Confectioners produce around 9 billion pieces of candy corn every year, according to the US National Confectioners Association, with a significant chunk of this consumed by trick-or-treaters. In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in C&EN, we look at what candy corn is made of and the chemistry behind its vibrant colours. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
Our bones don’t just create the supporting frames for our bodies—they also perform a number of important roles for our health. In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we look at the materials in bones and what some of them do. View the full graphic on the C&EN site.
It’s spooky season, and for this year’s Halloween special we’re looking at the biochemistry that makes you jump and panic when things…
It’s October, which means mating season for a lot of the spiders that lurk in our gardens and around our houses. Like them or loathe them, these arachnids use some fascinating biochemistry to weave their webs – and the material properties of their webs have inspired a variety of attempts to emulate them! Click through to the C&EN site to view the full graphic.
Mummies are, perhaps, the easiest go-to costume for Halloween: grab some bandages, drape yourself in them, and job done. However, there’s a little more behind the traditional embalming process used in Ancient Egypt, as well as a surprising amount of chemistry. Here we take a look at the chemicals used in the process, and how modern chemistry can help us identify them.
With a week to go until Halloween, it’s time to get carving pumpkins! Before you do, check out this graphic on the chemistry of pumpkins I made for C&EN previously (you can download the graphic on their site here). Stay tuned for more Halloween-related chemistry over the coming week!
