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- There’s something in the water... it’s fluorine!
There’s something in the water... it’s fluorine!
Answers for Globle, Chronogram, Metazooa, and more from Jan 20 - Jan 26
Abe Train
January 27, 2025
Coming to your inbox every Monday with a brand new fun-fact and all the answers to Trainwreck Labs games from the past week.
This week, we have…
NEW GAME LAUNCH!
A fun fact inspired by Elemingle
Answers to last week's games
Reader survey
Elemingle is Now Live! ⚛️
The ultimate chemistry game has arrived! Challenge yourself with Elemingle - the daily quiz where you'll discover the Mystery Element using your knowledge of the periodic table.
Play now at elemingle.com and join thousands of chemistry enthusiasts already testing their elemental expertise. Each day brings a new puzzle that will subtly enhance your mastery of chemistry.
Get your streak started today!
There’s something in the water… it’s fluorine!
There’s nothing strong, shiny teeth like more than a tall glass of fluoride. Generated by DALL-E.
Has anyone ever tried to scare you by telling the government is putting something in the water to affect your body? Well it’s true! Fluoride is derived from the element fluorine (Elemingle element #2) and has been added to public drinking water since 1945. Fluoride strengthens teeth and prevents cavities by remineralizing tooth enamel, reversing early tooth decay, slowing down demineralization, and preventing bacterial growth. That's why it is used to fortify drinking water and toothpastes.
The discovery of fluoride is credited to a dentist named Frederick McKay, who was seeking an explanation for brown stains on teeth in 1901. Residents thought these stains might be the result of eating too much pork, consuming inferior milk, or drinking calcium-rich water. Dr. McKay conducted many epidemiological studies and eventually discovered that residents in areas where water had high levels of fluorine exhibited stains - a result of a process called enamel fluorosis. This led to the remarkable discovery that mottled enamel was more resistant to tooth decay, and that adding fluoride to the drinking supply could be a great boon to oral hygiene - but don't worry, the amount added isn't enough to make your teeth brown, or worse, form dangerous hydrofluoric acid. It’s just enough to keep your pearly whites... well, pearly and white!
Fluorine is actually the most reactive element on the periodic table, but synthesized fluoride is much more stable. In addition to making fluoride, fluorine is also used in Teflon, etching glass, and processing nuclear fuel. Pure fluorine is very unstable and hard to store, so you probably won't find it in a beaker in a lab. Humans need minute amounts of it, but in large doses it can be toxic.
Learn more: NIDCR, Cleveland Clinic
Trivia
In addition to drinking water, fluoride is found naturally in some foods. Which of the following is NOT a source of fluoride? |
Answers to last week's games
Monday, January 20 to Sunday, January 26.
Globle
| Globle: Capitals
|
Chronogram
| Fictogram
|
Metazooa
| Metaflora
|
Linxicon
The following are the shortest paths from last week:
#343 gentleman → courtesy → intelligence → information
#344 beauty → prettier → better → anymore
#345 appreciate → appreciation → happiness → depression
#346 dog → pet → beloved → faithfully → completely
#347 guideline → boundaries → area → vast
#348 script → theatre → mall → centre → middle
#349 sigh → relax → relaxing → beach → shore
#350 Play now!
That’s all for this week. Thanks for reading!
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