A weekly tour of the periodic table, from Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
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A weekly tour of the periodic table, from Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Jun 19 2013
6mins
Jan 23 2013
7mins
Jun 26 2013
6mins
Brian Clegg introduces gallium arsenide – the supercar of the semiconductor scene
Nov 01 2019
6mins
Blue flashes and metallic water are just some of the tricks the smallest possible anion has up its sleeve
Feb 02 2017
8mins
The whitest smile, the blondest blonde, the clearest complexion – all from one essential compound. Fernando Gomollón-Bel introduces benzoyl peroxide
Nov 16 2016
3mins
Apr 10 2013
6mins
Brian Clegg introduces a crystalline hydrocarbon that isn't as tough as it sounds, but is the basis of a wide range of medicines
Jan 26 2017
6mins
Kat Arney explains how a protein that repairs broken DNA holds the key to killing cancer cells – but only if you stop it from doing its job
Nov 02 2016
6mins
From medicine to the military, this compound makes lasers for a range of applications. Brian Clegg discovers neodymium chloride
Oct 26 2016
5mins
With thoughts turning to our festively-expanded waistlines, Kit Chapman looks at a poster child in the battle against obesity
Jan 04 2017
4mins
Ben Valsler with the story of Charlotte Figi, Dravet syndrome and the cannabis compound controlling her condition.
Jul 13 2018
6mins
This week, Neil Withers examines a compound with the 'wrong' number of bonds: Diborane
Dec 14 2016
4mins
Kat Arney investigates the biological pigment that links sun tanning, squid ink and browning bananas
Feb 21 2018
6mins
Mar 21 2013
7mins
Kit Chapman explains how a 'daft' pharmacy mix up led to a series of poisonings in Victorian Britain
Feb 22 2017
5mins
Apr 18 2013
7mins
Katrina Krämer investigates the sad case of Christopher McCandless, who some believe consumed the poison swainsonine in the Alaskan wilderness
Nov 30 2016
6mins
A 1960s breakthrough in pain relief that now fuels the opioid crisis
Jul 27 2018
6mins
Acetylcysteine is a versatile drug, helping manage lung conditions and treat paracetamol overdose. But, as Ben Valsler discovers, it has found itself at the centre of a cycling controversy
Apr 12 2018
5mins
How did a tree bark from Sri Lanka become one of the essential flavours of the festive season? We explore the history of cinnamon and the compound that gives it its distinctive taste and aroma
Dec 21 2020
7mins
A compound so explosively unstable that nobody has been able to measure how sensitive it is without it, well, exploding.
Dec 11 2020
5mins
How one of mankind's oldest pigments helped shepherds secure their sheep and inspired one of the most popular songs of the twentieth century
Dec 04 2020
7mins
A sweet compound that provides ample energy for extreme endurance events – find out how maltodextrin helped Anna Ploszajski swim the English channel
Nov 27 2020
7mins
Liquid salts, ionic melts, fused salts, or ionic glasses – call them what you like, these much-hyped solvents show great promise. Katrina Krämer speaks to chemical engineer Jason Bara about ionic liquids.
Nov 20 2020
11mins
An antimicrobial compound that kills bacteria and viruses quickly – found in some of the most colourful antiseptic solutions
Nov 13 2020
8mins
Does asparagus give you foul-smelling urine? Helen Arney investigates asparagusic acid, and the lavatorial genetic lottery that controls whether or not you can smell its distinctive aroma
Nov 05 2020
7mins
A sweet treat with a deadly trick for Halloween – glycyrrhizic acid, or glycyrrhizin, is found in black liquorice and sweeter than sucrose, but can cause heart problems and even prove fatal if consumed in excess
Oct 30 2020
6mins
Also known as 'milk of amnesia', propofol helps to prevent perception of pain in surgery – just don't forget its dangerous side
Oct 23 2020
6mins
Hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir made waves when first launched – quicker to work and with fewer side effects than existing drugs, but it came with a hefty price tag
Oct 16 2020
6mins
Meera Senthilingam makes a welcome return to the podcast with a drug that gives hope to the many sufferers of drug-resistant TB – still one of the world's biggest killers
Oct 09 2020
9mins
This summer's extreme weather prompts Katrina Krämer to investigate the history of sunblock and the ingredient blamed by some for bleaching coral reefs
Oct 02 2020
12mins
From Lavoisier’s experiments with plaster of paris to the the ‘Sistine Chapel of crystals’ in Mexico, Mike Freemantle explores the history of gypsum
Aug 07 2020
8mins
Originally developed to treat flu and marketed in Japan as Avigan, promising Covid-19 trial results have seen countries stockpiling this medication by the millions
Aug 02 2020
7mins
Tannic acid in green acorns can kill wild animals and livestock, but in this podcast Mike Freemantle makes plain that you can prevent poisoning with pannage pigs.
Jul 24 2020
8mins
Common in the US but banned in the EU, this animal feed additive makes for muscular pigs and beefy international trade disputes.
Jul 17 2020
7mins
Brian Clegg discovers what a six-membered silicon ring can tell us about alien life
Jul 10 2020
6mins
Frances Addison on the aromatic compound found in both buttered popcorn and the bearcat’s scent glands, and responsible for the distinctive smell of both
Jul 03 2020
5mins
News that this cheap, ubiquitous steroid drug may reduce deaths in Covid-19 cases has been greeted with cautious optimism. Ben Valsler looks at the history of dexamethasone and the promising Recovery trial results.
Jun 26 2020
6mins
Mike Freemantle on the art, history and science of this delicate, translucent ceramic material
Jun 19 2020
6mins