Author page: Andy Brunning

The Chemistry of Cloves

Guarding Against Toothache & Premature Ejaculation – The Chemistry of Cloves

The Chemistry of Cloves

Cloves are a spice that you may well have stowed away somewhere in the kitchen; originally from the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, the spice itself comes from the flower buds of the clove tree. It is used to flavour food, imparting a sweet, aromatic flavour, and also one of the common spices used in the making of mulled wine. As well as this, the oil of cloves is commonly recommended as a traditional remedy for relieving toothache, amongst other conditions. So, what are the chemicals that make this use possible?

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Colourful Chemistry - Colours of pH Indicators

The Colours & Chemistry of pH Indicators

Colourful Chemistry - Colours of pH Indicators
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Most of us, chemists or otherwise, have probably come across pH indicators at one point or another. I’d be surprised if there’s anyone out there who hasn’t, back in school, carried out the standard experiment of adding universal indicator to a variety of household liquids to identify them as acidic or alkaline. You might not be aware of the large range of different indicators that can be used to identify varying pHs, however, or the reasons behind the colour changes observed.

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A Rough Guide to Spotting Bad Science

A guide to spotting bad science. The guide presents twelve points to consider when evaluating scientific studies, particularly those pertaining to medical or health claims. 
1. Sensationalised headlines
2. Misinterpreted results
3. Conflicts of interest
4. Correlation and causation
5. Unsupported conclusions
6. Problems with sample size
7. Unrepresentative samples used
8. No control group used
9. No blind testing used
10. Selective reporting of data
11. Unreplicable results
12. Non-peer reviewed material
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A brief detour from chemistry, branching out into science in general today. This graphic looks at the different factors that can contribute towards ‘bad’ science – it was inspired by the research I carried out for the recent aluminium chlorohydrate graphic, where many articles linked the compound to causing breast cancer, referencing scientific research which drew questionable conclusions from their results.

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