone attract water, or only in combination with sugar ? SinisterLefty (talk) 03:11, 29 September 2019 (UTC)


 * The nonsugar components of molasses are mostly water and salts, including some very hygroscopic salts like calcium chloride. Someguy1221 (talk) 09:59, 29 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Thanks for the info. SinisterLefty (talk) 02:45, 2 October 2019 (UTC)


 * If expiration date is fine, maybe storage conditions were not. Or they were, and the medicine has a notice with some kind of warning "you may see some solid residues if (/whatever), this is normal. Shake the bottle before use". Then again, without the composition we can only be wild guessing, and anyway "Consult your pharmacist or other health care professional." if you have any doubt of any kind; medicines, even OTC, are to be considered serious stuff. Gem fr (talk) 10:16, 29 September 2019 (UTC)


 * Child-proof caps can cause improper storage, as people who don't want to deal with them won't close them all the way, so they don't lock. This leaves an air gap which allows moisture to flow in and out. SinisterLefty (talk) 13:26, 29 September 2019 (UTC)