Distillations | Science History Institute

It’s Valentine’s Day this weekend, and love is in the air. Let’s learn how atoms find each other with an examination of chemical bonds. Chemical Agent: Free Radicals. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:05 Chemical Agent: Free Radicals 02:56 A conversation with Alan Rocke 08:19 Mystery Solved: The Ozone Hole 11:19 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush and Elean...

Space, the Final Frontier! Mention the chemistry of space and you’re likely to hear bad jokes about Tang or the behavior of liquids in zero gravity. But it turns out that there’s an entire field—astrochemistry—dedicated to understanding the chemistry of the universe. Chemical Agent: Panspermia. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:56 Chemical Agent: Panspermia 03:11 A conversatio...

Today Distillations is finding out more about professional networks—particularly in the field of chemistry. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:12 Chemical Agent: Sodium Cyanide 03:21 Tools of the Trade: Imaging Software 06:13 A conversation with Michael Gordin 10:58 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio, Hilary Domush, and Eleanor Goldberg for researching...

We’re hitting the slopes—and tending our wounds—on today’s episode of Distillations. We start off with the science behind sports gels. Next, find out more about the synthetic fabrics. Finally, learn about the latest advances in fake snow. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:58 Chemical Agent: Menthol 03:05 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Synthetic Fibers 06:30 Feature: Snowflex 11:1...

Distillations is taking a look at the presidential side of chemistry. First we learn about stem cells and the controversy surrounding their research. Next we find out why 21-gun salutes are safe and not so smoky in Mystery Solved! SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:01 Chemical Agent: Stem Cells 03:30 Mystery Solved! Smokeless Gunpowder 06:32 Commentary: A Planet in Peril 11:05...

Let’s go to the library! This week we take a field trip to that venerable institution where great reading abounds and shushing up is de rigueur. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:04 Chemical Agent: Water 03:43 Tools of the Trade: The Chemical Abstract Service 06:44 Feature: Book Printing and Binding 11:18 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Audra J. Wolfe for researching...

What do you resolve to do in 2009? Get in shape? Improve your eating habits? Stop smoking? We cover them all on this week’s show. Our Mystery Solved! segment investigates why fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, like the pomegranates pictured here, are being credited with all sorts of health-saving powers. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:06 Chemical Agent: Nicotine 03...

We are marking the one year anniversary of Distillations this week! To celebrate we’re looking back at the year 2008 and its noteworthy occasions: first, boron, whose 200th birthday was this year, then, the Nobel Prize. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:07 Element of the Week: Boron 03:20 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry 06:49 The Most Significant Chemical Moment of 2008 10:20 Cl...

Thanks to J. J. Thomson‘s plum pudding model of the atom, chemistry will be forever associated with 19th-century British Christmas traditions. His model was soon discarded, but it remains a staple of high school chemistry textbooks. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:10 Element of the Week: Tin 02:47 Tools of the Trade: Plum Pudding 05:41 Feature: Ham 10:47 Closing Credits CRED...

The truth behind the fake—this week Distillations explores the science of forgery. Some forgery is known and expected, such as fake meat products for vegetarians, while other fakes are meant to deceive…think imitated artists. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:31 Update: The Electric Car 03:49 Update: Cleaning Up Oil Spills 09:27 Update: A Planet in Peril 13:00 Closing Credits...

Americans are still relatively new to consuming wine—but they do so with gusto during the holiday season. On today’s show we take a look at the chemistry of this intoxicating substance: its aroma, its flavor, and its sometimes unwanted side effects. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:52 Element of the Week: Oxygen 02:54 Mystery Solved! Sulfites and Hangovers 05:35 Feature: Orga...

Monday, December 1, is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. In honor of this campaign, Distillations is considering global health. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:58 Element of the Week: Silver 02:59 A Conversation with Seema Shah 07:54 Mystery Solved! Affordable Vaccines 11:27 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Dominique Tobbell for researching this show. Addition...

Nothing is more important to parents than the health of their children, and advances in chemistry and pharmaceuticals have made it possible for children to receive the best care that science has to offer. However, chemical hazards in everyday life still pose hidden risks to children. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:33 Introduction 00:58 Element of the Week: Lithium 02:49 A Conversation with Sa...

Eating is one of life’s simple pleasures, but the chemical process behind it is actually quite complex. Balancing the right minerals with good taste is no easy matter. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:50 Element of the Week: Magnesium 02:56 Mystery Solved: Umami 07:14 Poetry Reading: “A General Description of the West-Indian Islands.” 11:17 Closing Credits CREDITS Special tha...

Alchemy is about a lot more than turning lead into gold or making the philosopher’s stone. Until the 17th century, alchemists worked hard in their laboratories to produce medicines, develop metal- and glass-working techniques, and uncover the quintessential essence of all earthly and celestial matter. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:09 Element of the Week: Quintessence 02:54...

Happy Halloween from Distillations! This week we’re looking at the world of cosmetics, which seems fitting for a day when many people wear makeup who might not normally. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:08 Element of the Week: Lead 03:02 Conversation with Rodger Curren 07:12 Cosmetics Database Report 11:23 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jen Dionisio for researching...

The first cars didn’t run on gas—they ran on electricity. Over a century later, the high cost of fuel has finally forced automakers to take the possibility of battery-powered cars seriously. On today’s show we look at three kinds of batteries that have been proposed as transportation solutions. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:13 Element of the Week: Nickel 03:08 Mystery Solv...

This week we celebrate the opening of the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s new museum! SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:04 Element of the Week: The Periodic Table 03:06 Tools of the Trade: Technicon Autoanalyzer 06:13 Tour of new Making Modernity exhibit 11:18 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Erin McLeary for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemh...

There’s nothing quite like a good night’s rest to recharge the body and restore the spirits. Today’s show looks at the science of sleep—and insomnia. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:28 Element of the Week: Helium 03:15 Mystery Solved! Snoring 06:44 Caffeine and Wakefulness 10:38 Quote: C. S. Lewis 11:02 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Catherine Giradeau and Anke Ti...

According to Newton’s third law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In this week’s episode we explore causes and their effects in several different ways. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:16 Element of the Week: Francium 03:10 Chemistry in your Cupboard: Pheromone Perfumes 06:11 Feature: The Chemistry of Ripe Apples 10:38 Quote: Ralph Waldo Emerson 10...

Breaking through the glass ceiling can be tough, especially when you are a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field. This week’s episode takes a look at women in chemistry. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:30 Introduction 01:19 Element of the Week: Meitnerium 03:21 A Conversation with Donna Nelson 07:30 Feature: The Career of Helen B. Brown 11:31 Quote: Abigail Adams 11:43 Closing Credits...

This week we delve into the world of experimenting on oneself. Many scientists have both knowingly and unknowingly used themselves as guinea pigs in the lab. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:23 Element of the Week: Radium 03:03 Conversation with Rebecca Herzig 08:04 Chemistry in your Cupboard: Home DNA Test Kits 10:51 Quote: Edwin Emory Slosson 11:14 Closing Credits CREDITS S...

All over the Midwest, farmers are cranking up their combines for the corn harvest. Modern agriculture depends on science and technology at every step of the way, from genetically modified crops, to the fertilizer on the fields, to the fuel in the tractor. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:21 Introduction 01:21 Element of the Week: Nitrogen 03:27 Feature: Biodiesel and glycerine 08:06 Mystery Sol...

In the eleventh century the first camera obscura was invented, helping artists draw. It would be another eight centuries before people figured out how to capture images directly onto film. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:10 Element of the Week: Selenium 03:13 Commentary: Objectivity vs. Subjectivity 06:04 Science and Photography at SFMOMA 10:50 Quote: Terrence Donovan 11:15...

This week we’re looking back at some of our favorite Distillations episodes. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:50 Element of the Week: Platinum 03:03 Making Mauvine 08:30 Mystery Solved! Damascus Steel 11:17 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush and Chi Chan for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.