Chemistry in its element

Lars Öhrström on phosphoric acid: Crucial for crops and DNA's backbone, it's the energy currency of the biological world

Josh Howgego prepares to socialise - and tells us why 'cuddle chemicals' are too good to be true

Can a compound in red wine protect against heart attack and cancer? Phillip Broadwith investigates resveratrol

Brian Clegg introduces gallium arsenide – the supercar of the semiconductor scene

Blue flashes and metallic water are just some of the tricks the smallest possible anion has up its sleeve

The whitest smile, the blondest blonde, the clearest complexion – all from one essential compound. Fernando Gomollón-Bel introduces benzoyl peroxide

Brian Clegg explains how bath salts may actually be more than just relaxing

Brian Clegg introduces a crystalline hydrocarbon that isn't as tough as it sounds, but is the basis of a wide range of medicines

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

From medicine to the military, this compound makes lasers for a range of applications. Brian Clegg discovers neodymium chloride

With thoughts turning to our festively-expanded waistlines, Kit Chapman looks at a poster child in the battle against obesity

Ben Valsler with the story of Charlotte Figi, Dravet syndrome and the cannabis compound controlling her condition.

This week, Neil Withers examines a compound with the 'wrong' number of bonds: Diborane

Kat Arney investigates the biological pigment that links sun tanning, squid ink and browning bananas

Simon Cotton looks at the rocket propellant that causes environmental problems

Kit Chapman explains how a 'daft' pharmacy mix up led to a series of poisonings in Victorian Britain

Brian Clegg has a sniff at the bitterest substance known to science

Katrina Krämer investigates the sad case of Christopher McCandless, who some believe consumed the poison swainsonine in the Alaskan wilderness

A 1960s breakthrough in pain relief that now fuels the opioid crisis

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