Everyday Chemistry
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Lead and Lead Poisoning
Lead poisoning is a major health problem in the United States. The symptoms are hard to detect, and exposure to lead causes developmental issues in children.
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Biological and Non-Biological Laundry Detergents
Is it better for health and the environment to use biological or non biological detergents?
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Does Distilled Water Conduct Electricity?
Most people are familiar with wires and metals conducting electricity. However water too can help electricity travel.
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The Uses of Hydrogen Peroxide
Reactions with hydrogen peroxide reagents have some beneficial applications. Low concentrations are useful for cosmetics, disinfection, forensics and other purposes.
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Telling the Difference Between Gemstones
Most people rely on color to identify a gemstone, however this is not a reliable method. Rather, science has developed a number of ways to identify gems.
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How Shampoo Works
Shampoo's main purpose is to clean hair. Here's how shampoo does it.
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Why Water and Oil Don't Mix
There's a perfectly good explanation for why oil and water do not mix. It all comes down to chemistry.
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The History of Polystyrene
The story of expanded polystyrene, a material that is used for packaging but also in CD cases and plastic model kits.
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Everyday Chemistry Investigation Projects
Ideas for conducting a scientific investigation of the chemistry of everyday objects and activities which could be used for a High School project.
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How DVDs and CDs Store Data
Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) and Compact Disks (CD) are widely used storage devices. The recordable type use Phase Change Materials to store data.
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Why Does Red Cabbage Change Color When Cooked?
Red cabbage juice contains anthocyanin pigments that change color when mixed with alkaline or acidic ingredients and is used in chemistry experiments as a pH indicator.
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Physics of Ice and Water
The molecular nature of water causes molecules to attract and repel each other and to form links between them. These features affect water's functional properties.
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Properties and Uses of Sodium Bicarbonate
This bicarbonate is known under a variety of names including baking soda. It is cheap, versatile and useful around the home, kitchen, for the body and medicinal purposes.
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Silicon - Applications of the Ubiquitous Element
The advanced implements of the Stone Age were the flint axe and arrowhead. Later came the pottery and ceramics of the first settled societies.
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Zinc, Wide Usage of a Modest Metal
The dull, silvery-grey of zinc metal and the white of its compounds are in marked contrast to its importance.
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Water The Greenhouse Gas in a Glass
The Earth's atmosphere contains countless, incredibly small, particles of water or H2O, the best known molecule on the planet and an important greenhouse gas.
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Rhubarb and Other Poisons
Rhubarb, a once cheap dessert, has recently become fashionable and hence more expensive as a result of its being advocated by television chefs.
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Chlorine For Water Treatment
Chlorination of drinking water supplies has probably saved many millions of lives, and could save millions more.
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Carbon Monoxide: Useful but Deadly
Carbon monoxide is a simple molecule which regularly gets a bad reputation in the press, but is continually useful in many parts of the chemical industry.
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The Chemistry of Glass
Glass is really a super-cooled liquid with a long history and fascinating chemistry.
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Surfactants: Cleaning Chemicals
Detergent chemicals called Sufactants which are in all common cleaning solutions. What are they and how do they work?
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Kevlar: Bullet-Proof Polymer
Chemical structure and properties of the polymer which is used in body-armour and tennis rackets.
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Is Salt Bad for You?
Often demonised by "food experts" for causing high blood pressure and heart disease, this simple chemical is important in every diet but should be used in moderation
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Wine Chemistry
An explanation of the chemical processes involved in the production of wine and in those that determine the appearance, flavour and aroma of different wines.
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How do Batteries Work?
A simple explanation of the way the batteries that we use in our laptop computers, mobile phones and mp3 players work.
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