Compound Interest
Whether you know it as an Erlenmeyer flask, conical flask, or by some other name, it’s a piece of glassware most of us, chemists or not, have likely used at some point. The Erlenmeyer flask is the most stereotypical piece of chemistry glassware there is, and today marks its creator’s birthday. Emil Erlenmeyer was born on 28 […]
[Click here to view a larger version of this table] With yesterday’s announcement of the proposed names for the periodic table’s four newest members, the periodic table of elements will soon have a completed seventh period. This graphic, featured in The Conversation, and produced in collaboration with Professor Mark Lorch of the University of Hull, takes […]
Over the weekend, the news of Sir Harry Kroto’s passing filtered slowly through the internet. Perhaps the best summary of his life and achievements was already written by Kroto himself, so here we take a brief look at his most acclaimed discovery: that of the amusingly named form of carbon, buckminsterfullerene.
On this day in 1896, Wallace Carothers was born. Listed by C&EN magazine in their recent list of scientists who should have won a Nobel prize, we have Carothers to thank for nylon, which can be used in clothing, carpets, car parts and more. Here’s a quick look at the chemistry behind the discovery.
The Bunsen burner is one of the ubiquitous symbols of chemistry. Though it might be a rarer sight in university laboratories these days, due to some of the highly flammable substances used, they’re still very commonly found in school science classrooms, and for most of us probably bring back memories of school science lessons. As today […]
On this day in 1941, Teflon, the polymer commonly found in non-stick pans, was patented. Its discovery actually occurred a few years previously – here’s a quick look at the story behind it, as well as the science behind its non-stick effect.