You may well already know that a Compound Interest graphic appears monthly in the American Chemistry Society’s ‘Chemical & Engineering News’ magazine. However, I’m aware that not everyone who subscribes to the site updates here may have realised, and therefore might be missing them! Therefore, from this month onwards, I’ll be posting the links to the C&EN site where you can view the graphics created for their magazine.
Most people probably know that citric acid is the source of a lemon’s sourness and acidity. However, it’s not the only acid found in fruits, or even in lemons. In fact, there are a whole range of different acids, with the particular ones present varying from fruit to fruit. This graphic takes a look at some of the main players and the fruits they’re found in.
The creaminess of camembert is bested by few other cheeses – but it also has a strong smell to rival blue cheeses that reminds you of its presence in your fridge! Additionally, unlike many other cheeses, as it’s left for longer its insides start to become more gooey. Here we take a look at some camembert chemistry, and try to uncover the chemical reasons behind the cheese’s unusual characteristics.
As we took a look at the complex chemistry of bread-making last week, this week it seemed to make perfect sense to look at some of the chemistry that results from putting the end result of that process into the oven! There are a host of compounds that contribute towards baked bread’s aroma; here we take a look at a selection of them, how they are formed, and what they contribute.
Though chemistry teachers might have to regularly field questions about the chemistry of ‘Breaking Bad’ these days, baking bread is probably more likely to figure on a list of their recreational activities. Bread-making is a process that seems simple, essentially involving the mixing of just four ingredients. However, there’s a lot more chemistry to it than meets the eye; here we delve into the science to work out what’s going on in your loaf.
Today’s post is an excerpt from the Compound Interest book, “Why Does Asparagus Make Your Wee Smell? & 57 Other Curious Food & Drink Questions”. The book is now available to purchase, both from online retailers such as Amazon and in UK bookstores. If you’re not in the UK, it’s worth noting that the Book Depository offers free shipping to a large number of countries!
