Chemistry in its element

Batteries: The bedrock of the sustainable future

1 GIU 2021 · In this special podcast produced in partnership with Waters Corporation, find out how understanding the chemistry and materials that go into batteries marks the first step towards making them safer and increasing energy density, and unlocks new opportunities for reuse and recycling

21 min. 32 sec.
Cinnamaldehyde: Chemistry in its element

21 DIC 2020 · How did a tree bark from Sri Lanka become one of the essential flavours of the festive season? We explore the history of cinnamon and the compound that gives it its distinctive taste and aroma

8 min. 30 sec.
Azidoazide azide: Chemistry in its element

11 DIC 2020 · A compound so explosively unstable that nobody has been able to measure how sensitive it is without it, well, exploding.

6 min. 40 sec.
Ochre: Chemistry in its element

4 DIC 2020 · How one of mankind's oldest pigments helped shepherds secure their sheep and inspired one of the most popular songs of the twentieth century

8 min. 19 sec.
Ionic liquids: Chemistry in its element

20 NOV 2020 · Liquid salts, ionic melts, fused salts, or ionic glasses – call them what you like, these much-hyped solvents show great promise. Katrina Krämer speaks to chemical engineer Jason Bara about ionic liquids.

12 min. 40 sec.
Chlorhexidine: Chemistry in its element

13 NOV 2020 · An antimicrobial compound that kills bacteria and viruses quickly – found in some of the most colourful antiseptic solutions

8 min. 55 sec.
Sofosbuvir: Chemistry in its element

16 OTT 2020 · Hepatitis C drug sofosbuvir made waves when first launched – quicker to work and with fewer side effects than existing drugs, but it came with a hefty price tag

7 min. 4 sec.
Bedaquiline: Chemistry in its element

9 OTT 2020 · Meera Senthilingam makes a welcome return to the podcast with a drug that gives hope to the many sufferers of drug-resistant TB – still one of the world's biggest killers

10 min. 12 sec.
Gypsum: Chemistry in its element

7 AGO 2020 · From Lavoisier’s experiments with plaster of paris to the the ‘Sistine Chapel of crystals’ in Mexico, Mike Freemantle explores the history of gypsum

8 min. 56 sec.
Leptin: Chemistry in its element

28 FEB 2020 · Rotund rodents revolutionised our understanding of the biological role of fat. Now, as Katrina Krämer discovers, the hormones created by fats could redefine obesity.

11 min. 8 sec.