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How to make Deodorant without Coconut Oil – 3 Recipes

Despite all the benefits of coconut oil for your skin and general health, some people just don’t like the smell of it. Here are a few dedorant recipes without coconut oil:

Some people prefer a deodorant spray over cremas or sticks.

DIY deodorant spray – all natural

Ingredients:

  • ¼ teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ cup water (as clean water as you can find)
  • 2 drops tea tree, lavender or rosemary oil


You will also need an old or new spray bottle container, emptied and cleaned.

  1. Fill your empty spray bottle with the ¼ cup of water. Then add half of the baking soda to your water and cover the bottle.
  2. Shake it well.
  3. Add the rest of the baking soda, cover it and keep shaking until it is evenly mixed. Your liquid’s texture should now be slippery-smooth, with a slight chalky look.
  4. Now add your preferred Essential Oil to the mix and cover and shake well, again. Thus, the oils mix with the base.

Homemade Powder Deodorant for Sensitive Skin

Well, it could be that some combination of baking soda and cornstarch powder are too irritating for someone with sensitive skin. In this case, we have a milder recipe for you, without losing its effect.

For sensitibve skin we change the proportions of the mix:

Ingredients:

  • 40 ml baking soda
  • 75 ml arrowroot powder

You need a clean container with a tight lid.

  1. Make sure that your container is clean and dry.
  2. Add the baking soda and the arrowroot powder to the container.
  3. Cover your container with the lid, ensuring that it is firmly in place.
  4. Shake the contents. Ready!

DIY Aloe Vera Deodorant Spray

In this recipe we use a cambination of Aloe Vera and Witch-Hazel. Aloe Vera has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. Witch-hazel acts as a drying agent.

You can add fragrance to this blend by your own choice such as tea tree, lavender, rosemary or sage oil.

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup witch hazel liquid
  • 1/4 cup Aloe Vera juice
  • 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
  • 10 drops Essential Oil of your choice

You need an empty clean Spray Bottle

  1. Fill your empty spray bottle with the aloe vera juice and the witch-hazel.
  2. Add the baking soda to the mix and shake gently after covering.
  3. Ath this point your liquid’s texture should be slippery-smooth, with a slight chalky look.
  4. Add your essential oils to the mix, cover it and shake well, to allow the oils to mix with the deodorant. Ready!

Photo by Tatiana Rodriguez on Unsplash

Do Dove, Degree or Old Spice contain aluminum?

We get a lot of questions from consumers who wonder if their favorite deodorant from the supermarket is aluminum free. Actually, it is easy to identify if a product contains aluminum by just looking at the list of ingredients on the container. Aluminum is clearly labeled as ‘aluminum’, unlike other chemical substances that are hidden behind terms that no one can even pronounce.

Here is a list of deodorants by Dove, Degree and Old Spice that are aluminum free.

Does Dove Deodorants have Aluminum?

The cosmetic brand Unilever provides a special 0% Aluminum series. Their 0% Aluminum Deodorants are supposed to bring 24-hour odor protection. These Dove deodorants are also free of alcohol.

If you’re searching for a Dove deodorants without aluminum, you should check out these Deodorant Sticks with various fragrances:

  • 0% Aluminum Deodorant Pomegranate and Lemon Verbena
  • 0% Aluminum Deodorant Cucumber and Green Tea
  • 0% Aluminum Deodorant Coconut and Pink Jasmine
  • 0% Aluminum Dove Aluminum-Free Deodorant For Women Sensitive For 24 Hour Alcohol Free Odor Protection Safe for Sensitive Skin

Let’s check the list of ingredients. Example: Coconut and Pink Jasmine

Ingredients: Dipropylene Glycol, Water (Eau), Glycerin, Propylene Glycol, Sodium Stearate, Poloxamine 1307, Fragrance (Parfum), Butyrospermum Parkii (Shea) Butter, Aloe Barbadensis Leaf Juice Powder, Chamomilla Recutita (Matricaria) Flower Extract, Stearic Acid, Disodium EDTA, Simethicone, BHT.

Does Degree Deodorant have aluminum?

Degree is another Unilever brand. Most of degree deodorants, we found, actually contain aluminum . If they are marketed as an ‘Antitranspirant’ they do contain aluminum.

But we found these 3 aluminum free Degree Deodorants for Men & Women, they are using Titanium and Silver instead:

  • Degree Men Extra Fresh Deodorant, Arctic Edge
  • Degree Men Extra Fresh Deodorant, Intense Sport
  • 0% Aluminum Free Deodorant 48H Odor Protection Deodorant for Women

Old Spice Deodorants without aluminium

Old Spice is a Proctor & Gamble deodorant brand. There are quite a few Old spice deodorants that do contain aluminum. However, we found these aluminum free deodorants for Men:

  • Old Spice Aluminum Free Deodorant for Men, Fiji with Palm Tree Scent
  • Old Spice Aluminum Free Deodorant for Men, Aqua Reef Scent
  • Old Spice Deodorant, Hawkridge

Does Secret Deodorant have aluminum?

Secret offers the following women’s deodorants without aluminum:

  • Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant Coconut Scent
  • Secret Aluminum Free Deodorant Lavende

They are free of aluminum, parabens, dyes, and talc and certified cruelty-free by PETA.

Caution: Secret deodorants labeled as Antiperspirant, however, do contain aluminum.

Fluoride free Toothpaste Brands

Which toothpastes are fluoride free?

Unfortunately there is evidence both ways whether fluorides in toothpaste are good or bad; and it comes down to personal belief and preference tobrush your teeth with or without a flouridated tootpaste. Today, there is a wide range of fluoride free oral care products, including toothpastes for sensitive teeth, toothpaste without SLS, for babies or kids, whitening toothpaste, or even fluoride free mouthwash without alcohol. Most of the products can be bought on Amazon.

Especially the all-natural cosmetics brands provide toothpastes without fluoride, such as But’s Bees, Tom’s of Maine, Jason’s or Nature’s Gate. They mainly rely on natural minerals and plant extracts in their compositions.

Below you will find an overview which toothpastes do not contain fluoride. 

Natural Toothpaste Brands for adults

Toothpaste without fluoride for Kids

Fluoride-free Mouthwash

*Partner Link

Why we use Fluoride?

Fluorides have been used for decades in toothpaste to prevent tooth decay. Fluorides help to remineralize the enamel. When an acidic environment develops in the oral cavity, minerals are removed from the tooth enamel. Once minerals are released the tooth gets porous. Bacteria can colonize and cause tooth decay. Fluorides enhance the remineralization and help the crystalline substance of the enamel to be more resistant to acid attacks. That’s the major benefit of fluorides. In the opinion of the American Dental Association the use of fluorides is an important measure to prevent tooth decay for children and adults.

luorine is a basic chemical element, a gas that does not occur free in nature. Fluorides arise when Fluorine reacts with other elements. The most commonly used fluorides in toothpaste are no foreign substances to the human body. They are a natural component of teeth and bones. In particular for caries prophylaxis sodium fluoride, potassium fluoride and amine fluorides are used.

The dangers of Fluoride for children

Especially when children take too much fluoride, it can lead to side effects. There is debate and conflicting information on how much fluoride children should be given.

For instance the American Association of Pediatrics recommends to brush children’s teeth with fluoridated toothpaste from the eruption of the first teeth onward, that is from the age of approx. 6 months.

Fluoridated toothpaste is recommended for all children starting at tooth eruption, regardless of caries risk.

Source: www.aap.org
Whereas the American Dental Association recommends not to use fluoridated toothpaste before the age of TWO.

Do not use fluoride toothpaste until the child is two years old unless advised to do so by a dentist or other health professional.

Source: www.ada.org

Fluoride is a health risk especially for children when swallowed. In the U.S. every tube with fluoridated toothpaste must have a poison warning.

“If you accidentally swallow more than used for brushing, seek professional help or contact a poison control center immediately.”

Risks from ingesting fluoride toothpaste include not only permanent dental fluorosis but also impairment in glucose metabolism, stomach ailments or skin rashes.

Especially it is disturbing to see that child-appealing flavors are used for toothpaste for kids knowing that especially young children have poorly developed swallowing reflexes and swallow large parts of the toothpaste they put on the brush. Here, you can find Toothpastes for Kids without Fluoride.

Do we need Fluoride at all?

Even if there is evidence that fluorides aid the remineralization of teeth and prevent tooth decay more and more experts question the benefit of fluoride. Their take is: Do we want to mitigate the risk of tooth decay by putting a toxid substance into our body, where we actually can’t control the dose.

According to the critics the line between a beneficial and a toxic fluoride dose is very fine. Especially an overdosing for children should be avoided. Since we do not know exactly how much fluoride a child actually takes through the food and the environment, this is hard to control. Opponents also raise the facts of the side effects of fluorides, that are little-discussed in public media.

Especially for adults more and more dentists claim that a balanced diet and good oral hygiene can also prevent tooth decay. According to them adults with healthy teeth don’t need extra fluoride at all. The fluoride provides in our food and mineral water is sufficient.

Photo by Joshua Hoehne on Unsplash

Vegan Plastic Free Dental Floss – Eco friendly Oral Care

Dental floss from the drugstore is usually made of nylon. If the dental floss is waxed, it is neither plastic-free, because of the nylon, nor vegan, because of the beeswax used. Until a few years ago, the only plastic-free alternative was natural silk, which in turn is not vegan as well.

It’s estimated that there are 700 million plastic floss containers discarded each year. That adds up to approx. 9 million pounds of non-renewable, non-recycled plastic waste.

Today, there are alternatives: Vegan biodegradable floss without plastic, which are made from alternative raw materials based on plants.

In the following, we present a couple of dental floss products that are suitable for vegans and that completely dispense with plastic in the product and packaging:

Eco friendly dental floss without plastic:

Me Mother Earth Bamboo Charcoal Dental Floss

Me Mother Earth delivers that 100% biodegradable vegan Bamboo Charcoal Dental Floss in a refillable glass container. It is made from Bamboo Charcoal Fiber which lets it biodegrade within 60-90 days.

The company donates 10% of their profits to ocean and environmental conservation.

Eco-Dent Gentlefloss Premium Dental Floss, mint

For those who don’t want to do without a refreshing mint taste, Eco-Dent has a sustainable solution. They offer an economical product with 100 yards for around 5 bucks. The packaging is plastic free and the floss is 100% vegan waxed with candelilla and rice bran wax.

Eco Vibe Activated Charcoal Bamboo Floss in Metal Container

This charcoal bamboo floss with mint flavor comes in a stylish durable steel dispenser.The dental lace contains all natural plant based Candelia wax, is fluoride free and chemical free. All natural

Fresh Labs Corn – Luxury Vegan Dental Floss

It doesn’t always have to be bamboo, corn is also a suitable plant to create dental floss.

Fresh Labs uses Candelilla wax and Ginger extract to improve the circulation of the gums. Thus, it is also ideal for tight gaps and sensitive gums. It is peppermint flavoured with natural essential oils.

With the little things in life that you can begin to make your consumer behavior more sustainable. Dental floss is an important part of dental health because it can be used to clean the spaces between the teeth, areas that your toothbrush cannot reach.

However, the use of conventional nylon floss packaged in plastic containers creates plastic waste. Vegan dental floss based on biodegradable raw materials, packaged sustainably, gives us an alternative: Clean teeth without plastic waste!

You might also want to look at biodegradable toothbrushes and biodegradable toothpaste

Sulfate and Silicone Free Shampoos for Curly Hair

If you have curly hair then you already know that it takes work to keep your locks manageable, bouncy, and beautiful. That is why it is ever so important to make sure you’re using products that work for your hair and not against it.

Choosing shampoo is an important consideration when you have luscious curls and that’s why you should be wary of shampoos that include sulfates and silicones in their ingredient line up.

What are Silicones and Sulfates and Why are They Bad for Your Hair?

Silicones are added to shampoos to create the silky, smooth feel people love. Unfortunately, after continuous use, washing your hair with silicone will create buildup that dries your hair out and weighs your hair down. Plus, silicones create a harsh environment for hair and skin leading to dry scalp and skin rashes.

When you use shampoos with silicone on curly hair your curls will become dry, weighted down, and frizzed.

Sadly, these ingredients do not break down easily and end up polluting waterways.

Just like silicones, sulfates do much more damage than good.

Sulfates are added to shampoos to create the lather that removes the dirt from your hair.

Ultimately, sulfates strip much more than dirt from your hair. Because sulfates are strong chemicals, they also remove the natural oil from your hair and scalp leaving it dry and brittle.

For curly hair, sulfates like SLS and ALS should be especially avoided because they will leave your curls frizzy and the ends of your hair broken. Most sulfates are derived from petroleum, which has a bad rap due to its role in climate change and pollution.

Sulfate and Silicone Free Shampoo For Curly Hair- Our Recommendations

Luseta Biotin & Collagen Shampoo & Conditioner

Known for their high standard and 20-year salon industry experience, Luseta Biotin & Collagen Shampoo & Conditioner strengthens and fortifies the hair with biotin, collagen, and argan oil.

Biotin helps hair grow, while collagen helps to improve hair health and elasticity. This shampoo is well known for adding thickness, volume, and dimension.

PureNature Argan Oil Deep Hydra Shampoo & Conditioner

Safe for color and keratin-treated hair, PureNature’s sulfate-free and organic shampoo contains UV and thermal protection, while also adding antioxidants that help moisturize and protect your hair.

It is great for all hair types, but especially for frizzy and curly hair. Argan oil and vitamin E are included to help fortify and moisturize hair.

True Curl Non-Lather Shampoo

True Curl is sulfate and silicone free shampoo for curly hair that is formulated to enhance curls while cleansing and nourishing in a non-lather formula.

Natural ingredients make up this shampoo like grapeseed oil, peppermint, and kelp. This shampoo works to moisturize and defrizz without all the harmful ingredients and can be followed up with True Curls Cream Conditioner.

There are many tips out there on how to manage curly hair, but one thing is for certain and that is your curls deserve moisture, bounce, and love. By choosing a sulfate and silicone free shampoo for curly hair you are giving your hair the nourishment it needs while also choosing conscious products that protect the environment.

Photo by Priscilla Whendy on Unsplash

Silicone Free Hair Oil Products: All Natural

Hair oils are popular because they provide immediate help with dry and brittle hair. The hair immediately feels smoother and shines, and you can easily slide your fingers through it.

However, even products that call themselves “all-natural” might use synthetic silicone oil. In this article we shed a light on silicones in hair oils and present you a couple of products that are absolutely silicone-free.

For hair shampoos, silicones have been criticized for years and more and more manufacturers offer shampoos without silicones. For many hair oils, however, silicone oils remain the essential ingredient.

When used silicones usually appear at the top of the list of ingredients, i.e. they have the largest share in the product. One can recognize silicones easily by terms that begin with “cyclo” or end with “-cone” or “-xanes”, such as:

  • cyclopentasiloxanes
  • cyclohexasiloxanes
  • cyclohexasiloxanes
  • cyclotetrasiloxanes
  • phenyl trimethicones or
  • amodimethicones.

Silicones are often used because they give the product the desired consistency without greasing. The silicone oil spreads quickly on the hair’s surface and makes it smooth and supple, without making it looking greasy.

A greasy look can easily happen with vegetable oils if you can not find the right dose. On the other hand, silicones form a film around the cuticle layer of the hair, filling up fragile areas, but artificially without really providing any hair care.

The silicone sheath impedes the penetration of care substances and also causes problems when dyeing and tinting, because the color can no longer penetrate the hair fibers.

From an ecological perspective silicones are also more than questionable. They are difficult to biodegrade and, as nitrogen and phosphorus-containing sewage sludge, can return to the agricultural fields as fertilizer and thus enter into our waters.

If you want to use a hair oil without silicone, you should not just pay attention to terms such as all-natural, organic, Macamedia oil, Argan Oil or Monoi Oil in the product name. Take a closer look at the list of ingredients to identify silicones.

If you look more closely at the ingredients of the hair oils of well-known brands, you will unfortunately notice that they often contain silicone and / or paraffin oils.

Here are y few examples: Scroll down until you find List of ingredients: Dove Pure Hair Oil* or Garnier Hair Care Fructis Triple Nutrition Marvelous Oil Hair Elixir*.

Even bio claims on the packaging do not always ensure that only organic oil is used. You are on the safe side if you use a certified organic hair oil.

Majestic Pure Moroccan Argan Oil for Hair

Cold pressed Moroccan Oil with no additives. 100% Organic For Scalp, Hair, Body & Nails

VoilaVe Pure Organic Moroccan Argan Oil

USDA and ECOCERT certfied. For Skin, Nails & Hair Growth

100% Pure Nature’s Moisturizer by Ancient Greek Remedy

Blend of Olive, Lavender, Almond and Grapeseed oils with Vitamin E. Day and night Moisturizer for Skin, Dry Hair, Face, Scalp. Safe for Kids and Baby skin care.

All Natural Hair Growth Oil by Hair Thickness Maximizer

That’s a silicone free Hair Oil for Growth. Enhanced with Jamaican Black Castor Oil, Jojoba, Argan, Refined Rosehip, Cayenne Extract, Pomegranate Extract, Alfalfa Extract, Spearmint, Rosehip Extract, Ginkgo Biloba Extract, Lemongrass, Tea Tree, and Peppermint. Made in the USA

Boost Hair Oil by Terrajuve

This is a 100% all organic hair growth oil. It’s made of organic Grapeseed Oil, Jojoba Oil, Sweet Almond Oil, Lavender Essential Oil, Rosemary Essential Oil, Cedarwood Essential Oil, and Thyme Essential Oil.

All the products above are paraben free, paraffin free, phthalate free, gluten free, dairy free, cruelty free, non GMO, and do not contain petroleum or mineral oil derivatives.

Conclusion

If you are looking for a silicone free hair oil. You need to take a deep look at the list of ingredients.Even if it claims to be all natural it still might include silicones. You can easily identify silicones in hair oil products if you watch out for -xanes and -cones on the list of ingredients

‘* Affiliate Link: As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

Photo by Timur Romanov on Unsplash

Chemical free hair dye for grey hair

Which hair color is safe? In this article, we introduce you to 5 natural hair colors that cover gray hair without chemicals … or at least approximate to the original color.

What chemicals are used in conventional hair color?

Approximately 70% of women dye their hair, usually to cover gray strands. While in the male world, gray-mottled hair makes them attractive in old age, gray-haired women are still perceived as old  and less attractive.

Some of the dyes in conventional products have proven to be carcinogenic or extremely allergenic. For this reason, legislators have set limits ​​for some substances or banned them altogether in recent years.

Among the substances of concern in hair dyes are mainly:

  • Aromatic amines such as para-phenylenediamine (ppd)
  • Resorcinol
  • Ammonia
  • PEG / PEG derivatives as well
  • Organohalogen compounds.

What is the effect of Phenylenediamine (PPD) in hair dye?

To permanently dye the hair, aromatic amines are used. However, these can cause severe allergic reactions. Some are even labeled as so-called CMR substances.

They either have a carcinogenic, mutagenic or reproductive toxicity potential. The darker the hair color, the higher the level of chemical colorants. Since 2003, 181 dyeing substances have been banned and 106 have been restricted. Still not all substances are fully evaluated for their harmfulness.

The commonly used p-phenylenediamine or ppd is classified as extremely sensitizing. That means, it can trigger severe allergic reactions on the scalp. Since this substance has come under criticism, it is often replaced by Toluenediamine. But this substance has also triggered reactions in PPD allergic patients in the past. Below we present hair colors without phenylenediamine and toluenediamine

Resorcinol

Resorcinol is included as a coupler in oxidative hair dyes and tints. It is used for the nuance of hues. Resorcinol is bactericidal, flammable and classified as a dangerous chemical.

It can lead to allergies and is also suspected of being responsible for mutations. It can be recognized on the packaging by terms such as resorcinol, resorcinol monoacetates, 3-hydroxyphenylacetate, hydroxyphenol 3, m-dihydroxybenzene, benzene-1,3-diol or 1,3-benzenediol.

Ammonia

Ammonia is known for its pungent odor. If ammonia is used, it will be listed on the INCI list as Ammonia. Ammonia irreparably breaks up the hairpin of the hair like a pine cone so that other substances, such as hydrogen peroxide and colorants, can penetrate the inside of the hair. If it is used regularly, the hair dries out and becomes brittle.

Despite its pungent smell, ammonia is not as damaging to health as the amines. It is only dangerous in high concentrations or in contact with eyes.

Naturcolor 4N Burdock. Hair Color without ammonia, resorcinol, PPD or parabens

Natural hair color without chemicals

The market for natural hair dyes is clearly geared towards women and it is booming in recent years as consumers become more and more aware and educated. On the other hand, hairdressers are not always the best guides when it comes to the components of the products they use. The industry has developed plant based products that you can apply at home.

The most commonly used plant dye is henna. Henna has been used for thousands of years for the coloring of skin and hair. It is cultivated in North and East Africa as well as in much of Asia. Henna powder is made from the leaves of the shrub. Thanks to modern product development, today’s plant colors for blond, red, brown and black are durable and are getting better at gray coverage.

However, especially in the case of gray cover, botanical dyes have to contend with the prejudice that they do not work. In addition, the use of herbal hair dyes is significantly more complex than just mixing together a chemical cocktail.

The reviews on Amazon show, that despite many positive reviews, some users experience that when they dye gray hair with natural colors it suddenly creates blue or green spots.

Practice and patience are required to find the best personal mix. But it is possible to cover gray hair without chemicals. It’s best to try out little by little.

When buying a product you have to be careful Even if it says “henna”, “organic”, “natural”, it’s not certain that the products do not contain some of the above mentioned substances. 

In the following, we have put together some natural hair colors, which do not contain PPD Resorcinol, PEGs or PEG derivatives as well as halogenated organic compounds.

Light Mountain Natural Hair Color & Conditioner

This fine, botanical powder allows for a creamy, easy to use consistency. All you need to do is add water. Light Mountain offers a range of 8 shades called Color the Gray! It is a unique 2-step coloring solution to dramatically enhance the ability of henna-based hair colors to stick to gray hair.

All Light Mountain hair colors are made using botanical ingredients, and are Certified Organic. They do not contain chemical additives such as parabens, PPD, ammonia, peroxide, or metallic salts. 

Surya Brasil Henna Cream 

Surya is a Winner of the Best of Natural Beauty Awards. There natural hair colors consist of a sophisticated blend of botanical ingredients from Brazil and India that are formulated to color and condition the hair. They use Henna, Amla Acácia Concinna Extract and Índigo. Hair Color with long-lasting grey coverage.

Radico Hair Color

Radico hair colors are known for a very good gray coverage. This is also stated in the user reviews on Amazon. The herbal hair colors of Radico are made exclusively from natural herbs. Radico’s natural colours are formulated without ppd, ammonia, hydrogen peroxide, resorcinol and parabens.

Radico Color Me Organics hair dyes have received the world-renowned certification from both Ecocert (Europe) and USDA Organic.

Khadi Herbal Hair Colour

Khadi Natural hair colors contain henna, amla and indigo in different blends. The natural hair colors of Khadi are purely vegetable and are free of synthetic dyes, fragrances or preservatives. They contain neither peroxides nor ammonia.

The Henna Guys 100% Pure and Natural Henna Powder

100% Pure, naturally grown without the use of pesticides, cruelty free and vegan henna and indigo powder hair color 

Conclusion

Thanks to the natural hair colors, covering grey hair without chemicals is no problem anymore. Every hair is different, there are different shades of gray. If you want to dye your hair with natural hair dye and protect your hair and scalp from the chemical mace, you should bring some patience to find your personal optimum of quantity, mixing ratio and exposure time. Use these alternative hair dyes without PPD, ammonia and resorcinol.

Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash

If you also want to are interested in more hair care without chemicals, we recommend the following articles:


Best Oil free Makeup Remover

Neutrogena Oil-Free Eye Makeup Remover


It’s simple, micellar cleansing water lifts away dirt, makeup, and excess oil, all in just a few swipes. No rinsing, no harsh rubbing- just refreshed skin, and a face washed clean and cleared of impurities.

No oil, no Alcohol, no Fragrance

Real Organic Hair Dyes Brands

Approx. 70 percent of women dye their hair, usually to cover grey strands. While in the men’s world grey-mottled hair also appeals in old age, women with grey hair are perceived less attractive.

Sadly, some of the substances in conventional hair dyes have proven to be carcinogenic or extremely allergic. For this reason, legislators around the globe have started to set limits for some substances in the last few years or have completely abandoned them from the market.

The most dangerous substances in hair dyes include:

  • Aromatic amines
  • Resorcinol
  • Ammonia
  • PEG / PEG derivatives
  • Organometallic compounds.

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