From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History – John Dalton’s Birthday and His Chemical Symbols
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Click to enlarge Two hundred and fifty years ago today, John Dalton was born in the small town of Eaglesfield, Cumbria, in England. Though his background was entirely unassuming, he would go on to take pioneering steps in developing our ideas...
on Sep 6
From compoundchem.com
Fluorinated “forever chemicals” and where to find them
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A film that grosses millions at the box office, with chemistry in the starring role. No, not a chemistry communicator's fantasy, but the reality of the 2019 film Dark Waters. Less happily, the chemicals industry is the villain of the piece...
on Dec 12
From compoundchem.com
The chemistry of the menstrual cycle with Periodically, the Oxford Chemistry Period Podcast
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How does having periods affect studying chemistry? If you don't have periods, I would wager that it may not be a question you've spent time considering. But it's a very real issue, with the challenges of studying chemistry and the required...
on Dec 2
From compoundchem.com
A Rough Guide to Spotting Bad Science
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Click to enlarge A brief detour from chemistry, branching out into science in general today. This graphic looks at the different factors that can contribute towards 'bad' science - it was inspired by the research I carried out for the recent...
on Nov 29
From compoundchem.com
A Brief Overview of Classes of Antibiotics
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Click to enlarge When we're suffering from a bacterial infection, a trip to the doctor to be prescribed antibiotics is commonplace. However, there is a wide range of antibiotics available, and they vary both in their usage and their...
on Nov 19
From compoundchem.com
World Diabetes Day: Glucose, Insulin, & Diabetes
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Click to enlarge As it's World Diabetes Day today, here's a mini-graphic taking a quick look at what diabetes is, and the differences between the three main types. Though there's no article to accompany this one, there's a download of the...
on Nov 14
From compoundchem.com
The chemistry of fly agaric: Poison, hallucinations, and reindeer wee
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Click to enlarge Think of a mushroom. Chances are, the image that comes to mind is that of a red toadstool with white spots: fly agaric, or Amanita Muscaria to give it its scientific name. More than any other, this mushroom pervades popular...
on Nov 12
From compoundchem.com
What causes the colours of the aurora?
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Click to enlarge A magical fox, running across the Arctic fells, its tail spraying snow and sparks into the air. The dead, playing football in the heavens with a walrus skull. Or the souls of dead children, dancing in the sky. These are...
on Nov 11
From compoundchem.com
The chemistry of poppies: colours and opium
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Click to enlarge 11 November is Remembrance Day. As the flowers that grew on the battlefields of WWI, poppies are used as the symbol for this day. This graphic takes a look at the chemical compounds behind their colours, as well as some of...
on Nov 10
From compoundchem.com
Today in chemistry history – Marie Curie’s 150th birthday
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Click to enlarge In the history of the Nobel Prize, only one person has won a prize in two different sciences. That person was Marie Skłodowska Curie, born on 7th November 1867. Born in Poland, she carried out her research in France...
on Nov 7
From compoundchem.com
The Chemistry of Fireworks: Bangs, Crackles & Whistles
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Click to enlarge With the 5th of November approaching, the distant reports of early fireworks displays can already be heard in the evenings here in the UK. Discussion on the chemistry of fireworks usually centres on the compounds used to...
on Nov 5
From compoundchem.com
The Chemistry of Gin (And Tonic!)
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Click to enlarge For the fifth in the ‘Alcohol Chemistry’ series, we turn to gin. As with other types of alcohol, there are a huge number of different chemical compounds present, but it’s possible to identify a range of significant...
on Oct 19
From compoundchem.com
The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry: Predicting protein structures
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The 2024 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to David Baker for computational protein design and to Demis Hassabis and John M. Jumper for protein structure prediction. To read about the science behind the prize in more detail, check...
on Oct 17
From compoundchem.com
The Chemicals Behind the Colours of Autumn Leaves
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With autumn looming on the horizon, the leaves on some trees have already begun the transition towards the vibrant hues of autumn. Whilst this change may outwardly seem like a simple one, the many vivid colours are a result of a range of...
on Sep 22
From compoundchem.com
How can inkcap mushrooms give you the worst hangover ever?
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Click to enlarge If you go down to the woods this autumn, you might encounter a strange organism. It erupts from dead wood, lives for a day, and then dissolves itself, leaving only a pile of black goo. This is no supernatural or imagined...
on Sep 20
From compoundchem.com
Port wine chemistry: Types, colours, ageing and flavours
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Click to enlarge Port's often relegated to the festive period, and forgotten about for the rest of the year (at least, in the UK). This is a shame as if you look beyond the standard ruby port, there are several other delicious types...
on Sep 10
From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History: August Kekulé and the structure of benzene
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Click to enlarge Today marks the anniversary of the birth of August Kekulé, most famous for his proposed structure for the benzene molecule. This graphic looks at his structure and its limitations and shows how later work improved upon his...
on Sep 7
From compoundchem.com
The chemical compounds behind the scent of the sea
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Click to enlarge The summer holidays are here, which means there'll soon be crowds flocking to the coast to spend the day at the beach. The supposed benefits of 'fresh sea air' are commonly extolled but its origins might not be what you...
on Aug 30
From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History – Ernest Rutherford’s Birthday
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Click to enlarge Today, 30 August, marks the birthday of Ernest Rutherford. Rutherford is primarily considered a physicist, but his contribution to our understanding of the atom is also important to chemistry. He was also a chemistry Nobel...
on Aug 30
From compoundchem.com
The Key Chemicals in Red Wine – Colour, Flavour, and Potential Health Benefits
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Click to enlarge To complement the ongoing food chemistry posts, this supplementary series is going to look at the key chemicals (or families of chemicals) that give alcoholic drinks their characteristics. The first in the series looks at...
on Aug 28
From compoundchem.com
The Chemistry of Petrol & The Tetraethyl Lead Story
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Click to enlarge Tomorrow (18th May) marks the date of birth of Thomas Midgley, who made significant contributions to something many of us make use of on a regular basis: petrol. Midgley was the research assistant to Charles Kettering, and...
on Aug 27
From compoundchem.com
The Chemistry of Rum: Fruity esters and woody lactones
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Click to enlarge For the latest in the alcohol chemistry series, we're looking at a pirate's favourite spirit: rum. It's actually hard to describe what constitutes a rum, because there's not really a fixed definition; different countries have...
on Aug 23
From compoundchem.com
What are the Paris 2024 Olympic medals made of?
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The Olympics are in full swing, so this graphic looks at the medals each competitor can win in their events. As well as the usual gold, silver and bronze content, this Olympics' medals have an added twist that lets winners take home a piece...
on Jul 31
From compoundchem.com
How do laxative and anti-diarrhoeal medications work?
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Click to enlarge Constipation and diarrhoea: two extremes of a crappy spectrum. Luckily, we have medicines to deal with either, and this graphic examines the different categories and how they help get things flowing freely (or less freely)...
on Jul 19
From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History – Emil Erlenmeyer and the Erlenmeyer Flask
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Click to enlarge Whether you know it as an Erlenmeyer flask, conical flask, or by some other name, it's a piece of glassware most of us, chemists or not, have likely used at some point. The Erlenmeyer flask is the most stereotypical...
on Jun 28
From compoundchem.com
The eye-watering chemistry of an onion
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Click to enlarge The latest in the series of food chemistry graphics looks at the chemistry of onions - specifically, what causes their odour, and why chopping onions will make your eyes water. Interestingly, none of the compounds that cause...
on Jun 28
From compoundchem.com
Compound Interest: Chemistry infographics
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Explorations of everyday chemical compounds
on Jun 26
From compoundchem.com
National Tea Day: What causes the scum on tea?
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Click to enlarge Ever wondered why tea's stimulant effect feels different to that of coffee? Or why sometimes, when you make a brew, thin scum forms on the tea's surface? On National Tea Day, here's a graphic to answer those questions and...
on May 21
From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History: Robert Bunsen and the Bunsen burner
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Click to enlarge The Bunsen burner is one of the ubiquitous symbols of chemistry. Though it might be a rarer sight in university laboratories these days, due to some of the highly flammable substances used, they're still very commonly found...
on Mar 31
From compoundchem.com
St. Patrick’s Day: The Chemistry of Guinness – in C&EN
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Click to view and download the graphic on the C&EN site Happy St. Patrick's Day! Here's a throwback to an old edition of Periodic Graphics which looks at the chemistry behind the bubbles and bitterness of Guinness. You can view the...
on Mar 18
From compoundchem.com
International Women’s Day: Twelve women from chemistry history – pt. 6
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Click to enlarge Today is International Women’s Day, and to celebrate here’s another edition in the Women in Chemistry History series. This graphic highlights another twelve women whose achievements in chemistry range from the discovery...
on Mar 8
From compoundchem.com
What Causes the Smell of New & Old Books?
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Everyone's familiar with the smell of old books, the weirdly intoxicating scent that haunts libraries and second-hand book stores. Similarly, who doesn't enjoy riffling through the pages of a newly purchased book and breathing in the crisp...
on Mar 7
From compoundchem.com
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A calendar that will (eventually!) give a different event in chemistry history for every day of the year. Click on each image to see a larger...
on Mar 2
From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History – Linus Pauling and Electronegativity
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Today, February 28, marks the birthday of Linus Pauling. For chemists Pauling likely needs no introduction; he's famed for his work on the nature of chemical bonds and also on the structures of biological molecules. Here we take a brief look...
on Mar 2
From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History: Ahmed Zewail and femtochemistry
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Click to enlarge On this day (26 February) in 1946, Egyptian-American chemist Ahmed Zewail was born. Zewail pioneered femtochemistry, the use of laser pulses to see the movement of individual atoms during chemical reactions. This graphic...
on Mar 1
From compoundchem.com
Valentine’s Day: The chemistry of love
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Click to enlarge Happy Valentine's Day! Here's a brief look at some of the many chemicals involved in the feeling of love. For more on neurotransmitters in general, there's also this post. Download link for this graphic below, along with...
on Feb 14
From compoundchem.com
Compound Interest: Women in Chemistry
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Explorations of everyday chemical compounds
on Feb 11
From compoundchem.com
Metal Ion Flame Test Colours Chart
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Click to enlarge This graphic looks at the colour of various metal and metalloid ions that occur during flame tests. Most people probably remember doing this experiment in school chemistry lessons, if not with the full range of ions shown...
on Jan 29
From compoundchem.com
How is alcohol-free beer made?
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Click to enlarge Alcohol-free beer is increasingly popular and sought-after as people become warier of their alcohol intake. A few decades ago alcohol-free beer was a poor imitation, but these days it's steadily improving and some examples...
on Jan 25
From compoundchem.com
What Makes Popcorn Pop? – The Chemistry of Popcorn
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Click to enlarge Today (19th January) is apparently National Popcorn Day, so what better time to look at the chemistry behind it? This graphic takes a brief look at some of the compounds that give popcorn its flavour and aroma, as well as...
on Jan 23
From compoundchem.com
Organic functional groups chart – expanded edition
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Click to enlarge Since I published my original functional groups chart back in 2014, I've had a fair few requests to expand it to include more functional groups. This week, I finally got around to doing that! While this chart still...
on Jan 23
From compoundchem.com
Today in Chemistry History: Søren Sørensen and the pH scale
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Click to enlarge On this day (9th January) in 1868, Danish chemist Søren Sørensen was born. He's best known for developing the pH scale, which we've likely all encountered, to measure the acidity or alkalinity of solutions. This graphic...
on Jan 20
From compoundchem.com
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With Easter upcoming, here's another graphic on chocolate to go with the previous food chemistry graphic which looked at some of the chemicals it...
on Jan 19
From compoundchem.com
What Temperature Does Water Boil At? Boiling Point & Elevation
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Click to enlarge Water always boils at 100˚C, right? Wrong! Though it’s one of the basic facts you probably learnt pretty early on back in school science lessons, your elevation relative to sea level can affect the temperature at which...
on Jan 3, 2024
From compoundchem.com
What causes hangovers? A biochemical mystery
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Click to enlarge After yesterday's New Year celebrations, you might well be nursing a sore head this morning after a few drinks too many. This is a chemical consequence of consuming alcoholic beverages, but it's one that, surprisingly, we...
on Jan 1, 2024
From compoundchem.com
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Click to enlarge With New Year's Eve upcoming, a large number of people will celebrate by popping open a bottle of champagne. The bubbles in your glass may seem simple enough, but there's actually a wealth of interesting chemistry behind them...
on Jan 1, 2024
From compoundchem.com
The Chemical Elements of a Smartphone
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click to enlarge There are an isolated few graphics online that look at elements involved in the manufacture of a smartphone - for example, this 'Periodic Table of iPhones' - but there's remarkably little easily accessible information out...
on Dec 30, 2023
From compoundchem.com
Chemical Warfare: Poison Gases in World War 1
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Click to enlarge I'll be accompanying some of the students from my school on a history trip to Ypres and a few other World War 1 battlefields in a few weeks' time. Obviously, they'd much rather be learning chemistry, so I've been reading up...
on Dec 30, 2023
From compoundchem.com
5 December – Poinsettia indicators
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5 December – Poinsettia indicators Poinsettia plants aren't the only thing you can make indicators from – try it with red cabbage too! <–– Go to day 4 | Return to Advent Calendar | Go to day 6...
on Dec 12, 2023
From compoundchem.com
The Chemistry Advent Calendar 2023
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After a few fallow years, this year I'm resurrecting the Chemistry Advent calendar! The theme for this year is "A Festive Food Journey Around the World", with each graphic in the calendar focusing on a seasonal speciality from a particular...
on Dec 1, 2023