Chemistry For Your Life

#158 Gemstones come in all sorts of colors, but how do they get them? Are different stones super different at the molecular level? How do these different colors happen naturally? And how can those colors be replicated in lab-made gemstones? Let's get into it. References from this episode https://www.acs.org/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/jewelry-science.html Thanks to our...

#073 Rebroadcast 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 explanatio...

#157 Part Two: When smoke alarms aren't beeping at us to replace their batteries, they are sitting, watching, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for smoke to happen so they can alert us that a fire may be happening. But how on earth do they detect the presence of smoke? How do they only react to smoke and nothing else? What is going on inside of our little circular, protective friends? Let's...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 41 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about glass cookware, freezing point depression, digesting cucumbers, pasta staining Tupperware, hotdogs being sandwiches, and more! References from this episode: https://www.acs.org/molecule-of-the-week/archive/c/cucurbitacins.html#:~:text=Cucurbitacins%20are%20tetracyclic%20te...

#156 When smoke alarms aren't beeping at us to replace their batteries, they are sitting, watching, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for smoke to happen so they can alert us that a fire may be happening. But how on earth do they detect the presence of smoke? How do they only react to smoke and nothing else? What is going on inside of our little circular, protective friends? Let's find out....

#009 Rebroadcast Baking powder? Baking soda? I mean they're both white powders with the word "baking" in it. How different could they be? Well, one can cause miniature kitchen volcanos and the other does what? Listen this week as Melissa and Jam talk about acids, bases, baking soda, baking powder, and how they can make all the difference in your busy life as a single parent of three. Tha...

#155 So baking soda, do you bake it? Can you drink it? What's the deal? And specifically for the purposes of this episode, how does it eliminate odors? You may have heard of the idea of placing baking soda in your fridge to eliminate lingering odors, does that work? If so how? Let's bake this soda. References from this episode https://axial.acs.org/2018/08/03/the-science-of-baking-soda/ https://yo...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 40 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about smells, candles, vinegar, milk, macromolecules, and more! Thanks to our monthly supporters Ciara Linville J0HNTR0Y Jeannette Napoleon Cullyn R Erica Bee Elizabeth P Sarah Moar Rachel Reina Letila Katrina Barnum-Huckins Suzanne Phillips Nelly Silva Venus Rebholz Lyn Stubble...

#154 When you're young in science class, you probably learned the phrase "freezing point," but is that even a thing? Is there a specific temperature at which things go from liquid to solid? Spoiler alert: Melissa thinks that's actually a huge misunderstanding about states of matter and how substances go from liquid to solid. So what's really going on? Let's get into it. References from t...

#033 Rebroadcast That's right, we are sort of talking about coffee this week. Or rather, how to keep it hot. Nowadays we all have some version of a thermos for our coffee, tea, water, or what-have-you. Today Melissa and Jam try to get to the bottom of how those work. How do they keep things hot and cold? What's between the two layers (or whatever) and how is it so good at insulating? Is it a vacuu...

#153 Whether you're a frequent customer of the dry cleaner or not, you've probably wondered, "why is it called dry cleaning? How could it be dry?" So let's get into it. What is dry cleaning? Why is it called dry? What are they using to clean our clothes? Does it actually work? Let's find out! References from this episode https://www.acs.org/pressroom/newsreleases/2019/april/is-it-really-...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 39 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about fero fluids, semi permanent tattoos, ketchup, least favorite pastas, and more!   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. Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com F...

#152 Well we've just finished that time of the year, the time when some of us bring pine trees into our homes to hang out with us for a few weeks. Sounds fine right? Nothing risky, it's just a tree right? Unless maybe that tree secretly has a notable similarity to jet fuel. Then maybe it could have a chance of being a problem. References from this episode https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/cen-v...

#023 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam explore the wintery chemistry of snowflakes. How do they form? How are they all unique? How do they look so gosh darn cool? Why don’t we see them here in Texas very much? References from this episode The Chemistry of Snowflakes, Explained - Charlotte Hsu How Do Snowflakes Form? Crystal Growing Competition Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Find...

#151 If you drink coffee, then you know that it starts to taste super different as it goes from hot to cold. Is it just the change in temperature that makes it  seem  like it tastes different? Or is there a little more chemistry going on? Let's find out. References from this episode   https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jafc.0c01373 https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf048701t https://www.nature.co...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 38 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about amino acids, chemistry puns, salt preservation, and more!   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. Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com Find us on Instagram ,...

#150 Peppermints. They seem innocent enough right? But if that's the case, then what common thread do they share with cigarettes? Don't worry, it's not an inherently bad connection. The common ingredient is one simple thing, menthol. Let's talk about it. References from this episode https://www.compoundchem.com/2017advent/2017advent4/ https://www.fightcancer.org/releases/acs-can-joins-naacp-and-ot...

#017 Rebroadcast This week Melissa and Jam explore some of the chemistry behind cooking. What happens when you sear a steak? What's going on when you toast toast? Why do so many foods turn golden-brown when cooking? Let's dig in. References from this episode Control of Maillard Reactions in Foods: Strategies and Chemical Mechanisms - Marianne N. Lund, and Colin A. Ray https://www.npr.org/sections/...

#149 Gluten. Public enemy number one. If you're gluten intolerant that is. But what is gluten? Why is it in bread? What does it do in bread? Let's find out. References from this episode https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17008153/ https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4360/10/6/617 https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2011-2012/gluten.html#:~:text=Glut...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 37 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about regulation of scented products, being a parent and getting a PhD, condiments as non-newtonian fluids, adhesive removers, and more! References from this Episode https://www-sciencedirect-com.libproxy.library.unt.edu/topics/food-science/molasses   Want to start your own podc...

#148 How can mosquitoes sense us? And do they prefer some people over others? This is a question we've pursued across several episodes of the podcast in the past, but now there's some brand new research that addresses this question! Let's check it out together. 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://ce...

#051 Rebroadcast This week, Melissa and Jam begin a multi-faceted topic: mosquitos. Now of course mosquitos are insects, so studying them would mostly fall into biology. But there's a lot of chemistry here too. The first question, why do mosquitos bite humans at all? How do they find us, and why do they want to bother us? And perhaps more importantly, how is it related to chemistry? Let's find out...

#147 Maybe you've experienced them yourself, maybe you've just heard of them, but trick candles are real, they are chemistry, they are kinda dangerous, and they are mean. Let's get into it. 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://cen.acs.org/articles/88/i32/Trick-Candles.html? PageSpeed=noscript#:~:text...

Bonus Episode: Question and Response 36 In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about raw garlic burns, Bella Hadid's dress, carbon monoxide poisoning, and more! References from this Episode https://www.nytimes.com/2005/08/16/science/not-for-the-faint-of-mouth-why-garlic-packs-such-a-wallop.html#:~:text=It%20turns%20out%20that%20garlic,chili%20peppers%20and...

#146 When we are sick and super congested, many of us go to the store to pick up a decongestant. But what if some decongestants DON'T EVEN WORK, like at all? Wouldn't that be frustrating? Well we're sorry to say, it's true. Some "decongestants" are essentially ineffective against congestion? Why? Why are they even sold? Why are they even called decongestants then? Let's talk about this b...