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Chemistry in the News Materials Chemistry

The chemistry of the coronation crowns

As England celebrates the coronation of King Charles III this weekend, the crowns will be the centre of attention. Combined, the three crowns used in the ceremony contain almost 6,000 gemstones — this graphic takes a look at their chemical compositions.

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Materials Chemistry

The chemistry of a football shirt – World Cup 2022 final

With the World Cup final taking place over the coming weekend, here’s an updated graphic on the chemistry of a football shirt, looking at the different polymer materials that are used in their manufacture.

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C&EN Materials Chemistry

The chemistry of the textiles in our clothes – in C&EN

What materials are used to make the clothes we wear? In the latest edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News, we look at the molecular details of textiles and how some of their properties affect our clothing. View and download the full graphic on the C&EN site.

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C&EN Materials Chemistry

What is Play-Doh made of? – in C&EN

Children have been playing with Play-Doh for 65 years. Hasbro closely guards the exact ingredients of commercial Play-Doh, but in the September edition of Periodic Graphics in Chemical & Engineering News we looked at the key chemical components that make the material act the way it does. See the full graphic on the C&EN site.

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Materials Chemistry Sport Chemistry

What are the Olympics athletics tracks made of?

The 2020 Olympics may have been a bit late arriving thanks to the pandemic, but there’ve been no signs of sluggishness from athletes on the track. World records have been tumbling over the past weeks, and one factor behind this could be the technology used in the track. I worked with Jess Wade on this […]

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Materials Chemistry Sport Chemistry

What are the Tokyo 2020 Olympic medals made of?

The delayed 2020 Olympics are currently taking place in Tokyo, and setting a number of firsts. Obviously, it’s the first Olympics to take place without a public audience in the stadiums to watch the events. However, it’s also the first Olympics at which the medals are made entirely from recycled metals. This graphic takes a […]