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Operating Systems Dihydrogen Monoxide Dihydrogen monoxide or DHMO, also known as Hydrogen Hydroxide or Hydronium Hydroxide is one of the most prolific chemicals contacted in daily life. It is colorless, odorless and tasteless, and sometimes considered harmless, and yet kills very large numbers of humans every year. DHMO is generally a liquid, but is also available in solid and gaseous forms. Prolonged exposure to solid DHMO causes severe tissue damage, accidental inhalation can be fatal, and ingestion can cause bloating, nausea leading to sweating and urination. The web page for the “Coalition to Ban DHMO” lists a slew of hazards associated with it. DHMO is the primary ingredient of acid rain, contributes to the greenhouse effect, causes havoc with electrical equipment, can be been found in cancerous tissue, can cause severe burns, accelerates corrosion of metals and is the primary cause of thousands of other calamities (including tornadoes, flooding and tsunamis). Yet, handling, distribution and use of DHMO is perfectly legal. It contaminates all of our streams, lakes and rivers. It is found in easily detectable quantities in the atmosphere. It is prolifically used as an industrial solvent and legally dumped it into the environment. Amongst other uses, DHMO is used in animal research, production of pesticides, manufacture of hazardous chemicals, detoxification of food, enhancement of plant growth and maintaining chemical balance in swimming pools. It is also used as a coolant in nuclear reactors, for manufacturing biological weapons, for religious rituals and has been used in death camps. Yet, most unknowing victims consider DHMO vital to life. Absence of DHMO can lead to famine, renal failure and disease. It is used daily for food preparation and is present in most kitchens and bathrooms. It has been called the “elixir of life”. It is also vital to our existence, without DHMO we would be all dead. In case you are wondering, where you may run into DHMO, try the nearest tap. The chemical formula for DHMO is, of course, H20 and the unenlightened masses tend to call it “water”. Water is everywhere, yet it is often in short supply. The oceans hold about 98% of the total amount of water on earth, but seawater is unfit for consumption. Human habitations can exist only where fresh water is available. Yet, people have inhabited deserts by building canals and pipelines to bring water in from elsewhere. Water is all pervasive and permeates everywhere. Consider an event that may have happened over 3000 years ago. In the year 1307 AD the most famous Pharaoh of them all, Tutankhamun, was crowned the King of Egypt at the age of nine. One day, when it was dinnertime at the Tutankhamun household, the boy-king was having a royal tantrum. Surrounded by fawning advisors and servants, he screamed and yelled and threw a goblet of water towards the “Ay” (or high official). Of course, the glass shattered and spilled water over the floor, which was promptly mopped up. That was then, and this is now. As you read this, you may be sipping a glass of your favorite beverage. Is there any possibility that any molecules of water, from the royal fling, can show up in the beverage in your glass? Surprising, but true, not just a few, but a lot of the royalty-tainted molecules, live close to you. Over the thousands of years, we can safely assume that Tutankhamun’s water has evaporated and dispersed over the entire world. A little arithmetic comes to the rescue. A glass of water (250 ml) contains about 8.36x1024 molecules of water. The earth contains about 140x107 cubic kilometers of water, which amounts to about 4.62x1046 molecules. If we disperse the glass of water into all the water on earth, and then pour a glass of the mixture, we find there are about 1,500 molecules from Tutankhamun’s goblet in our glass. Of course, during his brief 18-year life, Tutankhamun used a lot more than a