Andy Brunning

Why is Coffee Bitter? – The Chemistry of Coffee

January 30, 2014 17Comments 3Likes 358Views

Mention coffee, and caffeine is the chemical compound name that immediately springs to mind. However, whilst caffeine’s effects on the brain are well documented – it binds to adenosine receptors in the brain – it has relatively little impact when it comes to the taste of coffee. Coffee, as it turns out, is a cornucopia of chemical compounds that influence its taste; whilst some of these compounds are poorly characterised, one group of compounds about which plenty is known are the chlorogenic acids.

Element Infographics – Teaching Versions

January 28, 2014 0Comments 1Like 275Views

After a suggestion over on the facebook page for the site, I decided to make some fill-in-the-blanks style teaching versions of the element infographics for teachers. These could be used as part of a research task on the different groups of elements in the Periodic Table. There’s a sheet for each of the groups, and you can download all of them in a zip file here. Feedback appreciated!

Timeline of the Elements: Dates & Countries of Discovery

January 26, 2014 12Comments 0Likes 248Views

This graphic looks at the discovery dates of the elements, as well as the countries in which they were discovered, and plots them all on a timeline to give some idea of the order of discovery. To see a larger view of the image, click the image above to view it full sized.

Functional Groups in Organic Compounds

January 24, 2014 10Comments 6Likes 360Views

Today’s graphic is a little more basic, but is something that I’m hoping to eventually develop into an organic reaction map. The idea for this was to present the various organic compounds that pupils need to learn at A level in a straightforward manner, simply with the formulae, name, and a naming example of each. It’s nothing ground-breaking, but hopefully other teachers will find it useful.

The Chemistry of an Onion

January 22, 2014 4Comments 2Likes 305Views

The latest in the series of food chemistry graphics looks at the chemistry of onions – specifically, what causes their odour, and why chopping onions will make your eyes water. Interestingly, none of the compounds that cause these effects are present in the intact onion; rather, when the cell walls of the onion are damaged by chopping, an enzyme released produces a range of compounds as a defence mechanism, which act as irritants.

Element Infographics – The Transactinides

January 20, 2014 3Comments 0Likes 262Views

The final elements infographic looks at the Transactinides. These elements are all synthetically produced, and do not occur naturally; as such their applications are minimal, and their chemistry relatively unknown. Hence this graphic looks more at their general properties, and at some of the scientists after whom a number of the elements are named.