Poison Gases in World War 1

A range of different chemicals were used as weapons throughout WWI. The French were actually the first to utilise them in conflict, when they attempted to use tear gas against the German army in August 1914. The precise agent used seems to be uncertain, with both xylyl bromide and ethyl ...

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White Arsenic

This graphic is the first in a planned series looking at the effects and chemistry of a range of different poisons. As such, it seemed appropriate to start with one of the most well known poisons: arsenic. Arsenic has been used by poisoners for centuries, primarily in the form of white arsenic, ...

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The latest in the series of food chemistry graphics looks at the chemistry of onions – specifically, what causes their odour, and why chopping onions will make your eyes water. Interestingly, none of the compounds that cause these effects are present in the intact onion; rather, when the cell ...

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Cyanide

The second in the series onpoisons looks at cyanide, another notorious agent of murder.It’s played a role in genocide,in suicide pills, and is also found in small amounts in the seeds of numerous fruits. So, why is cyanide so poisonous, and why are deaths from cyanide poisoning less of a ...

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Thallium, ‘The Poisoner’s Poison’

Having already looked at arsenic and cyanide in the previous instalments in this series, our attention turns to thallium, another famed poison. Thallium perhaps doesn’t share quite the same profile as arsenic and cyanide, but despite this it’s perhaps an even more effective compound in ...

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Luminol, Blood & Horseradish

Anyone who’s watched CSI or similar shows knows that, whenever the investigating team are on the scene of a gruesome and bloody murder, luminol solution gets sprayed liberally over absolutely everything. The result is a pale blue luminescence whenever the solution meets blood, which itself is a ...

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A Brief Summary

If you’ve ever needed a tooth out, or had surgery of any kind, chances are you’ll have experienced use of an inhalational anaesthetic.All of the compounds shown above can induce general anaesthesia, and a range have been utilised since theinitial discovery of nitrous oxide in the mid-1800s. ...

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The Chemistry of Coffee

Mention coffee, and caffeine is the chemical compound name that immediately springs to mind. However, whilst caffeine’s effects on the brain are well documented –it binds to adenosine receptors in the brain – it has relatively little impact when it comes to the taste of coffee. Coffee, as it ...

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With the new season of the Premier League kicking offthis weekend, it seemed a good time to take a look at the chemicals that make up your average football shirt. Even if the start of a new football season isn’t the kind of event to fill you with excitement, it’s still intriguing from a ...

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With Easter upcoming, here’s another graphic on chocolate to go with the previous food chemistry graphic which looked at some of the chemicals it contains. This one examines the different structures of chocolate, why the tempering process is important to produce the highest quality chocolate – ...

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