If you’ve been keeping an eye on the site’s Twitter feed, you’ll have heard that I’ve been lucky enough to secure a book deal with Orion Publishing. The book will be based on the food chemistry graphics on the site, which I’ll be reworking, along with a lot more new entries. Whilst it’s a project that’s going to consume the majority of my summer holidays, it’s one I’m really excited about; for anyone who’s interested, here’s a little more information on it.
With summer more or less here (stifle those sniggers, English readers), it seemed as good a time as any to examine the chemicals in sunscreen. It’s a product that many of us may take for granted, but you’ve got chemistry to thank for it preventing your skin turning lobster red in the summer sun. There are a number of chemical molecules used in currently available sunscreens, with the exact formulation actually depending on where in the world you live. Additionally, the chemistry of these molecules can help explain why sunscreen has to be reapplied periodically.
Everyone’s familiar with the smell of old books, the weirdly intoxicating scent that haunts libraries and second-hand book stores. Similarly, who doesn’t enjoy riffling through the pages of a newly purchased book and breathing in the crisp aroma of new paper and freshly printed ink? As with all aromas, the origins can be traced back to a number of chemical constituents, so we can examine the processes and compounds that can contribute to both.
