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. Support the show Support my podcast at https://www.patr...
Aug 1
26 min
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. Support the show Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at steve@historyofchem.com Get my book, O Mg!...
Jul 25
19 min
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. Support the show Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry Tell me how your life relates to chemistry! E-mail me at steve@historyofchem.com Get my book, O Mg! How Chemistry Came to Be, from World Scientific Publishing...
Jul 17
19 min
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 electro...
Jul 8
20 min
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 ...
Jun 26
22 min
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. Support the show Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry Tell me how your life relat...
Jun 20
27 min
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. Support the show Support my podcast at...
Jun 12
21 min
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. Support the show Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry Tell me how your life relates to ...
Jun 6
19 min
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 supe...
May 29
21 min
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. Support the show Support my podcast at https://www.patreon.com/t...
May 23
19 min
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