Skunks are infamous for their stench, but what’s the chemistry behind the foul-smelling liquid they produce? And, more importantly, how can we use chemistry to get rid of it? The latest edition of Periodic Graphics in C&EN takes a look. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
Spices add smells and flavours to our food, but chemicals in them can affect our bodies and be used outside the kitchen. In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in C&EN, we look at examples of these ingredients doing more than spicing up our cooking. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
The diverse flavors of over 7,500 apple cultivars arise from biochemical differences in compounds such as aldehydes, alcohols, and esters, which influence aroma and taste. Varieties exhibit varying sweetness and tartness based on their sugar and acid ratios, primarily influenced by fructose and malic acid levels. Tannins also contribute to flavor.
The 2025 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Susumu Kitagawa, Richard Robson, and Omar M. Yaghi for the development of metal-organic frameworks.
What makes us sleepy, and what medicines can help when we can’t drop off? The latest edition of Periodic Graphics in C&EN examines drugs that combat insomnia and how they work. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
Another September, another new school year underway. My days in the classroom are increasingly distant, but my infographics make far more regular forays into them. Given the number of infographics I’ve now amassed, I figured it might be helpful to map them to chemistry teaching topics – so that’s what I’ve done!
