Leptin: Chemistry in its element
Rotund rodents revolutionised our understanding of the biological role of fat. Now, as Katrina Krämer discovers, the hormones created by fats could redefine obesity.
28 Feb 202010min
Vitamin K: Chemistry in its element
Ben Valsler on vitamin K – the blood clotting factor that is likely to be the first supplement you ever receive
21 Feb 20206min
Amylase: Chemistry in its element
Brian Clegg on the enzymes make life a little sweeter by breaking down starch into sugars, helping to make bread and beer
14 Feb 20207min
Hydroquinone: Chemistry in its element
Georgia Mills on a compound that explodes from a beetle's bum, and has a controversial role in skin depigmentation
7 Feb 20206min
Sodium cyanide: Chemistry in its element
This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Baia Mare disaster, when toxic sodium cyanide spilled from a gold processing plant led to ecological damage on a huge scale. Mike Freemantle tells the tragi...
31 Jan 20207min
Terephthalic acid: Chemistry in its element
Once thought of as an interesting – but useless – turpentine derivative, this oddly-named acid became the precursor to one of the world's most widely used plastics
24 Jan 20207min
Cobalt oxide: Chemistry in its Element
From ancient Egyptian pottery to distinctive blue bottles, cobalt oxide has been providing 'chemically and artistically perfect' pigments for centuries
17 Jan 20206min
Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin
If you're trying out a vegan diet, you're likely to be told to make sure you get enough vitamin B12. Ben Valsler asks what B12 does, where we get it from, and how can we be sure we're getting enough?
10 Jan 20207min
