'Dihydrogen monoxide' (shortened to 'DHMO') is a scientific name for
water that is relatively unknown to most of the public, used in
hoaxes that illustrate how the lack of
scientific knowledge and an exaggerated analysis can lead to misplaced fears. "Di" meaning two, and "Mono" meaning single, describes how water is made up of two
hydrogen atoms and one
oxygen atom (H
2O).
The hoax involves listing strictly negative effects of water, such as
erosion or
drowning, attributing them to "dihydrogen monoxide", and then asking individuals to help control the seemingly dangerous substance.
It was apparently created by Eric Lechner, Lars Norpchen and Matthew Kaufman, housemates while attending
UC Santa Cruz in 1989, revised by Craig Jackson in 1994, and brought to widespread public attention in 1997 when Nathan Zohner, a 14-year-old student, gathered petitions to ban "DHMO" as the basis of his science project, titled "How Gullible Are We?"
[1]
Original Web appearance
The first Web posting by Craig Jackson included the following:
The original webpage is no longer accessible, but it has been
mirrored by
The Internet Archive:
Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!
Terminology
"Dihydrogen Monoxide" in its liquid form.
"Dihydrogen monoxide", though simply a chemical term for water, may sound dangerous to those with some degree of
chemophobia or who hold to an ideal of a "chemical-free" life. The term ''monoxide'', despite its systematic origin, has publicly negative connotations due to its being part of the name of the highly
toxic carbon monoxide.
The
water molecule has the
chemical formula H
2O, meaning each
molecule of water is composed of two
hydrogen atoms and one
oxygen atom.
Literally, the term "dihydrogen monoxide" means "two hydrogen, one oxygen", consistent with its molecular formula: the prefix ''di'' in ''dihydrogen'' means "two", the prefix ''mono'' in ''monoxide'' means "one", and an
oxide is a compound that contains one or more oxygen atoms.
The use of numerical prefixes is typical nomenclature for compounds formed by
covalent bonds, which are present in water. The prefix for the first named element is often dropped if the elements involved commonly form only one compound, or even if the number of atoms of the first-named element is the same in all the compounds of the two (or more) elements. Thus H
2S is often simply called
hydrogen sulfide, and
lithium oxide is a common name for Li
2O. However, the names dihydrogen sulfide, dilithium oxide, and dilithium monoxide are also commonly used both in industry and in universities.
The mono- prefix is often dropped for the second-named element if it is the only common compound the elements form. Thus referring to H
2S as hydrogen monosulfide is much rarer than the name hydrogen sulfide. However, since carbon and oxygen can form two compounds (carbon monoxide and carbon dioxide), the mono- prefix is kept, as it is with silicon monoxide and silicon dioxide. Indeed, hydrogen and oxygen do form another common compound, H
2O
2. Using prefix nomenclature this compound would be called dihydrogen dioxide—also known as
hydrogen peroxide. Thus, keeping the mono- in dihydrogen monoxide does serve to distinguish it from another compound.
Water has a regular scientific or
systematic name of 'hydrogen oxide', as well as an
alkali name of 'hydrogen hydroxide' and several acid names such as 'hydroxic acid', 'hydroxylic acid', and 'hydroxilic acid'. Incidentally, the term "hydroxyl acid" used in the original hoax is slightly incorrect, as it does not follow
convention. Additional names of μ-oxido dihydrogen and oxidane have been developed for this compound.
Water is not a systematic ''chemical'' name under any recognized nomenclature, nor is it international. It also is not the term normally used for the solid or gaseous forms. Under the 2005 revisions of
IUPAC nomenclature of inorganic chemistry, there is no single correct name for every compound.
[IUPAC Report: General Aims, Functions and Methods of Chemical Nomenclature (March 2004) http://www.iupac.org/reports/provisional/abstract04/RB-prs310804/Chap1-3.04.pdf] The primary function of chemical nomenclature is to ensure that the person who hears or reads a chemical name is under no ambiguity as to which chemical compound it refers: each name should refer to a single substance. It is considered less important to ensure that each substance should have a single name, although the number of acceptable names is limited.
Water is one acceptable name for this compound.
Public efforts involving DHMO
The logo of
DHMO.org, primary current residence of the dihydrogen monoxide hoax
★ In 1989, Eric Lechner, Lars Norpchen and Matthew Kaufman circulated a Dihydrogen Monoxide contamination warning on the
UC Santa Cruz Campus via photocopied fliers.
[2] The concept originated one afternoon when Matthew recalled a similar warning about "Hydrogen Hydroxide" that had been published in his mother's hometown paper, the Durand (Michigan) Express, and the three then worked to coin a term that "sounded more dangerous". Eric typed up the original warning flier on Matthew's computer, and a trip to the local photocopying center followed that night.
★ In 1994, Craig Jackson created a web page for the Coalition to Ban DHMO. The page spread widely on the net and off, including publication as an "ad" in a 1995 issue of
Analog Magazine.
★
The Friends of Hydrogen Hydroxide was created partly as a foil on the Coalition page, to provide evidence of 'misguided' supporters of dihydrogen monoxide. This form of collaborative connivance is a classic tool of internet spoofers.
★ In 1997, Nathan Zohner, a 14-year-old junior high student at Eagle Rock Junior High School in
Idaho Falls, Idaho, gathered 43 votes to ban the chemical, out of 50 people surveyed among his classmates. Zohner received the first prize at Greater Idaho Falls
Science Fair for analysis of the results of his survey.
In recognition of his experiment, journalist
James K. Glassman coined the term "Zohnerism" to refer to "the use of a true fact to lead a scientifically and mathematically ignorant public to a false conclusion."
[3]
★ In 1997, drawing inspiration from Jackon's web page and Zohner's research, Tom Way created the
Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division web site as a fun and educational resource for teaching about
critical thinking and
information literacy.
★ Kate Dalgleish and Mikael Sydor, high school students from
Calgary,
Alberta,
Canada, circulated a petition in April 2004 to ban the chemical as part of the
Western Canada High School film festival. Several high school chemistry teachers and university science students signed the petition, which asked the
municipal government to ban the 'dangerous chemical' under a fictitious Hazardous Chemical Act. Their film won the film festival.
★ The idea was used for an episode of the
Penn & Teller show ''
Bullshit!'', in which they had self-proclaimed environmentalists sign a petition to ban DHMO.
★ In March 2004,
Aliso Viejo, California almost considered banning the use of foam containers at city-sponsored events because dihydrogen monoxide is part of their production. A paralegal had asked the
city council to put it on the agenda; he later attributed it to poor research.
[4] The law was pulled from the agenda before it could come to a vote, but not before the city received a raft of bad publicity.
[ ]
★ Teams in a 2005 version of The Game circulated a petition to ban dihydrogen monoxide at Fisherman's Wharf in San Francisco, California—while dressed in superhero costumes.
★ In 2005 at "Tent State University", a week long anti-war event at Rutgers University, members of the conservative publication The Rutgers Centurion gathered signatures from the protesters on a petition calling for a ban on Dihydrogen Monoxide.
★ In 2006, in Louisville, Kentucky, David Karem, executive director of the Waterfront Development Corporation, a public body that operates Waterfront Park, which features a large, accessible public fountain, wished to deter bathers from using the fountain. "Counting on a lack of understanding about water's chemical makeup," he arranged for signs reading: "DANGER WATER - CONTAINS HIGH LEVELS OF HYDROGEN - KEEP OUT to be posted on the fountain at public expense.[5][6]
★ An online petition to the British prime minister was correctly identified by the prime minister's office as a hoax, and rejected.
★ In one episode of the children's science show How 2, Fred Dineage used a glass of water in a perspex box to carry out the hoax, before drinking the water then explaining the truth.
See also
★ Chemical nomenclature
★ Parody science
References
1. Dihydrogen Monoxide from Urban Legends Reference Pages, accessed 25 September 2006.
2. The original poster circulated at UC Santa Cruz (PDF)
3. Dihydrogen Monoxide: Unrecognized Killer James K Glassman (reprinted at http://www.junkscience.com)
4. Local officials nearly fall for H2O hoax, at MSNBC 15 March 2004, accessed 25 September 2006.
5. ''Water'' without ''hydrogen would warrant warning'', Louisville Courier-Journal, Monday, July 17, 2006 (link inactive as of Friday, May 18, 2007)
6. Danger! H in H2O, Chemical & Engineering News, October 23, 2006 webcite mirror
External links
★ Penn & Teller Dihyrogen Monoxide petition signing at activist rally
★ DHMO.org - Dihydrogen Monoxide Research Division
★ Ban Dihydrogen Monoxide!
★ Original Usenet posting
★ Friends of Hydrogen Hydroxide
★ Mirror of first web publication
★
★ Some responses by college students
★ About.com article
★ ''Dihydrogen Monoxide'' Kate Dalgleish and Mikael Sydor's DHMO movie
News stories, commentary
★ Mysterious Killer Chemical
★ Dihydrogen Monoxide: Unrecognized Killer - 1997 Washington Post News Service commentary
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