The chemical breakdown & Chemistry in its element

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

21 Dec 20207min

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

11 Dec 20205min

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

4 Dec 20207min

A sweet compound that provides ample energy for extreme endurance events – find out how maltodextrin helped Anna Ploszajski swim the English channel

27 Nov 20207min

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 liqu...

20 Nov 202011min

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

13 Nov 20208min

Does asparagus give you foul-smelling urine? Helen Arney investigates asparagusic acid, and the lavatorial genetic lottery that controls whether or not you can smell its distinctive aroma

5 Nov 20207min

A sweet treat with a deadly trick for Halloween – glycyrrhizic acid, or glycyrrhizin, is found in black liquorice and sweeter than sucrose, but can cause heart problems and even prove fatal if consume...

30 Okt 20206min