Chemistry For Your Life

#057

So we all know what we think of when we hear the word "alcohol," but what if that's not really the whole picture? There's actually many kinds of alcohol, most of which we cannot drink. So what's up with all those alcohols? What makes them different? What makes them similar enough to all be called alcohol? Let's find out.

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References from this episode

1. https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergencyresponsecard_29750029.html
2. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2015/march/food-additive-could-serve-as-a-safer-more-environmentally-friendly-antifreeze.html
3. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1306022/
4. https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/14280.htm
5. https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/89308.htm
6. https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/89530.htm
7. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4811046/
8. https://www.fishersci.com/msdsproxy%3FproductName%3DE1774%26productDescription%3DETHYLENE%2BGLYCOL%2BLABORATORY%2B4L%26catNo%3DE177-4%2B%26vendorId%3DVN00033897%26storeId%3D10652
9. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482121/
10. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ammonium-nitrate-beirut-explosion-what-blast-lebanon-latest-a9654861.html 

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#056

Seriously. What is fire? This week Melissa and Jam hop out of the frying pan. What are those warm orange wisps? We all sort of know what fire is but also, do we? It's hot, it can be good, it can be bad. But why does it look like that? And what really IS it? Let's try to find out

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References from this episode

1. https://unto.com/beirut 
2. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2020/08/05/beirut-explosion-how-help-victims-lebanon/3300822001/
3. https://mypages.iit.edu/~smart/pawebar/lesson3.html
4. https://www.chem.fsu.edu/chemlab/chm1020c/Lecture%207/01.php
5. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.jchemed.5b00333
6. https://www.sbu.edu/docs/default-source/life-at-sbu-documents/chemistry-of-a-fire.pdf?sfvrsn=0
7. https://pubchem.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/compound/Ammonium-nitrate#section=Boiling-Point
8. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/what-is-ammonium-nitrate-the-chemical-that-exploded-in-beirut/
9. https://www.cisa.gov/an-security-statutes-and-regulations
10. https://www.cisa.gov/ammonium-nitrate-security-program
11. https://fas.org/sgp/crs/homesec/R43070.pdf
12. https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2015/08/03/congress-pushes-rules-explosive-fertilizer/31075955/ 

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#055

Ever notice that honey crystalizes? Isn't that like super weird? Why does it do that? This week, Melissa and Jam risk getting stuck in this question.

References from this episode

1. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5884753/
2. https://www.usda.gov/codex
3. https://www.fda.gov/files/food/published/PDF---Guidance-for-Industry--Proper-Labeling-of-Honey-and-Honey-Products.pdf
4. Honey: Chemical composition, stability and authenticity, da Silva et. Al
5. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodchem.2015.09.051

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#054

This week, Melissa and Jam close out the mosquitos series with part 4 (If you missed the previous three, go check them out). What does the future look like for humans and mosquitos? Can we finally achieve peace? What are scientists working on, ways to make us invisible to mosquitos, or ways to kill them all? Or can things even get better at all? Let's find out. Scientists, we're counting on you, don't let us down.

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References from this episode

1. https://www.npr.org/sections/goatsandsoda/2016/01/30/464740275/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-mosquitoes-from-biting
2. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/301798264_Discovery_of_Repellents_from_Natural_Products
3. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2015/august/sweetgrass.html
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31839454/
5. https://news.fiu.edu/2019/scientists-bait-mosquitoes-with-one-of-earths-most-common-scents
6. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/bk-2018-1289.ch013
7. https://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2337/doi/pdf/10.1021/bk-2018-1289.ch013
8. https://axial.acs.org/2018/09/05/hear-the-buzz-about-a-new-class-of-mosquito-repellents/
9. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/acsomega.8b03652
10. KILL 'EM ALL - Radiolab - WNYC

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Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 3

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine milk, food coloring, and dish soap. Let's do chemistry together!

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#053

This week, Melissa and Jam continue to part 3 on the topic of mosquitos (If you missed the previous two, go check them out). What is DEET? What part does it play in repelling mosquitos? How do repellants repel mosquitos in the first place? Is it just straight witchcraft? Let's do it.

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References from this episode

1. Staph Retreat - Radiolab - WYNC
2. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/whatischemistry/landmarks/rachel-carson-silent-spring.html
3. https://www3.epa.gov/pesticides/chem_search/reg_actions/reregistration/fs_PC-080301_1-Apr-98.pdf
4. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/is-it-true-that-the-deet/
5. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24892824/
6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/11693870/
7. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26827259/
8. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31167-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982219311674%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
9. https://www.cell.com/current-biology/fulltext/S0960-9822(19)31167-4?_returnURL=https%3A%2F%2Flinkinghub.elsevier.com%2Fretrieve%2Fpii%2FS0960982219311674%3Fshowall%3Dtrue
10. https://cen.acs.org/biological-chemistry/biochemistry/does-DEET-fend-off-malaria/97/web/2019/10

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 11

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about carbonation, color-changing dyes, spiciness, rain, babies, merch, and more!

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References from this episode

1. https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2020/06/stanford-scientists-contribute-to-who-mask-guidelines.html
2. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2013-2014/peppers.html

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#052

This week, Melissa and Jam continue the topic of mosquitos (If you missed last week's, listen to it first). It's time to answer the age-old, every-summer question. Why do some people get bitten by mosquitos more than other people? Or maybe, does this really happen in the first place? If so why? What factors do mosquitos look for, compare, and choose by? Let's get to the bottom of this.

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References from this episode

1. https://www.ijidonline.com/article/S1201-9712(10)60044-6/pdf
2. http://sitn.hms.harvard.edu/flash/2018/why-mosquitoes-like-you-the-most/
3. https://www.cdc.gov/globalhealth/stories/world-deadliest-animal.html
4. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28639690/
5. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1127358/
6. https://www.biodiversitylibrary.org/content/part/JAMCA/JAMCA_V18_N2_P091-096.pdf
7. https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/do-mosquitoes-bite-some-people-more-than-others/
8. https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1186/1744-8069-4-29
9. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10921468/

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#051

This week, Melissa and Jam begin a multi-faceted topic: mosquitos. Now of course mosquitos are insects, so studying them would mostly fall into biology. But there's a lot of chemistry here too. The first question, why do mosquitos bite humans at all? How do they find us, and why do they want to bother us? And perhaps more importantly, how is it related to chemistry? Let's find out.

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References from this episode

1. Mosquito Life Cycle - United States Centers For Disease Control
2. Aedes aegypti Mosquitoes Detect Acidic Volatiles Found in Human Odor Using the IR8a Pathway - Current Biology - Joshua I. Raji, Nadia Melo, John S. Castillo, Sheyla Gonzalez, Valeria Saldana, Marcus C. Stensmyr, Matthew DeGennaro
3. Mosquitoes detect human sweat by sniffing for volatile acids - Chemical & Engineering News - Alla Katsnelson
4. Multimodal Integration of Carbon Dioxide and Other Sensory Cues Drives Mosquito Attraction to Humans - Cell - Conor J. McMeniman, Román A. Corfas, Benjamin J. Matthews, Scott A. Ritchie, Leslie B. Vosshall

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#050

This week, Melissa and Jam once again look under the armpits of society, this time to explore sweat. Is it cool? Well does it keep us cool? How? At what cost? Is there more to sweat than meets the eye? Can you drink it? Grab your sweat bands and let's hit the track Paulie Bleeker.

References from this episode

1. Flexible and Superwettable Bands as a Platform toward Sweat Sampling and Sensing - Analytical Chemistry - Xuecheng He, Tailin Xu, Zhen Gu, Wei Gao, Li-Ping Xu, Tingrui Pan, and Xueji Zhang
2. A Fully Integrated and Self-Powered Smartwatch for Continuous Sweat Glucose Monitoring - ACS Sensors - Jiangqi Zhao, Yuanjing Lin, Jingbo Wu, Hnin Yin Yin Nyein, Mallika Bariya, Li-Chia Tai, Minghan Chao, Wenbo Ji, George Zhang, Zhiyong Fan, and Ali Javey
3. General Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson

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Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 2

Here's another bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, we see what happens when we combine markers, coffee filters, and water. Let's do chemistry!

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#049

This week, Melissa and Jam question the whole system of food. Or rather, the way we calculate food: calories. What are they? Where'd the come from? How are they calculated? Is it a good system for measuring food? What does it actually measure? Can we calculate calories in food at home? Let's dig in.

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. How Do Food Manufacturers Calculate the Calorie Count of Packaged Foods? - Scientific American - Jim Painter
2. History of the Calorie in Nutrition - The Journal of Nutrition - James L. Hargrove

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#048

This week, Melissa and Jam dive into spiciness. What is it? Is it a flavor? Is it a feeling? Is it both? Is it more? Why can some people handle more than others? Does spiciness have any benefits?

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/pharmacology-toxicology-and-pharmaceutical-science/vanilloids
2. Solomon’s Organic Chemistry 11th edition
3. Analogues of Capsaicin with Agonist Activity as Novel Analgesic agents; Structure-Activity Studies 2. The Amide Bond “B-Reigion” byWalpole et. al
4. Similarities and Differences in the Structure−Activity Relationships of Capsaicin and Resiniferatoxin Analogues by Walpole et. al
5. Detailed Analysis of the Binding Mode of Vanilloids to Transient Receptor Potential Vanilloid Type I (TRPV1) by a Mutational and Computational Study by Ohbuchi et. al
6. The Art and Science of Organic andNatural Products Synthesis - by Nicolau et. al
7. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/reactions/videos/2015/why-are-hot-peppers-hot-and-how-milk-helps.html

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 10

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about cast iron routines, dyes, activating almonds, and inspirations behind their respective interests.

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Determination of D-Myo-Inositol Phosphates in 'Activated' Raw Almonds Using Anion-Exchange Chromatography Coupled With Tandem Mass Spectrometry - Lee and Mitchell

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#047

A somewhat natural chemical topic following cast iron: rust. This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of rust. What even is it? Where does it come from? Is it bad? Is it reversible? Let's get into it.

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Turning Back Time: Watching Rust Transform into Iron - National Institute of Standards and Technology
2. The Color of Soil - United States Department of Agriculture
3. Why does metal rust? - American Chemical Society
4. Ultra-Pure Water - National Geographic

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#045

The continuation of the unexpected cookware chemistry saga: cast iron. This week, Melissa and Jam discuss multiple aspects of cast iron chemistry. What is cast iron? Why do some people love it so much? How does it work? Is it better than other cookware? If you haven't listened to our two teflon "prequel" episodes, click here!

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Let's Settle This! How to Care for Cast-Iron - American Chemical Society - Reactions
2. The Food Lab - J. Kenji López-Alt
3. General Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson

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Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 1

What's this, another bonus episode? It's something new we're test driving! A short little extra bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, the experiment is how to turn some simple household items into a sort of cool, colorful lava lamp! Let us know what you think of this type of episode. Do you like and want more of these? Is there a way we could make them better? Let us know!

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References from this episode

1. American Chemical Society

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#044

You know what we're talking about. That spectacular fizzy geyser. This week, Melissa and Jam explore what makes diet coke and mentos go crazy together. Is it love? Is it hate? Is it chemistry? Why diet coke specifically? Or more importantly, why mentos? Let's get into it.

References from this episode

1. Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? - American Journal of Physics 76, 551 (2008)
2. Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? - Tonya Coffey
3. Spurting Science: Erupting Diet Coke with Mentos - Scientific American - Science Buddies

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 9

In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about sunlight bleaching, weird feeling soap, sweat and smells, popcorn, and more!

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Photodegradation and photostabilization of polymers, especially polystyrene: review - Yousif & Haddad

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#043

You know how you have that one mug that changes colors when you put hot coffee in it? Let's talk about that. This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of color changing items. Or rather, a specific item, a Mister Rogers mug Jam's wife has. How do items like this change color? How can heat cause changes like that? And how can it happen over and over again? Also why?

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Thermochromic Liquid Crystals - Liquid Crystals, 38:11-12,1551-1561 - Sage
2. Thermochromism in Commercial Products - Journal of Chemical Education - White, LeBlanc

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#042

What's that smell? Is it us? Is it you? We hope it's neither, thanks to deodorants and antiperspirants. This week, Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry of this everyday important substance. What are the differences between deodorant and antiperspirant? How do they work in the first place? Does one work better? Is one better for us? Be kind to one another, wear deodorant.

References from this episode

1. Individual and gender fingerprints in human body odour – Dustin J Penn, Elisabeth Oberzaucher, Karl Grammer, Gottfried Fischer, Helena A Soini, Donald Wiesler, Milos V Novotny, Sarah J Dixon, Yun Xu, and Richard G Brereton
2. What are deodorants and antiperspirants, and how do they fight sweat? - Everts, Chemical and Engineering News
3. Studies of trans 3 methyl 2 hexenoic acid in normal and schizophrenic humans - S. G. Gordon, K. Smith, L. Rabinowitz, P. R. Vagelos, Journal of lipid research
4. Breast Cancer and Deodorants/Antiperspirants: A Systematic Review
5. Aluminium, antiperspirants and breast cancer
6. The mechanism of eccrine sweat pore plugging by aluminium salts using microfluidics combined with small angle X-ray scattering. - Bretagne A, Cotot F, Arnaud-Roux M, Sztucki M, Cabane B, Galey JB.

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#041

Ok! So now that you know how teflon works (see last week's episode if you missed it), now it's time to discuss the equally important question: is it safe to use?? Are there any potential side-effects to using it? Can scratching teflon cause it to have an affect on our food, or even worse, on us? If there are potential dangers to teflon, is there any way to avoid them? Help! This week, Melissa and Jam delve into this topic, and tiptoe through the allegations to give you some things to consider when choosing you next pots and pans.

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon
2. If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does it stick to pans? - Scientific American
3. DuPont Faces Class-Action Lawsuits Over Teflon - Reich, Chemical and Engineering News
4. Perspective on Fluorocarbon Chemistry - David M. Lemal
5. Teflon’s Toxicity Level - Sharon Kelley
6. PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective - Muhammad Sajid & Muhammad Ilyas
7. The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare - The New York Times Magazine, Rich
8. Teflon’s Toxic Legacy - Earth Island Journal, Kelly

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 8

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about carrots, pigments, quinones, thermoses, and unscientific theories about why the sky is blue.

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
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#040

Who you calling sticky? This week, Melissa and Jam open up another two-part series about nonstick pans, aka teflon. What keeps food from sticking to them? How did scientists figure out how to create it? How can something that doesn't stick to anything be coated on the bottom of a pan? Are there any potential downsides to teflon? Let's get nonsticky.

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon
2. If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does it stick to pans? - Scientific American
3. DuPont Faces Class-Action Lawsuits Over Teflon - Reich, Chemical and Engineering News
4. Perspective on Fluorocarbon Chemistry - David M. Lemal
5. Teflon’s Toxicity Level - Sharon Kelley
6. PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective - Muhammad Sajid & Muhammad Ilyas
7. The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare - The New York Times Magazine, Rich
8. Teflon’s Toxic Legacy - Earth Island Journal, Kelly

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#039

Part two on the chemistry of helium! Now to the question you've all been wondering, how does helium change your voice? This week, Melissa and Jam explore this mystery, which begs a lot of other questions. What even is the human voice? What's it made up of? And how does just introducing a gas like helium affect it at all? Let's find out together!

We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem

References from this episode

1. Helium: Its Discovery and Applications – Locker
2. We Discovered Helium 150 Years Ago. Are We Running Out? - Greshko
3. Introductory Physics I - Brown
4. Helium beer: prank or possible? - American Chemical Society
5. Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon
6. Why does inhaling helium make one's voice sound strange? - Scientific American
7. Adam Savage Goes High and Low - Mythbusters

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Don't worry, you didn't click on the wrong podcast. This week Melissa was a guest on another "for your life" podcast: Podcast For Your Life, Jam's original podcast with his friend Jason Cress. So we thought we'd share this crossover as a bonus for this week! Listen to hear, Jason, Jam, and Melissa attempt to get to the bottom of what is and is not a book. Read more about Podcast For Your Life below.

#092 Books for your life
Books: The Crossover. This latest nugget bridges 2 podcasts from the same "for your life" universe. We're honored to have Melissa Collini, host of Chemistry For Your Life, join us this episode for a page-turning episode about books. The plot thickens and the twist is pretty twisty.

You can suggest a topic for us to cover on Podcast For Your Life on Instagram or email podcastforyourlife@gmail.com   
Check out our website here: podforyourlife.transistor.fm 

Thanks for listening!

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#038

Helium is all fun and games right? High voice, super funny, no worries right? Or is there a serious shortage of helium? This week, Melissa and Jam answer this question. But we can't stop there. This is part one of two episodes about helium.

References from this episode

1. Helium: Its Discovery and Applications – Locker
2. We Discovered Helium 150 Years Ago. Are We Running Out? - Greshko
3. Introductory Physics I - Brown
4. Helium beer: prank or possible? - American Chemical Society
5. Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon

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#037

It's the lesson we've all had to learn the hard way. The pain our mouths feel when we take a treacherous swig of the post-brush poison. This week, Melissa and Jam delve into all of our childhoods to figure out the chemistry of this infamous mixture. Why does it taste so bad? Who's fault is it, the toothpaste or the orange juice? Also while we're at it, why is it called toothpaste? Nevermind, I'm not sure we'll be able to get to the bottom of that part.

References from this episode

1. Why Does Toothpaste Make Orange Juice Taste Bad? - American Chemical Society
2. Why Does Orange Juice Taste So Bad After Brushing? - South Springs Dental Group

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#036

Ok so we've known for awhile how soap works in a general use sense, like how it cleans dishes (see episode 1). But these weird times call for a deeper look at soap. How can it kill a virus? Or more importantly, how can it kill a little, wretched, mischievous virus like COVID-19? Like really, how? How is it that we can use soap to both get spaghetti sauce off a plate, and kill a dangerous virus? We're always told to wash our hands well, and that it's important, but if you think about it for a second, it's crazy that we put something on our hands, and rub them together under water, and then we're good to go. Right? Let's get into it.

References from this episode

1. Viral Infections and Global Change - Sunit Kumar Singh
2. Inactivation of Human and Avian Influenza Viruses by Potassium Oleate of Natural Soap Component Through Exothermic Interaction - Kawahara et al
3. Effectiveness of Liquid Soap and Hand Sanitizer against Norwalk Virus on Contaminated Hands -  Liu, Yuen, Hsiao, Jaykus, and Moe
4. Show Me the Science: Why Wash Your Hands? - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
5. Clean & Disinfect - United State Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
6. When and How to Wash Your Hands - United States Centers For Disease Control and Prevention
7. Show Me the Science: How to Wash Your Hands - United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

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#035

Do you like apples? Ever wonder why they turn brown when you cut them? This week, Melissa and Jam explore this very question. What's going on in these apples? Where does the brown come from? Is it a good or bad thing? Does it taste different? Is the brown actually apple tears from the pain of being cut?

References from this episode

1. Science Experiment: The Brown Apple Project - 4-H
2. Purification and Characterization of Polyphenol Oxidase from Banana (Musa sapientum L.) Pulp - Chang-Peng YangShuji FujitaMD AshrafuzzamanNaoko NakamuraNobuyuki Hayashi
3. Nonbrowning GM apple cleared for market - Emily Waltz, Nature Biotechnology
4. Why Do Avocados Turn Brown? – The Chemistry of Avocados - Compound Chemistry
5. Browning Inhibition in Fresh-cut ‘Fuji’ Apple Slices by Natural Anti-browning Agents
6. Inhibition of Apple-Slice Browning by 4-Hexylresorcinol - Yaguang LuoGustavo and Barbosa-Cánovas
7. Department Of Agriculture Approves First Genetically Modified Apple, Which Resists Turning Brown - Britt E. Erickson, Chemical & Engineering News

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 7

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about methane, bad smells, bleach, computers seeing colors, crystal formation, and more!.

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
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#034

This week, Melissa and Jam explore the oldest question in the book. But we're not going to answer it. Just kidding. Why the HECK is the sky blue? And also why are there times that it isn't? Sunrise? Sunset? Nightime? Sky, what are your mysteries? Tell us your secrets. Hide not your face from me.

References from this episode

1. Why is the sky blue? - NASA Space Place
2. Why is the sky blue? - Philip Gibbs, University of California Riverside
3. General Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson

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#033

That's right, we are sort of talking about coffee this week. Or rather, how to keep it hot. Nowadays we all have some version of a thermos for our coffee, tea, water, or what-have-you. Today Melissa and Jam try to get to the bottom of how those work. How do they keep things hot and cold? What's between the two layers (or whatever) and how is it so good at insulating? Is it a vacuum? Can someone please tell me what the heck is going on?

References from this episode

1. Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson
2. Physical Chemistry, Edition 3 - Thomas Engel 

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#032

This week, Melissa and Jam investigate reusable hand warmers. How do they get hot? Where does the heat even come from? How do reusable ones even work? Is it real? How can heat just come out of nowhere like that?

References from this episode

1. Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson
2. Chemistry, Edition 1 - Julia Burdge
3. Heat Up to Some Cool Reactions - American Chemical Society

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#031

How does bleach bleach stuff? Oh and also, what even is color? This week Melissa and Jam investigate these questions. What's the molecular makeup of color and then how does bleach alter that? How does bleach have enough power to ruin that hoodie you just bought? How could you have been foolish enough to handle bleach while wearing your new hoodie?

References from this episode

1. The Chemical Origins of Color - Mary Virginia Orna
2. Chemistry, Color, and Art - Mary Virginia Orna
3. The chemistry of Bleaching and Oxidizing Agents - Gustaf Holst
4. Conjugation And Color (+ How Bleach Works) - James Ashenhurst
5. How does bleach whiten clothes and why does it ruin clothes if too much is applied? - UCSB Scienceline

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 6

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about cold/cool, water temperature's effect on boats, vapor pressure, smells, hair, and how this podcast even got started.

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
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#030

Melissa and Jam continue to sniff out the chemistry of smell, focusing this week on bad smells. Why are we so good at smelling bad smells? Why do they haunt us at night? Why are some bad smells so strong and long lasting, while many great smells are subtle and temporary. What’s in a smell? "That which we call a rose by any other name would smell as sweet." I think that quote applies here right?

References from this episode

1. Aerosol generation by raindrop impact on soil - Young Soo Joung & Cullen R. Buie, Nature Communications
2. 2 Americans Win Nobel for Demystifying Sense of Smell - Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times
3. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2004 Press Release - Richard Axel & Linda B. Buck, The Nobel Prize
4. A Novel Multigene Family May Encode Odorant Receptors: A Molecular Basis for Odor Recognition - Buck and Axel
5. Chemists and bad smells (and sulfur): A productive pairing - Ashutosh Jogalekar, Scientific American

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#029

What's that smell? This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of smell. Now a lot of smell science has to do with our physiology and neurology. We'll talk some about that, but the chemistry has to do with the actual smells in the air. What are they? How do they get into the air? How can we detect them with our noses and brains? Why does rain have a smell, and why does it smell good? Let's find out.

References from this episode

1. Aerosol generation by raindrop impact on soil - Young Soo Joung & Cullen R. Buie, Nature Communications
2. 2 Americans Win Nobel for Demystifying Sense of Smell - Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times
3. The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2004 Press Release - Richard Axel & Linda B. Buck, The Nobel Prize
4. A Novel Multigene Family May Encode Odorant Receptors: A Molecular Basis for Odor Recognition - Buck and Axel
5. Chemists and bad smells (and sulfur): A productive pairing - Ashutosh Jogalekar, Scientific American
6. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/reactions/videos/2017/the-smell-of-durian-explained.html
7. https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/reactions/videos/2018/whats-that-after-rain-smell-made-of.html

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#028

This week, Melissa and Jam travel even further down the rabbit hole of hair chemistry. How does our hair get damaged? How do we curl, straighten, and perm our hair? What's going on there at the molecular level? Let's find out!

References from this episode

1. Biochemistry, Edition 4 - Garret and Grisham
2. Making waves: The chemistry of hair perms - Christine Herman, Chemistry & Engineering News
3. How Did the 80s Get Hair So Big? - American Chemical Society
4. The Chemistry of Hair - C. S. Whewell, Ph.D., F.R.I.C., F.T.I.
5. The Science of Curls - Leidamarie Tirado-Lee

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#027

This week, Melissa and Jam dive into the chemistry of something that may not seem like chemistry at first: hair.
Curly hair to be specific. What makes hair curl? Also what is hair in the first place? Why can hair be so radically different? Alright curly girls, curly guys, and curly folks, let's find out.

References from this episode

1. Biochemistry, Edition 4 - Garret and Grisham
2. The Chemistry of Hair - C. S. Whewell, Ph.D., F.R.I.C., F.T.I.
3. The Science of Curls -  Leidamarie Tirado-Lee
4. Bad Hair Days? Chemistry to the Rescue - Marlene M. Gutierrez

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 5

In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about how to grow crystals, details about snowflake formation, a little tiny bit of discussion about blackholes, and more!

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/

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#026

This week, Melissa and Jam discuss part of an often requested topic: carbonation. Does it have a taste? Like why does carbonated water taste different than flat water? And what is carbonation in the first place? Does it give you unusually long life? How is it so refreshing? We answer some of those questions.

This episode is sponsored by Thimble & Brush Co.

References from this episode

1. The Taste of Carbonation - Jayaram Chandrashekar, David Yarmolinsky, Lars von Buchholtz, Yuki Oka, William Sly, Nicholas J. P. Ryba, Charles S. Zuker
2. Scientists Discover Protein Receptor for Carbonation Taste - National Institutes of Health
3. Carbonation Has a Taste - Scientific American

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#025

This week, Melissa, Jam, and very special guest Renee Collini (Melissa's sister and climate scientist) delve into the important topic of sea-level rise. What causes it to rise? What affect will it have on the world? How should we feel about it? Is there anything us regular folk can do?

This episode is sponsored by Thimble & Brush Co.

References from this episode

1. Thermal Expansion Model - Jet Propulsion Lab - California Institute of Technology
2. Climate Science Leader Expands Extension Role - Susan Collins-Smith, Red Hills News Mississippi
3. Chemistry, Edition 2 - Theopold, Langley, Flowers, and Robinson
4. Global and Regional Sea Level Rise Scenarios for the United States - Sweet, Kopp, Weaver, Obeysekera, Horton, Thielar, Zervas
5. Special thanks to Mississippi Alabama Sea Grant, the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative, and Mississippi State University

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#024

This week, Melissa and Jam explore three very different, but related, light phenomena. We'll discuss situations when light can be bent, slowed down, and even broken. It's gonna be lit.

References from this episode

1. Why do rainbows form instead of just straight bands of colors? And why do they appear to touch the ground? - Scientific American
2. What causes a mirage? - Scientific American
3. Chemistry, Edition 1 - Julia Burdge

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#023

This week, Melissa and Jam explore the wintery chemistry of snowflakes. How do they form? How are they all unique? How do they look so gosh darn cool? Why don’t we see them here in Texas very much?

References from this episode

1. The Chemistry of Snowflakes, Explained - Charlotte Hsu
2. How Do Snowflakes Form?
3. Crystal Growing Competition

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#022

This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of antioxidants. What are they? Is it just magical stuff they put in sport drinks and workout supplements? Can you find it in snake oil?

References from this episode

1. Stacy Lowery Bretz, PhD
2. Organic Chemistry Textbook, Edition 11 - T.W. Graham Solomons

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Bonus Episode: Question and Response 4

Welcome to the new home for our Question and Response episodes! This week we respond to comments and questions about solar energy, artificial sweeteners, growing crystals, and more!

References

1. Why Solar Power Is Good For Birds - Audubon 

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#021

This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of solar energy. How do we capture energy from the sun and turn it into electricity? Is it as super insanely cool as it seems? Are we living in the future already?

References from this episode

1. Drawdown: The Most Comprehensive Plan Ever Proposed to Reverse Global Warming - Paul Hawken
2. Melissa's Prior Knowledge and Thesis
3. Beyond the Messy Truth- Van Jones

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#020

This week Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of water and intermolecular forces. Why does it form into droplets? Why can you fill a glass of water just above the rim and it not spill over? How are some things water proof or water resistant?

References from this episode

1. General Chemistry: Principles, Patterns, and Applications - Saylor foundation
2. Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson
3. Lotus Leaf Inspires Waterproofing Scheme, Scientific American - Laura Wright
4. Melissa's Previous Knowledge

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Question and Response #03

This week Melissa and Jam do the last Question and Response episode. We'll continue to do Questions and Responses every month, but after asking listeners for their preference, Q&Rs will now air as bonuses, rather than in place of a standard episode. Tune in this week as we tackle some fun questions about water in space, boiling water in a microwave, sugar on freezing roads (instead of salt), and using stainless steel to curb the smell of garlic.

References

1. Sugar On Roads Article

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