An aeroplane safety briefing always instructs on using oxygen masks in an emergency, but where does this oxygen come from? This edition of Periodic Graphics looks at how chemistry cleans the air you breathe on a plane and generates the oxygen that keeps you safe in an emergency. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
A magical fox, running across the Arctic fells, its tail spraying snow and sparks into the air. The dead, playing football in the heavens with a walrus skull. Or the souls of dead children, dancing in the sky.
These are myths surrounding the aurora, stories ancient cultures close to the North Pole told to explain the ethereal lights they saw flickering in the night sky above their heads. Now, we know that these breathtaking displays aren’t of supernatural origin but due to chemical processes high in the atmosphere. This graphic explains how auroras form and what causes the different colours.
Air pollution is a growing concern in cities around the world, and seeing people on the streets wearing masks to block air pollution is increasingly common. What exactly are these masks intended to block – and more importantly, do they actually work? This month’s graphic in C&EN has the answers.
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On this day back in 2005, the world’s first legally-binding climate change agreement came into force. The Kyoto protocol, to which 192 countries are a party, aimed to reduce emissions of six greenhouse gases by 5.2% by 2012, relative to 1990. This graphic gives a brief overview of the agreement and the outcome of its first period.
