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Geek Culture / What Chemical Is The Liquid In LCD's??

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 1st Aug 2011 07:10
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I have always wondered and have never been able to find an answer, but what chemical is the liquid crystal in the screen?? I know about all the liquid crystals properties and stuff like that, but what chemical is it? Also, do the crystals twist or untwist when current is applied? Thanks!


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Plystire
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Posted: 1st Aug 2011 08:10
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I always thought it was some form of silicon in liquid form (hence "liquid crystal"). Not sure, though.


~Plystire

A rose is only a rose until it is held and cherished -- then it becomes a treasure.
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 1st Aug 2011 08:18
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Hmmm, i read somewhere it was a liquid polymer made of carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, and nitrogen, just like a lot of polymers, but thats all i know about it... It didnt actually specify any chemical formulas


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Plystire
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 03:28
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I can't imagine why they would. Trade secret and all that. And the things are so cheap, why would you need to know?


~Plystire

A rose is only a rose until it is held and cherished -- then it becomes a treasure.
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 04:11
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Haha people wonder why i ask these questions, and no, im not going to start my own LCD screen factory (lol!) i just like to know every single aspect of how technology works!


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Plystire
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 04:50
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I used to be that way. Sometimes it's just easier to accept something for what it is, and move on.


~Plystire

A rose is only a rose until it is held and cherished -- then it becomes a treasure.
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 05:04 Edited at: 2nd Aug 2011 05:05
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Yah, i have done that sometimes... But now im sad i cant figure out what chemical it is! Lol!


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Neuro Fuzzy
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 05:30
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this page seems to do a great job of explaining it all:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal_display


The overall concept seems straightforward (change the polarization of the light when a voltage is applied, so that the piece appears black), but the concepts of light polarization and molecular structures aren't.

also:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Liquid_crystal


Why does blue text appear every time you are near?
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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 05:35
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Actually i read the bottom link you posted, and maybe C18H19N is the formula.


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Ocho Geek
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 14:00
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are there enough bonds on that... could be cyclic... I don't really understand chemistry


Not Spanish, Not Eight, Just Ocho

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 2nd Aug 2011 21:59
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Haha I actually don't know what you just said, lol!

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Ocho Geek
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Posted: 3rd Aug 2011 20:57 Edited at: 3rd Aug 2011 20:58
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well it's a hydrocarbon with a nitrogen bonded instead of another hydrogen. based on the ratio, it would either be a cyclic molecule or beyond my knowledge of chemistry. I presume the latter


Not Spanish, Not Eight, Just Ocho

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 3rd Aug 2011 23:10
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Ah, very very interesting indeed!

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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 4th Aug 2011 00:17
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I call magic.

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 4th Aug 2011 00:21
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haha that made me laugh!

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CoffeeGrunt
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Posted: 4th Aug 2011 00:24
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But seriously, I work in a store selling these things. Naturally I started askng every question under the sun, but in honesty noone cared. Most customers don't have a clue, so I have to dumb my knowledge down a heck of alot. Analogies are great.

Anyway rambling, while I do find the technology intriguing, gotta admit it's probably more boring in truth than what I imagine. (Some dull polymer chain vs unicorn blood.)

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 4th Aug 2011 01:52
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No, technology is the exact opposite of boring!! I read from 12:00 to 4:30 AM one night as i was addicted to reading about how memory management works! Process management FTW!!

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 4th Aug 2011 13:49 Edited at: 4th Aug 2011 14:47
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Wikipedia seems to be down.

Edit It's OK again now - but I'm none the wiser.
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Libervurto
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Posted: 7th Aug 2011 01:26
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It is a pixie with an etch-a-sketch.

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 7th Aug 2011 01:27
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Haha!

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thenerd
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Posted: 7th Aug 2011 02:49
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Have you even taken Chemistry in school yet?

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Dark Java Dude 64
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Posted: 8th Aug 2011 03:21 Edited at: 8th Aug 2011 11:39
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Nope im not there yet! However, when i was much younger, only 4 or 5, i had a large college textbook on chemistry from DK, and i would read as much as i could every day for about a year and a half, so i knew a lot of this stuff, the bad thing, i have forgotten most of it by now...

Irrigation of the land with seawater desalinated by fusion power is ancient. It's called rain.
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TheComet
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Posted: 8th Aug 2011 11:42
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C18H19N? Cmon guys, a blind person could see that that's not correct. That's Benzoctamine.

It's hard to just tell you "what chemical" is in the LCD, because it's not just one chemical. There are a number of chemicals used, such as Nitrogen Trifluoride (NF3) and Sulfur Hexafluoride (SF6), and there are a number of liquid crystals used as well. Here's a quote from an artical:

Quote: "There are many kinds of liquid crystal. Nematic liquid crystal is a common type. The name comes from the Greek word for ``thread'' because of the thread-like formations that defects in this kind of liquid crystal form which can be seen under a microscope. Chiral nematic (or cholesteric) liquid crystal exhibits a twisted structure---literally, the director rotates about an axis as you move through the material. This helical structure is exploited in several ways in making modern flat-panel displays. Smectic liquid crystal has a soapy texture and retains some positional order in that the molecules concentrate in planar layers. Quite often, mixing different kinds of liquid crystal can result in a material that has more useful properties. These lytropic liquid crystal substances are extremely important in display applications."


http://web.media.mit.edu/~stefan/liquid-crystals/liquid-crystals.html

You better read that artical for more info, I'm not all to knowledgable on this subject myself.

TheComet

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Ocho Geek
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Posted: 8th Aug 2011 15:43
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Huzzah, I told you it's cyclic, and I told you it's beyond my knowledge... three hexagons


Not Spanish, Not Eight, Just Ocho

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TheComet
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Posted: 8th Aug 2011 15:54
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Hey no offense meant ocho LCD chemicals are beyond me as well.

TheComet

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Green Gandalf
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Posted: 8th Aug 2011 16:52
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Quote: "C18H19N? Cmon guys, a blind person could see that that's not correct. That's Benzoctamine."


So it is! How could I have missed that?

Are you sure that's the only chemical with that formula?
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TheComet
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Posted: 8th Aug 2011 17:11 Edited at: 8th Aug 2011 17:11
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Quote: "Are you sure that's the only chemical with that formula?"


nope.

OK I just feel stupid now. Ignore me

TheComet

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Melancholic
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Posted: 8th Aug 2011 22:33
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Quote: "C18H19N? Cmon guys, a blind person could see that that's not correct. That's Benzoctamine."


You totally googled that...

Either that or you know the formula for Benzoctamine off by heart. Hey, i'm not judging!


I can count to banana...
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