Chemistry For Your Life

#083 This might be one of the best chances to both listen to AND experience chemistry at the same time. Grab a bath bomb, fill up the tub, and let's find out how these friendly bombs work. How do they fizz up? How do they suddenly smell? Where do the colors come from? Can they make bath scientifically better? Let's hop in. Listen to As A Meter Of Fact , with Coserv! How to start a podcast. <- C...

Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 10 We have a very special guest this month, Stephanie Ryan Ph. D. aka @letslearnaboutscience (on Instagram)! Stephanie leads us through some cool experiments you can do at home using vinegar and baking soda. Be sure to check Stephanie out on Instagram, and look for her book "Let's Learn About Chemistry" wherever you buy your books! References Experiments...

#082 Wow sunglasses sure are cool. What's the coolest thing about them? Is it how cool they make us look and feel? Or is it the chemistry inside them? We'll let you decide, but we think you'll be surprised to find out how significant a role chemistry plays in the making of your shades.   References from this episode https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acs.chas.8b23208 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10....

#081 The sun. It's nice, it's warm, it helps things grow, it helps us see, it helps us exist in the first place. But it's also a massive burning molten ball of radiation and ultraviolet rays. So how does our mysterious yellow friend fade the poor items we leave outside? Let's find out. Don't hurt us, yellow friend.     References from this episode https://www.loc.gov/everyday-mysteries/item/why-do...

#080 Dryer sheets. They smell good. They make our clothes soft. They get rid of static. But how? How is one little sheet allowed to solve that many problems? What are they made of? Are they bad or good or neither or both? How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode https://pubsapp.acs.org/cen/whatstuff/86/8615sci2....

Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 9 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 salt, vinegar, and pennies? Do you like and want more of these? Is there a way we could make them better? Let us know! References https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/education/outreach/ncw/plan-an-event/educatio...

#079 Glass. The more you look at it, the more clear it becomes that it holds some serious mysteries. So what really is glass? Is it a liquid? How is it different from typical solids? Does it flow and ooze over time? Is that why old windows are thicker at the bottom? Let's find out! How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from th...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 17 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about salt, bread that tastes like bananas, sunscreen on fences, AND improvements to our chemistry analogies! Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it. Find us on Instagram ,...

#078 It's one of life's most head-scratchy questions, and one of the most popular chemistry mysteries for youtubers. So let's get to the bottom of this crazy, shape-shifting substance, and finally find out why cornstarch and water do that thing! How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode https://pursuit.unimelb.ed...

#077 Who's doing what to our salt? What's iodine, do we need it, why, and how do they get it in there? This week Melissa and Jam dive head first into figurative iodized salt dunes. Let's take a closer look at the chemistry of something so everyday, we hardly even think about it. References from this episode https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/es0719071 https://pubs-acs-org.libproxy.library.unt.edu/do...

#076 Happy New Years Eve! Let's all kiss 2020 a speedy (not speedy enough) goodbye and look at some beautiful exploding lights! And why not look at the chemistry in these things as well. How do fireworks work? How do they get up into the air? And most importantly, how do they explode in different colors and patterns? Let's find out! And thanks for being one of the great things about 2020, we love...

Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 8 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 experiment with diapers, and the mysterious dust within them. Do you like and want more of these? Is there a way we could make them better? Let us know! References https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemist...

#075 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! How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 16 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about enzymes that eat plastic, super glue on difference surfaces, diaper polymers, bleached celery, holiday movies, and more! References https://e360.yale.edu/digest/new-super-enzyme-can-break-down-plastic-at-rapid-pace https://www.pnas.org/content/117/41/25476 Want to start yo...

#074 This time of year, it's a common occurrence, something so common that we might not even wonder about it anymore. But really, why do we see our breath in the air when it's cold? We see steam from cooking things and boiling water, but our breath isn't that hot, so why do we see it? What does temperature have to do with it? Let's find out. How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've g...

#073 Well if you haven't experienced silver tarnish yourself, then you've almost certainly heard people complain about it. Can anything last? These sparkly treasures we collect and cherish, are they but temporary sparkles, doomed to a fate of tarnish? Or is there a way out? Also what is tarnish? Thankfully in this case, these philosophical questions actually have a chemistry explanation. So let's...

#072 You know what they say, everyone's experienced odors, and 99.99% of all odors smell. We have room sprays, candles, air fresheners, etc. But how can we absorb or eliminate bad smells? Can chemistry do it? How? Let's find out! How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen! References from this episode   https://www.acs.org/content/dam/acsorg/e...

Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 7 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 cut up different colors of leaves, put them in alcohol, mash them up, and soak a coffee filter in them. Do you like and want more of these? Is there a way we could make them better? Let us know! References The Science of L...

#071 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 waiting 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 on the topic...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 15 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about equilibrium, recycling on a large scale, why leaves fall off, sound effects, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it. Find us on Instagr...

#070 Ok parents. It's time to explore the chemistry of something we rely on every hour of every day: diapers. What the heck is going on inside there? How do they absorb SO much? Is it magic? Well, settle in and get ready to soak up some chemistry, let's get to the bottom of this mystery. Let's hope it doesn't get messy. How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you...

#069 There's this stuff, you've probably heard of it, that you can put on 10-20 specific places on your body, and it stays there, and it can be different colors. That's right, it's nail polish! What is nail polish? It sticks, but it's obviously not just glue right? It's colorful, but it's clearly not just paint right? What chemistry is going on in nail polish? How is it strong and long lasting? Ho...

#068 This week we issue a correction, joining other science publications issuing the same correction. That's kind of an obvious answer to the question of "Is science always right?" So in this episode we explore that question, as well as what happens when science isn't right. And why that's NOT a bad thing. NEW MERCH AVAILABLE NOW <- only until November 30! How to start a podcast. <...

#067 Guess what time of year it is. It's spooky time! One thing we see a lot of during this time of year, is things that glow. And you better believe that's chemistry. So how do glowsticks glow? How does bending the glowsticks start that process? What's mixing with what, and seriously how the heck does it glow? Let's find out. NEW MERCH AVAILABLE NOW <- only until November 30! How to start a po...

Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 6 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 blend up red cabbage and water, and mix it with six different substances. References Evaluation of red cabbage dye as a potential natural color for pharmaceutical use Neela Chigurupati, Lani Saiki, Charles Gayser Jr, Alekh...