Chemistry For Your Life

Question and Response 63 In this episode Melissa and Jam embark on an 'Ask a Chemist' segment, delving into the ethics surrounding the field of chemistry and addressing listener questions. They discuss managing discussions on the dark side of chemistry, why certain chemicals emit characteristic colors in the flame test, and share personal experiences regarding the toughest classes in their educati...

#202 Melissa and Jam dive into a fun and educational holiday-themed activity using poinsettia plants. They explore the chemistry behind these festive plants, specifically focusing on anthocyanins, which are pigments that give the leaves their red color and act as pH indicators. The episode includes a hands-on experiment that listeners can try at home to visualize how different household items can...

#075 Rebroadcast Happy holidays, we hope you have a wonderful season whatever you celebrate! We've got a holiday related episode for you: LEDs. Well I guess we use them all year round, but they get an extra spotlight this time of year. What are they? How do they work? How are they different from other lights? Let's find out! References from this episode Inorganic Chemistry, Edition 4, Miessler and...

#201 Melissa and Jam dive into the chemistry behind air dusters. They explore the components inside these cans, and how the physical properties of these chemicals can lead to rapid evaporation, cold burns, and potential hazards. Listeners will learn about the processes of pressure and boiling, the potential dangers of misuse, and how these air dusters work to clean keyboards and other surfaces. Th...

Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 12 (Rebroadcast) Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine chocolate and gum. Yep, you read that right. And yes, it's a little gross.   Thanks to our monthly supporters Scott B Jessie Reder Ciara Linville J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizab...

#200 In this episode Melissa and Jam delve into the fascinating world of chewing gum. They start by discussing awkward combinations of food and gum, leading to an exploration of what gum is made of. The conversation covers the basics of gum composition, including the roles of sugar, flavor, and especially the gum base, which itself is made of polymers. They explain why gum doesn't dissolve in sali...

Question and Response 62 New College-Style Sweatshirt! In this special bonus episode of Chemistry for Your Life, Melissa and Jam dive into listener-submitted questions, covering everything from the rarity of crystals and the chemistry of sourdough to the science behind melting ice on roads in Canada. Along the way, they explore fun tangents about nostalgic movies, glow-in-the-dark nostalgia, and m...

#199 In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry behind the popular belief that eating carrots improves night vision. They take a deep dive into the scientific processes, including how beta carotene from carrots is converted into vitamin A, then into rhodopsin, and how this helps with night vision. They also discuss the historical context of this belie...

#055 Rebroadcast Ever notice that honey crystalizes? Isn't that like super weird? Why does it do that? This week, Melissa and Jam risk getting stuck in this question. References from this episode https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5884753/ https://www.usda.gov/codex https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/PDF---Guidance-for-Industry--Proper-Labeling-of-Honey-and-Honey-Products.pdf Honey...

#198 In this special Halloween episode Melissa and Jam explore the spooky yet fascinating world of glow-in-the-dark chemistry. The discussion delves into nostalgic aspects of Halloween, focusing particularly on phosphorescence and the forbidden transitions that cause electrons to glow. The chemistry behind these glowing phenomena is explained with engaging analogies, making complex concepts more a...

Question and Response 61 New College-Style Sweatshirt!   And Spooky Chemistry Shirts Are Back!  In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam address a variety of intriguing listener questions. They cover topics such as the chemical processes behind self-tanners and why early formulations could result in uneven appearances, the unique properties and phase changes of dry ice,...

#196 New College-Style Sweatshirt!   And Spooky Chemistry Shirts Are Back!  Melissa and Jam explore the fascinating chemistry behind self tanners. They take listeners on a journey from the discovery of the key sugar in self tanners in the 1960s by Dr. Eva Wittgenstein to the present-day scientific understanding. The episode delves into the Maillard reactions, typically known for browning food, exp...

#048 Rebroadcast New College-Style Sweatshirt! And the Ghost Halloween Design is Back! This week, Melissa and Jam dive into spiciness. What is it? Is it a flavor? Is it a feeling? Is it both? Is it more? Why can some people handle more than others? Does spiciness have any benefits? References from this episode https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/...

#196 New College-Style Sweatshirt! Melissa and Jam delve into the science behind ibuprofen, exploring why it takes around 30 minutes to work. The discussion covers the chemistry of ibuprofen, including the concept of chiral molecules and enantiomers—molecules with mirror-image forms—highlighting how only one form of ibuprofen works effectively. The episode explains why both forms are included in t...

Question and Response #60 New College-Style Sweatshirt! In this episode of 'Ask a Chemist' on the Chemistry for Your Life podcast, hosts Melissa and Jam tackle a diverse range of fun and fascinating chemistry questions. Topics include the differences between oxygen in water and air, the properties of jello, the mystery behind glitter, and the impact of pasteurization on milk safety. The episode al...

#195 New College-Style Sweatshirt! In this episode of Chemistry For Your Life, hosts Melissa and Jam delve into the science behind ibuprofen, a common pain reliever. They discuss the role of prostaglandins in inflammation, how ibuprofen inhibits the cox enzyme to reduce pain, and the body's natural immune response. They also share personal anecdotes about meeting listeners, their favorite types of...

#060 Chances are you've heard the word "fluoride" said in reference to your teeth. At the dentists office, on your bottle of mouthwash, maybe you've heard it's in tap water? But what is it, what's so special about it, and how does it help our teeth? Does it make them whiter, stronger, or what? Let's find out.   References from this episode https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/la4008558 h...

#194 In this episode of Chemistry for Your Life, Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry behind modern dental fillings. They explore how dentists use a combination of organic monomers and inorganic fillers to address cavities and the role of light-activated photoinitiators in hardening these materials. Melissa also shares her personal experiences and recent achievements, introduces new community...

Question and Response #59 Reddit's Chemistry Questions Answered In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam dive into Reddit to answer chemistry-related questions. They explore why ice in a fizzy drink causes more fizz, how stainless steel removes onion smells from hands, when to email professors for recommendation letters, and discuss a controversial prank by an organic ch...

#193 In this episode of Chemistry for Your Life, hosts Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry of milk, focusing on the differences between raw and pasteurized milk. They discuss the processes of pasteurization and homogenization, how they affect the nutritional content of milk, and answer listener questions about raw milk's spoilage, nutritional values, and bacteria. The episode also highlights...

#071 Rebroadcast It's time to crack into one of life's great mysteries: eggs. So what happens when we cook them?! How do they go from clear goo to white jiggle? This is a question we received long ago, and with topics this serious, we don't yoke around. So we waited until we could bring in an eggsperienced egg chef, Jason Cress, to figure out this topic with us. In Jam's opinion, Jason's insight o...

In this bonus game edition of 'Chemistry For Your Life', host Melissa, co-host Jam, and guest Claire embark on an entertaining journey of debunking or verifying popular 'fun facts' submitted by their listeners. The game, titled 'Fun Fact or Fake Factoid', involves dissecting quirky trivia ranging from the pollination of tomatoes to the weight of all ants versus humans, and the smell of old books....

Question and Response 58 In this bonus episode of Chemistry For Your Life, hosts Melissa and Jam are joined by Claire, an expert in pharmacology and neuroscience, to discuss the inner workings of antidepressants and answer additional questions from the previous episode. Claire shares her grad school experiences, highlighting the challenges and unique aspects of her biomedical sciences PhD program....

#192 In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam introduce special guest Claire Caballero, a pharmacology and neuroscience PhD student, to discuss how antidepressants work. Claire explains the role of neurotransmitters like serotonin, dopamine, and GABA in mental health, the mechanisms of various antidepressants such as SSRIs, tricyclic antidepressants, and monoamine oxidas...

#191 In this episode of 'Chemistry for Your Life,' hosts Melissa and Jam delve into captivating and practical fun facts about vitamin C. They discuss the recommended daily intake, its role in preventing scurvy, the surprising regulations on food labels, and the common foods that are rich in vitamin C. Furthermore, they explore its use as a preservative and potential benefits in skincare, emphasizi...