Consumables are goods that require recurrent replacement because

they are used up or transformed in their use. The market for these
goods tends to be consistent and can be a strong place for investment,
even during periods of economic uncertainty, as the need for such
products cannot be put off by consumers. Individuals and businesses
both buy consumables, in varying amounts, and a number of companies
specializing in a range of consumable products provide goods to the
public.
Office supplies like pens, pencils, paper, stables, toner and ink,
paperclips, and so forth are classic examples of consumables. They are
regularly used up or changed and an office must maintain a steady
supply of these products in order to function. Groceries and personal
care products are consumables seen in the home. Conversely, things
like appliances are not placed in this class, but are considered durable
goods. They are designed to be used for an extended period of time.
Many consumables are disposable in nature. Hospitals order huge
volumes for patient care, including needles, gloves, bandages, and
tubing. Examples of similar products can be seen in other industries
where people want clean materials to work with or must use new
products with each customer. Companies marketing consumables rely
on a steady market. As long as a business or household is operational,
the demand for consumables will remain the same.
In a hospital, for example, a budget crisis may put off major purchases
of durable goods like next generation imaging machines and hospital
beds. However, to function, the hospital still needs supplies to serve
patients, and the medical supply companies used by the hospital can
depend on the hospital's orders. This allows such companies to
maintain steady growth and returns, even in a poor economy, making
them very appealing to many investors.
The market for consumables may be tracked separately from other
types of goods. Economists look at movement in this area of the market
to make projections, learn more about the general health of the
economy, and examine economic shifts. Companies that design and
market these products also tend to innovate in order to expand their
market. Many companies make disposable versions of reusable
products, for example, in order to turn the market for these goods into
a consumable one. These products are marketed as more convenient
than reusable ones. They may even integrate marketing tactics such as
being more environmentally friendly because they don't have to be
cleaned between uses and can be made with biodegradeable, renewable
materials.
Also known as consumables or nondurable goods, soft goods are any
products that are expected to have a life span of less than three years.
This is in contrast to durable goods that are anticipated to remain
useful for any amount of time over three years. Both soft and durable
goods are essential components in the economy of most nations, and
routinely purchased by consumers on an ongoing basis.
One of the best examples of soft goods is clothing. While it is true that
some articles of clothing may last for longer than three years, most
manufacturers do not guarantee the garments for more than a year or
so, assuming that the clothing undergoes normal wear and tear.
Consumables of this type require replacement from time to time, either
due to changes in consumer taste, changes in the body type of the
owner, or because a favorite garment is worn until it begins to show
signs of age.
Other forms of textiles are also anticipated to last no more than three
years. Bedclothes, especially sheet sets, are normally not expected to
last for longer. Table cloths, napkins, towels, and many types of
draperies and curtains are generally classed as soft
Clothing accessories are sometimes considered soft goods. Shoes, boots,
and other forms of footwear are rarely manufactured with the idea of
lasting more than three years. The same is true with gloves, scarves,
baseball caps, and other items that are usually selected to accentuate
the selection of clothing.
Any type of product that is consumed in a short period of time can be
rightly considered soft goods. Office supplies are an excellent example.
Paper products like copy paper, file folders, and notepads are consumed
regularly and must be replaced. Markers, pens, and materials used to
create visual aids are also often consumed within the course of a few
months to a year. Rubber products, such as elastic bands are classified
as soft goods, since they do tend to break after several rounds of use
over the years.
Personal products represent another type of soft goods. All forms of
cosmetics are considered consumables, along with products like
toothbrushes, toothpaste, mouthwash, and anypersonal
hygiene products. Lotions or creams used for skin care or body
cleansing are also considered soft or nondurable goods.
There are many other types of soft goods that are in use on a daily
basis. Small household appliances like toasters, hair dryers, and other
items that are utilized at least several times a week rarely carry
a warranty that is more than a couple of years. Petroleum products,
such as gasoline or oil, are consumables. Essentially, if the product is
manufactured with the understanding that it has a limited shelf life of
less than three years, it can be classified as a nondurable good.


Chemicals
. In its most basic form, a chemical is an element, in that it has a specific
molecular composition and may be produced by or used during a
natural chemical process. An element is a chemical substance made of
specific kinds of atoms that cannot be broken down any further; in
short, elements are the purest forms of chemicals known to man. When
multiple chemicals combine, a chemical compound is formed, which
exists in order to combine different types of elements, and therefore,
different reactions.
Purpose
Perhaps the main use of chemicals is to promote and enhance a greater
quality of life for not only the human race, but countless other species
as well, as they allow for the creation of modern day inventions.
Anything made up of matter, or anything that is considered a solid,
liquid, or gas, is made up of chemicals; this means that nearly
everything a person uses throughout the day is composed of chemicals.
Chemicals are used as a basic function of everyday life; they are
combined in such ways as to create many commonly used substances
from the water one drinks to the gasoline that provides an automobile
its energy.
Just 100 years ago, many of the chemicals being used today did not
exist, at least not in a known form. This includes the chemicals needed
to produce things like modern medicines and cleaning supplies. In
addition to the chemicals already being used in the modern world, more
chemicals are coming into existence every day.
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Combining Chemicals
In order to produce chemical compounds, it is first necessary to come
up with a chemical formula. This formula is merely a list of atoms that
includes the types of atoms and the number of those specific atoms
needed to form a molecule of the substance in question. Usually, this is
accomplished by listing the type of atom first, followed by the number
of atoms needed for that particular compound.
For example, consider one of the most common chemical formulas
known to the world H
2
O. This is two atoms of hydrogen combined
with one atom of oxygen. The result is one of the most basic, life-
sustaining chemicals known to mankindwater.
The order of elements in the formula is usually determined by the Hill
system, which states that all carbon atoms will be listed first, hydrogen
atoms second, then all other remaining atoms alphabetically. The
exception to this is ionic compounds, which will always list the
positively charged ion first. This is the case for NaCl, the formula for
salt.
Side Effects
However, while a chemical can be a good thing, certain kinds of
chemicals can also have negative effects both on people and the
environment. For example, some chemicals can pose serious risks if
they are ingested, some chemicals are believed to cause cancer, and
some chemicals are known to be hazardous to the atmosphere. Many
websites and books are devoted to educating the public about the
potentially harmful side effects that can arise from chemicals.
Chemists, or those who work with chemicals, are charged with
understanding how different chemicals will react with each other.
Without this knowledge, it is very possible that experimenting with
certain chemicals can lead to catastrophic results.
Chemistry
The study of chemical substances is called chemistry. Often, the most
basic forms of chemistry classes begin in high school and then continue
on throughout higher learning institutions. Those who need a
background in chemistry include doctors, pharmaceutical researchers,
and even food and synthetic food developers.
Dangerous chemicals
It's our chemical all-star team of death. We've got historic poisons
that have claimed the lives of millions in a sinister manner, along
with a couple of chemicals that might be in your home. Contact with
any of these, in the right dose, will send you running for a hastily
scribbled bucket list.
Before we start a couple of rules concerning these deadly jumbles
of carbon, nitrogen, and oxygen. Neither protein (sorry Botulinum
toxin) nor elements/radioactive isotopes (my apologies to
Polonium-210) were considered for the list, with a nod given to
chemical compounds that you could come in contact with during

your life.
SEXPAND
10. Digoxin
A purified extract of the foxglove plant. In proper quantities,
digoxin increases the efficiency of the heart. Charles Cullen, a nurse
and the "angel of death", used pharmaceutical grade digoxin to kill
over forty patients using the drug.

9. Hydrogen peroxide
The hydrogen peroxide in your bathroom cabinet has a
concentration of 3 to 6%. At higher concentrations, it's a rocket
propellant. Hydrogen peroxide is extremely volatile, with the
merest nudge setting off an explosion in laboratory grade solutions
(>70% hydrogen peroxide). The 2005 London subway
bombers used concentrated hydrogen peroxide as an explosive in
the attacks that killed 52 people.

8. Ethylene glycol
It's in your car as antifreeze. It's cheap. It looks so damn simple. It
has a moderate toxicity level, however, the sweet taste can make
one easily surpass that boundary, leading the ethylene glycol to be
metabolized into the more dangerous oxalic acid. Keep it away from
animals and pets, as they are likely to lap up the liquid as a food
source. If you do ingest a large amount of ethylene glycol, death is
slow, knocking out organ systems systematically over the course of
72 hours. The treatment is administration of grain ethanol, as the
ethanol competes with ethylene glycol for binding in your body.

SEXPAND
7. Nicotine
A member of the nightshade family of plants, this oily liquid that
makes up between 0.6 to 3% of a cigarette's mass. Contact with the
liquid pure form can cause death within hours, as nicotine passes
through the dermis and heads directly for the bloodstream.
Overdoses and death can easily occur in those smoking cigarettes
with nicotine patches applied on their body.


6. Sodium cyanide
A routine industrial reactant, but one false step results in the smell
of almonds, then death within seconds. Cyanide binds to
cytochrome c oxidase, a protein in the mitochondria, and stops the
cells from using oxygen.
SEXPAND
5. Strychnine
Commonly used as a pesticide to kill large unwanted pests like
rodents and birds. Due to the ease of concealment, strychnine is
rumored to have killed many historic figures including Alexander
the Great and Blues musician Robert Johnson.

4. Tabun
One of the first nerve agents discovered, this liquid is known for a
fruity odor and can be sprayed as a mist that causes convulsions and
paralysis. Tabun itself is not extremely deadly, but the success of
this chemical compound in war led to the development of deadlier
toxins like ricin and soman. Iraqi soldiers used Tabun in the final
days of theIran/Iraq war to kill thousands of Iranians.
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3. 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin
Heard of Agent Orange? 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin was
thecontaminant in Agent Orange. That's a bastard chemical. Agent
Orange was created to cause defoliation of dense areas in Vietnam,
but this contaminant led to severe prenatal deformities and skin
lesions.
SEXPAND
2. VX
One of the first chemical WMDs, researchers initially produced VX
for retail sale in the 1950s as a pesticide. Thankfully, your likelihood
of coming in contact with VX is extremely low - the world's
stockpiles have been destroyed, including the United States'main
stockpile in Anniston, AL.
SEXPAND
1. Batrachotoxin
The most potent non-peptide based poison known. Batrachotoxin
gained fame though its use in poison darts made from frog
excretions. The frogs themselves don't produce the toxin directly,
but through digestion of Melyrid beetles the frogs eat.

Useful chemicals

There are literarily 1000s of compounds we use in our daily lives.
Most if these are ingredients formulated into various products.
However, there are quite a number of household products that are
relatively PURE compounds or solutions of these:

Baking powder (sodium hydrogen carbonate; NaHCO3)
Used in cooking

Table salt (sodium chloride, NaCl)
Used in cooking

Table sugar (sucrose; C12H22O11)
Used in cooking

Household bleach (sodium hypochlorite; NaOCl)
Used in cleaning

Mouthwash (hydrogen peroxide, H2O2)
Personal hygiene.

Washing soda (sodium carbonate decahydrate; Na2CO3.10H2O)
Used in cleaning.

Artificial sweetener (saccharin; C7H5NO3S)
Used in cooking and food preparation.

Nail varnish remover (Acetone, propan-2-one; CH3COCH3)
Used as a cosmetic aid.

Natural gas (methane; CH4)
Used in heating.

Lemon juice (citric acid; C6H8O7)
Used in cooking and food preparation.

Asprin (acetyl salicylic acid; C9H8O4)
Used as a medicine.

Vodka (ethyl alcohol; C2H5OH)
Used for entertainment and in formulating other products.

Concrete cleaner (hydrochloric acid; HCl)
Used in cleaning.

Drain cleaner, lye (sodium hydroxide, NaOH)
Used in cleaning.

Toilet cleaner (sodium hydrogen sulphate, NaHSO4)
Used in cleaning.

Vitamin C (ascorbic acid; C6H8O6)
Used for health.