Explore every episode of the podcast The History of Chemistry
| Title | Pub. Date | Duration | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 184: Alles ist Chemie (Conclusion) | 09 sept. 2025 | 00:20:40 | |
I conclude this series, touching on why I ran this podcast. I give eleven overarching goals for the podcast. I also go far back into my own past, and an event which eventually led to me speaking to you about chemistry. Finally I send you off with an announcement about a national award I will accept in 2026. Please continue to support this podcast, because it costs money to keep this series posted on Buzzsprout and Patreon. Without your continued support, this podcast will disappear from the Internet--and neither you or I want that.
| |||
| 183: New World Coming | 01 sept. 2025 | 00:21:22 | |
I give a brief history of finding planets around other stars, including discovery by gravitational wobbling, dimming as the planet crosses in front of its star, and even seeing an actual planetary image by blocking the star's glare. I discuss what sort of spectroscopic signals might be present for life in a planet's atmosphere. Finally I offer some planets already detected whose temperatures appear to be in the range of terrestrial life, and what's in their atmospheres.
| |||
| 182: It's Life, Jim, But Not As We Know It | 22 août 2025 | 00:21:18 | |
We take an imaginary trip around our Solar System to hear the history of chemical attempts to find life, starting in the late 1950s. Among our stops on the tour include Venus, Mars, Europa, and Titan. Included in the tour are temperature measurements, spectroscopic views, gas chromatography, radioactive labeling, photographs, electrical conductivity, and more.
| |||
| 181: A Work in Progress | 17 août 2025 | 00:20:20 | |
In which we bring research into molecular machines up to date. We discuss fuels, specifically what chemists think are the best kinds of fuels to power these little molecules. We discuss what makes a molecular machine different from a regular-sized machine. We also talk about molecular machines as a subset of "molecular devices." Finally, we mention a poll for researchers that IUPAC has set up to help chemists define what a molecular machine really is.
| |||
| 180: Farm to Market | 08 août 2025 | 00:20:02 | |
Instead of just digging in the ground to extract minerals, over the past half-century scientists have begun to explore agriculture of hyperaccumulating plants to pull elements--including heavy metals--out of the topsoil. We explore the recent history of this topic, its advantages and pitfalls.
| |||
| 179: This Episode is Meta | 01 août 2025 | 00:26:53 | |
The History of Chemistry is itself an academic discipline, and in this episode we explore the history of chemical history. We start with chemist Thomas Thomson, and work our way forward in time, through the various books on the subject, the founding of the History of Chemistry Section of the American Chemical Society, various chemical-history journals, the Science History Institute, and the Royal Society of Chemistry's Historical Group.
| |||
| 178: Honors and Awards | 25 juil. 2025 | 00:19:27 | |
In which we explore the various honors and awards available to chemists, starting in high school with the International Chemistry Olympiad, founded during the Cold War; college with Phi Lambda Upsilon; and a variety of awards given to chemists during their professional careers by different chemical societies.
| |||
| 177: Greek Salad | 17 juil. 2025 | 00:19:37 | |
In this episode we run through the Greek alphabet and see the history behind each symbol as used in chemistry, from alpha for alpha particles to omega as in omega-fatty acids. We encounter a couple of Greek letters not used as chemical symbols too.
| |||
| 176: Inside Information | 08 juil. 2025 | 00:20:56 | |
While outdoor solar cells make big news, there is a quiet revolution also for solar cells that make do with far less illumination, indoor lighting. We discuss requirements for such photovoltaic cells, matching their sensitivity to various kinds of indoor lamps, and such developments in the last couple of decades. We discuss research into various materials for these low-light panels. Finally, we shift gears and learn about new batteries that work inside bodies, using the body fluids as electrolytes.
| |||
| 175: It's All Fun and Games Until... | 26 juin 2025 | 00:22:20 | |
Chemistry can be fun, too, so we explore some of historical satirical art about chemistry, humor based on nonsensical molecular structures, actual compounds with funny chemical names, and even compounds with humorous molecular structures. We discuss chemistry-related parody songs, plus a bonus of me singing an actual song from 1901. We hear of some chemistry games designed to teach students. From there we move on to chemistry dad jokes and puns (hey, I am a dad), and chemistry in the Journal of Irreproducible Results and the annual Ig Nobel Prize. Patreon supporters of this podcast may download a supplemental sheet with some illustrations of topics I discuss in this episode, so join now to see it!
| |||
| 174: Just Add Water | 20 juin 2025 | 00:27:03 | |
Water, the most important chemical for us, deserves its own episode describing the history of how chemists understand it. We start with pre-Enlightenment views of water as an element, then as a compound, then how electricity affected our understanding, then with dissolved salts, the crystal structure of ice, water's actual molecular structure, and how hydrogen bonding affects it.
| |||
| 173: Midnight Blue | 12 juin 2025 | 00:21:49 | |
We start with a 1927 patent awarded to George Washington Carver, an agricultural chemist, for a locally-sourced Prussian blue. We learn a bit about Carver's life, education, and hobby of painting which may have led to the patent. We examine the patent in some detail, and then hear how it's been revived by a modern artist. Then we discuss other blue pigments throughout history, ending with the newest blue, an accidental discovery in a laboratory in 2009.
| |||
| 172: A Life of Its Own | 06 juin 2025 | 00:19:35 | |
In which we discuss the history of scientists attempting to determine a half-life of a specific radioactive isotope of samarium, and why that determination is so important for other branches of science. We learn of the poor quality of the observation, how at least one result was retracted, and how a new way to measure half-lives offers hope for a resolution to this problem.
| |||
| 171: Talk Dirty to Me | 29 mai 2025 | 00:21:16 | |
This is a brief history of how chemists understand the way liquids wet things. The first glimpse was by Francis Hauksbee in the early 1700s, and how water rises in narrow tubes. Through the 18th century, natural philosophers described surface tension. The 19th century brought understanding of wetting via macroscopic observations and descriptions. The 20th century added insights of quantum mechanics and the influence of surface roughness. Finally we discuss the 20th-century observation of superhydrophobicity, both natural and eventually artificial.
| |||
| 170: A Clean Break | 23 mai 2025 | 00:19:19 | |
In which we talk about the history of fractals and how they relate to chemistry. There is a brief overview of what a fractal is and how it developed in mathematics. Then we talk of how fractals apply to chemistry, including surface reactions, descriptions of molecular structures both artificial and natural, growth of polymers, and even how the concentrations and flows of minerals in streams follow a fractal variation with time.
| |||
| 169: A Bone to Pick | 07 mai 2025 | 00:25:11 | |
It's an ancient story, but fossils have been with us since time immemorial. In this episode, we hear about the history of chemists and their interpretation of fossils. Scientists first began considering fossils as evidence of past life in the 17th century. We hear about the fossil record, and the oldest fossils, then the oldest fossils with organic matter preserved, and the chemical controversy over how collagen can remain for millions of years.
| |||
| 168: Chill Out | 27 avr. 2025 | 00:25:03 | |
Refrigeration always has been closely intertwined with chemistry. In this episode we explore the history of refrigerants, from the first hints of artificial cooling in the mid-1700s, through the invention of the first practical refrigerator 8 decades later. We talk about a variety of refrigerants through the 20th century. Finally we examine some other newer or less-common methods of cooling.
| |||
| 167: A Sound Idea | 21 avr. 2025 | 00:24:32 | |
Magnetic tape was an integral part of the new, growing recording industry. Herein we talk about the chemical history of magnetic recording, from the first idea in 1888, onward. We encounter Poulsen, Pfleumer, Stille, Nagai, Mullin, and an array of corporations as well. Finally we discuss a bit about digital computers and the history of magnetic tapes for data.
| |||
| 166: The Dagwood | 15 avr. 2025 | 00:20:43 | |
Here we talk about supersized sandwich compounds and their history, beginning with ferrocene in the 1950s. We go from single-decker to double-, triple, and quadruple-decker sandwich compounds through the 1970s and 1980s, a variety of "breads" and "fillings," and then even bigger as we move to the 21st Century.
| |||
| 165: Building Blocks | 06 avr. 2025 | 00:22:06 | |
Herein we examine the cubical hydrocarbon, cubane, and its role in chemical history. We talk of difficulties in synthesis, possible uses as an explosive, its use as an isostere to benzene in medicinal compounds, and polymers of cubane. Patreon supporters can download a supplemental sheet to see some of the molecular structures I discuss.
| |||
| 164: Mirror, Mirror | 30 mars 2025 | 00:25:51 | |
In which we talk about how chirality, or handedness, has diffused through chemistry since its discovery in the 19th century, starting with Louis Pasteur. We look at work by Arnaldo Piutti and Emile Fischer. We discuss not only organic compounds, but amino acids, proteins, DNA, and inorganic chiral compounds. Ultimately we have to bring up the question of the biochemical handedness of life. Patreon supporters may download a supplemental sheet of some of the molecular structures mentioned in this episode.
| |||
| 163: Basic Fuel | 23 mars 2025 | 00:20:26 | |
In which we talk about the history of using ammonia, the nitrogen analog of methane, as a fuel. We start two centuries ago with Goldsworthy Gurney, move to the mid-19th century when horseless carriages began to appear in Europe. World War II spurred necessary fuel adjustments to public transportation. We then examine post-war research. We tackle some pros and cons of using ammonia as fuel, as well as the ecological spectrum of ammonia sources.
| |||
| 162: The Game of Life | 16 mars 2025 | 00:26:03 | |
Here we talk about how chemists historically have viewed the way life began: as chemicals self-organizing. The earliest serious chemical views began in the 1870s, with synthesis of proteins. Ideas through the decades included warm ponds, auto-catalytic enzymes, genes (whatever they were), a primitive reducing atmosphere, lightning bolts, and DNA or RNA.
| |||
| 161: Political Science | 09 mars 2025 | 00:24:15 | |
Contrary to popular belief, chemists have always found involvement in politics. Herein are some examples of chemists getting involved politically, whether willingly or unwillingly, from the past 250 years, starting with Englishman Joseph Priestley.
| |||
| 160: Reuse It or Lose It | 02 mars 2025 | 00:22:19 | |
We look at the history of some recent problems in recycling materials. First we examine the history of wind farms, and how to recycle the fan blades. Second we talk about recent history and problems of recycling polyethylene terephthalate. Then we discuss the persistent and growing problem of electronics waste. Finally, we briefly touch on recycling of spent batteries.
| |||
| 159: Suck It Up, Buttercup! | 23 févr. 2025 | 00:27:03 | |
Given the environmental catastrophe into which we now zombie-walk, here is a bit about the history of extracting greenhouse gases directly from the air. Extracting carbon dioxide from the atmosphere began in the 1930s, but proposals to do it environmentally only began about 25 years ago, with the first large-scale systems appearing in the 2020s. We also talk a little about pulling a worse gas, methane, from the atmosphere.
| |||
| 158: It's a Gas | 16 févr. 2025 | 00:24:25 | |
We hear about the history of hydrogen gas as a fuel, starting in the early 1800s with François Isaac de Rivaz. We continue through the 19th and 20th centuries, with dual-burning vehicles, airplanes, and fuel-cells. We talk of advantages and disadvantages of such engines, and the ecological spectrum of hydrogen gas.
| |||
| 157: Cain and Abel | 09 févr. 2025 | 00:20:27 | |
In which we talk about the history of differently abled chemists, from around the year 1600 to the present. We mention some differently abled chemists, and how the American Chemical Society and Royal Society of Chemistry handle things, plus hope for continued improvement in the future.
| |||
| 156: Quantum Love | 03 févr. 2025 | 00:20:19 | |
We hear about the recent history of quantum computing to do quantum calculations on molecules. First we briefly discuss different types of computers. Then we talk about the kinds of calculations chemists want to do with quantum computers. We also learn about some ways chemists currently use to simplify the mathematics for quantum calculations.
| |||
| 155: Sci-fi Chemistry | 27 janv. 2025 | 00:20:55 | |
In which we [cue theremin!] discuss how chemistry is presented in science-fiction stories. We start with Mary Shelley's "Frankenstein," move through Jules Verne and H.G. Wells, then to 20th-century writers like Isaac Asimov. Kurt Vonnegut, Fred Hoyle, H. Beam Piper, and many others. We talk of "Star Trek," "Battlestar Galactica," and David Foster Wallace.
| |||
| 154: Tile by Tile | 20 janv. 2025 | 00:21:50 | |
We discuss the history of finding quasicrystals, those arrays of atoms that are like crystals--but aren't quite crystals. These are rarely talked about in undergraduate classes. We start with a purely mathematical question by David Hilbert, and move forward through the 1960s and 1970s, till actual quasicrystals were discovered in the 1980s. Then we reach the point where natural quasicrystals were found. Then we hear about some of their potential uses.
| |||
| 153: Plastic Arts | 13 janv. 2025 | 00:18:26 | |
We finally return to polymers, but in a more ecological way. We learn about using wood waste to make plastics. We hear of how to make plastic naturally degrade in the environment, whether with bacteria, sunlight, zapping it with ions, or heating up without oxygen. We also learn of new methods to mine plastics for hydrogen as fuel.
| |||
| 152: Built to Last | 05 janv. 2025 | 00:26:02 | |
We give a "solid foundation" to chemistry by recounting the history of concrete, starting with the earliest architectural use of lime around 10,000 years ago. We continue through ancient history and modern times with Roman concrete, the loss of its recipe, and (partial) rediscovery in the Renaissance. We continue to the present and the likely complete rediscovery of Roman concrete in the 21st century. We talk of the chemical reactions to make and set concrete, and its ecological problems. Finally we learn a bit about some efforts to make concrete a little more "green."
| |||
| 151: No Bones about It | 29 déc. 2024 | 00:19:47 | |
This episode relates the history of the new field of "skeletal editing" of molecules. While there have been a few known reactions of this type since the very late 1800s, the general system was unknown till the 21st century, beginning with Marcos Suero. We add to the mix Mark Levin and Guangbin Dong, talk of what precisely this type of chemistry does, and relate the wish-list of chemists of all the wonderful things that scientists would like in skeletal editing.
| |||
| 150: The Medium is the Message | 22 déc. 2024 | 00:25:02 | |
We reach the Big 1-5-0, in which I discuss the venerable history of mRNA vaccines, from the 1960s to the present, from a chemical point of view. We hear of transferring mRNA into cells, then transferring anti-viral mRNA into cells. There are a variety of mRNA vaccines under study--not merely COVID, but flu, RSV, and even cancer treatments. Patreon supporters may download a supplemental sheet with diagrams of some of the biochemical systems I describe.
| |||
| 149: It's the Kosher Thing | 15 déc. 2024 | 00:21:25 | |
In this episode we touch on how chemistry has directly influenced religion. Our example is how knowledge of chemistry affected a rabbi's decision to allow a certain brand of carbonated beverage to claim that it is kosher, that is, fit to be ingested by Jews who follow traditional Jewish laws and customs regarding food.
| |||
| 148: The New Electronics | 08 déc. 2024 | 00:22:27 | |
What if we could make flexible electronics for clothing or medical sensors? We examine the history of this quest from the 1990s onward, focusing on liquid-metal electronics. We explore what that means, the pros and cons, and how it might work. Then we talk about creating electronic components using wood (really!), which began in the 2010s, ranging from wooden batteries to wooden transistors.
| |||
| 147: Good to the Last Drop | 01 déc. 2024 | 00:22:31 | |
The history of chemistry in water microdroplets is discussed. We start with the observation by R. Graham Cooks that certain chemical reactions went faster inside ultra-small droplets of liquid relative to beaker-sized amounts. We examine the years-long arguments between Dick Zare and Himanshu Mishra over peroxide formation in microdroplets. We talk a bit about some reasons why reactions may go differently in tiny drops versus bulk amounts, and counter-arguments.
| |||
| 146: Electrical Switch | 24 nov. 2024 | 00:23:16 | |
In this episode we examine the history of non-lithium batteries. We talk of changing the anode material and cathode material, whether separately or together. This involves changing the graphite anode to silicon, changing to sulfur anodes, air-based cathodes, different solvent molecules to assist transport of lithium ions, and even calcium batteries. Finally we discuss the flow battery, invented way back in the 19th century, but being revived for batteries that can be stationary.
| |||
| 145: State of the Art | 17 nov. 2024 | 00:22:38 | |
In which we learn about the beginnings of chemistry applied to art conservation, from the initial attempts by Edward Forbes, but especially when he hired Rutherford John Gettens. We discuss Harvard University's Pigment Collection, plus various analytical tools chemists use to examine art, both light-based and non-light-based. We talk of several institutions with strong chemical applications for art conservation. Finally we examine the problems of modern products--polymers--that need to be preserved, from toys to photographic film.
| |||
| Break Time | 03 nov. 2024 | 00:00:23 | |
Dear Listener,
| |||
| 144: Rare as Hens' Teeth | 28 oct. 2024 | 00:25:07 | |
Here we explore the history of unusual and uncommon isotopes of known elements on the periodic table. We discuss the (almost) true statement that all isotopes of an element react the same. Then we reach inside the atomic nucleus and hear of theories to describe nuclear structure and--hence--stability of various isotopes, beginning with Dmitri Ivanenko's work. We learn of the best model, shell structure, and its failings that appeared in the 1980s. Then we talk about half-lives, and how short can a half-life be and still be an atom? How short can a half-live be and still be at least a nucleus? We learn of proton-rich isotopes. Then we hear of the practical value of such research.
| |||
| 143: Queer as a Clockwork Orange | 20 oct. 2024 | 00:20:08 | |
In which I give a brief history of queer chemists. We talk of the rise of queer scientific associations, and the slog to acceptance of the Gay and Transgender Chemists and their Allies in the American Chemical Society, some current queer chemists around the world, and something of the challenge of queer chemists in the Britain.
| |||
| 142: Molecular Valves | 14 oct. 2024 | 00:21:53 | |
Science-fiction writers (and scientists) have been promoting molecular transistors since the 1950s, and we explore the history of why that hasn't happened yet. We start with the parallel sci-fi writer (and biochemist) Isaac Asimov's "molecular valves" and physicist Arthur von Hippel's "molecular engineering." We talk of military projects that failed, and theoretical ideas that take a lot of engineering to make them work.
| |||
| 141: Chemical Communications | 06 oct. 2024 | 00:36:53 | |
In this episode, I have a conversation with Professor David Perlmutter in the Communications Department at Texas Tech University, on the public's impressions of chemistry, and what value chemistry brings to the wider world.
| |||
| 140: Chemical Paranoia | 29 sept. 2024 | 00:24:08 | |
We start with the first chemical conspiracy theory from 1996, "chemtrails." Then we move to another popular chemical hoax, "alkaline water" somehow being healthy for you. Related to that are the bizarre "hexagonal water" and water memory ideas. Other creative pseudochemical hoaxes are denial of global warming and the gasoline pill, creating fuel from non-fuel with merely a pill in your liquid. There is the fun cryogenically-cooled audio cable hoax (if you are into high-fidelity audio). There was the truly harmful radioactive bed scandal in Korea. Finally I offer some clues to detecting such hoaxes and scams.
| |||
| 139: To the Max | 22 sept. 2024 | 00:21:36 | |
A new material, the MXene, discovered in 2010, is the topic of this episode. We hear of its creation and derivation at Drexel University in Philadelphia. Then we learn of ways to create single layers, variations in materials, and new methods of synthesis of MXenes. Finally, we discuss the practical uses of MXenes.
| |||
| 138: Smells Like Teen Spirit | 15 sept. 2024 | 00:27:42 | |
We finally get to discuss what the term "aromatic compound" means in chemistry, from Michael Faraday's report in 1825 of a new organic compound (we call it benzene), to von Hofmann's first use in 1856 (without defining it) of the term "aromatic". We examine the ensuing controversies and definitions of "aromatic compound," how people modeled molecularly and diagrammatically what that meant, and current discussions over the word. My Patreon supporters may download a supplemental sheet with molecular structures of some aromatic compounds I mention in the episode.
| |||
| 137: Light My Fire | 08 sept. 2024 | 00:21:04 | |
Aerogels, those feather-weight materials, have a century-old history. We begin with Samuel Kistler, the inventor of the first aerogels, and move forward through time with loss of interest in them, then revival of interest in the 1970s. We learn about gradual improvements in their fabrication over time. Then we talk of their fascinating properties, and then their uses.
| |||
| 136: AI, Robot | 01 sept. 2024 | 00:22:23 | |
Artificial intelligence, or AI, can be applied to chemistry, too. Here we discuss a brief history of AI, especially for chemistry, beginning with Djerassi's DENDRAL program. We talk of the current problems in chemistry to which AI is being applied over the last couple of decades. We also examine what is not doable (yet) in chemistry with AI.
| |||