Editing 3040: Chemical Formulas

{{comic
| number    = 3040
| date      = January 20, 2025
| title     = Chemical Formulas
| image     = chemical_formulas_2x.png
| imagesize = 275x335px
| noexpand  = true
| titletext = Can you pass the nackle?
}}

==Explanation==
{{incomplete|Created by a BORON-OXYGEN-TANTALUM-URANIUM-TITANIUM-MOLYBDENUM-TITANIUM-CARBON-ALUMINUM-LITHIUM - Please change this comment when editing this page. Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}
This is another comic on [[:Category:How to annoy|How to annoy]] people, in this case chemists.

In this comic, Cueball humorously mispronounces the chemical names of {{w|carboxylic acid}}s. Instead of pronouncing "HCOOH" (for what is technically methanoic acid, or named {{w|formic acid}} from its association with {{w|Formicinae#Identification|ants}}) and "CH3COOH" (ethanoic acid, also known as {{w|acetic acid}}, most often encountered in vinegar) according to their standard chemical names, he says them phonetically as "hakoo" and "chuckoo," which Randall describes in the caption as "How to annoy chemists". The title text adds to the humor by referencing the common phrase "Can you pass me the salt?" but instead of referring to the common name, Cueball uses "nackle," an attempt to pronounce NaCl, the chemical formula for salt. This continues the joke of mispronouncing compounds in a deliberately frustrating way.

==Transcript==
{{incomplete transcript|Do NOT delete this tag too soon.}}

[Cueball is gesturing towards a whiteboard that show the chemical formulas: HCOOH, CH₃COOH]

Cueball: The two simplest carboxylic acids are hakoo and chuckoo.

Off-Panel Voice: No!!

Caption: How to annoy chemists

{{comic discussion}}

[[Category:Chemistry]]
[[Category:How to annoy]]