It is the depiction of the electron shells of Argon.

Says, Neon.

Alcohol doesn't evaporate that quickly. Though, pure alcohol doesn't stay pure very long. It will eventually pull in about 5% water from the air. Ether is fun though. If you pour it on a surface, you can actually see it evaporate in front of your eyes.

But as was pointed out, it will be less than 1 liter. The molecules of the two compounds tend to fit inside each other. Another neat trick with the 50/50 alcohol/water mixture is to soak a paper napkin in it, and set it on fire. The water will keep even that thin paper below its kindling point.

Peter raises an excellent point.

For the purposes of this thread, I am just as happy to have charismatic conjecture as truth.

btw, God could have simply created the egg.

While I continue to marvel at Mark's ingenuity and the knowledge and camaraderie here, it seems to me that it's difficult to come up with questions that don't fall into one of two categories:

1. Here, let me Google that for you...
2. "Why..." (thus inciting the opinionated, divisive beasts of politics, religion and philosophy).

I think it is wonderful that the many scientists here allow people like me to learn from them.

LOL! You guys are a gas!!!

That's noble gas, to you. Otherwise you could call us nothing more than methane.

I've been called Old Methane...in a way.....

I had that happen once. I always zip up slowly now...

The golfcourse part is easy. Politicos don't like to golf on weeds.

Excellent, Excellent. Picked the nickname up in college where we used to party til we were pretty much "inert" on the couch watching TV.

Actually here in the lower 48, what chemicals the farmer's apply to their crops is regulated to the point that we import our fruits and vegetables from South American countries that still apply pesticides which have been banned from our country years and years ago, helps keep the cost to the consumer down.