Bangs, Crackles & Whistles

The obvious place to start is the bangs of fireworks when they explode into bursts of colour. These can be produced simply by compactedgunpowder, which if suitably confined can give a decent result. However, it’s more common for the ignitionof a specific explosive mixture to be utilised. This ...

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Everyday Compounds

The second in the ‘Everyday Compounds’ series looks at a chemical that the majority of us probably have sitting somewhere in our home. Aluminium chlorohydrate is the active ingredient in many antiperspirants, so how does it work – and why does a casual google search for it bring up a plethora of ...

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Alltägliche Chemikalien

Dies ist eine Reihe von Grafiken, die sich mit der Chemie und den Anwendungen einiger alltäglicher chemischer Verbindungen befassen, die Sie in einer Vielzahl von Produkten rund um Ihr Zuhause finden können. Inspiriert wurde die Serie durch das Gespräch mit @chemtacular auf Twitter sowie durch ...

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Food, Cosmetics & Explosives

Look on the ingredients label of many different cosmetic or personal care products, and glycerol (often also called glycerin or glycerine) is commonly present. It’s also found in a variety of food products, as well as in some pharmaceutical products, so what’s the reason for its ...

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Hair Dye, Glow Sticks & Rocket Fuels

It’s been a while since the last update to the Everyday Chemicalsseries – this latest graphic looks at hydrogen peroxide. Everyone’s familiar with the term ‘peroxide blonde’, stemming from the use of hydrogen peroxide in hair dyes, but this accounts for just one of the compound’s many uses; it’s ...

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Everyday Chemicals

You likely use it on a regular basis to season meals, but have you ever wondered what’s behind the pungency of black pepper? Here’s a short addition to the occasional Everyday Chemicals series which takes a look at the chemical responsible, piperine, and some of its other surprising uses.

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Everyday Chemicals

Acetic acid also has the name ethanoic acid, though this is less commonly used. Most people will know of its presence in vinegar, from which its name is derived –it originates from the latin word for vinegar. In vinegar acetic acid is generated by fermentation, which produces ethanol, and then ...

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An Undeserved Reputation?

This graphic is the first in a series I’m hoping to make on chemicals with potentially undeserved reputations. In it, I’ll look at the evidence and research on each, and try to come to some kind of rational conclusion as to whether or not their bad reputation amongst the general public is ...

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An Undeserved Reputation?

Monosodium glutamate, or MSG for short, has long been the villain of the food supplement world. In the UK, Chinese takeaways proudly display ‘No MSG’ signs beside their counters, and many websites will purport to tell you ‘the truth about MSG’. Numerous studies have been carried out examining the ...

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Everyone’s familiar with glow sticks, but it’s likely that fewer are familiar with thechemistry behind their glow. You may have wondered what happens when you snap a glow stick to activate it; by doing this, you’re actually kicking off a chemical process that eventually leads to the production ...

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