The chemical breakdown & Chemistry in its element

Lanolin: Chemistry in its element 20.07.2018 6:00 ↓

How a waxy mixture from a sheep's fleece helped create a global fashion brand

Cannabidiol: Chemistry in its element 13.07.2018 6:42 ↓

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

Potassium sulfide: Chemistry in its element 05.07.2018 5:48 ↓

Brian Clegg on a compound that keeps us well fed and looking radiant

Warfarin: Chemistry in its element 28.06.2018 7:22 ↓

Katrina Krämer asks if an essential blood-thinning medicine ended Joseph Stalin's 30-year rule over the Soviet Union

Kerosene: Chemistry in its element 21.06.2018 6:30 ↓

Discover bat-borne-bombs and a classic chemistry textbook, as Mike Freemantle examines the history of kerosene

Iron sulfides: Chemistry in its element 14.06.2018 6:46 ↓

One mineral form may look like gold, but Brian Clegg isn't fooled by the value of iron sulfides

Spidroin: Chemistry in its Element 07.06.2018 6:20 ↓

From tacky Hallowe'en decorations to the stuff of an arachnophobe's nightmares, spiders don't have the greatest reputation. But, as Kat Arney is here to prove, there's fascinating chemistry at work in their webs.

Piperine: Chemistry in its element 31.05.2018 5:33 ↓

Jamie Durrani on the compound that gives pepper its characteristic kick

Potassium bitartrate: Chemistry in its element 24.05.2018 6:00 ↓

Brian Clegg with the winemaking byproduct that may be lurking in your larder

Twistacenes: Chemistry in its element 17.05.2018 5:23 ↓

Kat Arney discovers the strange things that happen when organic compounds go round the twist

Calcium hypochlorite: Chemistry in its element 10.05.2018 6:39 ↓

A component of 'trench atmosphere' and 'the most powerful antiseptic known', Mike Freemantle explores calcium hydroxide and the birth of a chemical dynasty 

Indium tin oxide: Chemistry in its element 03.05.2018 5:09 ↓

Swipe, tap, pinch, poke and prod – Neil Withers gets hands on with touchscreen material indium tin oxide, ITO

BaZnGa: Chemistry in its element 26.04.2018 4:56 ↓

Science imitates art imitating science, as sitcom The big bang theory inspires the creation of a new compound

Triamcinolone: Chemistry in its element 20.04.2018 5:51 ↓

Concluding our pair of podcasts on a recent cycling scandal, Ben Valsler looks at the steroid triamcinolone

Acetylcysteine: Chemistry in its element 12.04.2018 5:35 ↓

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

Curare and ouabain: Chemistry in its element 06.04.2018 6:21 ↓

Jamie Durrani presents a pair of plant-based poisons

Gutta percha: Chemistry in its element 29.03.2018 5:51 ↓

Kat Arney wraps herself around the tree sap that saved transatlantic telecommunications

Maitotoxin: Chemistry in its element 09.03.2018 7:26 ↓

A giant marine toxin with a total synthesis story to tell

Astaxanthin: Chemistry in its element 02.03.2018 5:36 ↓

Colourful crustaceans and the story of a ubiquitous biological pigment

Melanin: Chemistry in its element 21.02.2018 6:29 ↓

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

Oganesson: Chemistry in its element 15.02.2018 6:50 ↓

We speak to Yuri Oganessian about the element that bears his name

Tennessine: Chemistry in its element 14.02.2018 6:00 ↓

Three Tennessee institutions contributed to the discovery of element 117, now fittingly named tennessine

Livermorium: Chemistry in its element 13.02.2018 5:58 ↓

Meet the Mayor of Livermore, California, and discover how his city has been immortalised on the periodic table

Moscovium: Chemistry in its element 12.02.2018 5:21 ↓

The US-Russian collaborative superheavy element 'factory' strikes again, but only 100 atoms of element 115 have ever been observed

Flerovium: Chemistry in its element 08.02.2018 6:54 ↓

How 'hot fusion' research saw an end to cold war tensions