WASHINGTON, April 1, 2024 — Adding milk to an alcoholic drink and then curdling that milk is a 300-year-old preservation technique that was used by none other than Ben Franklin. Join George as he discovers the chemistry that makes this technique so useful, and learn how to make the best espresso martini you’ll ever taste. […]
American Chemical Society
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An antidote for deadly mushrooms? (video)
WASHINGTON, Oct. 23, 2023 — Almost all mushroom-related fatalities worldwide are caused by a single group of molecules, cyclopeptides, which are found in death caps and destroying angels. A single mushroom from this family can contain enough of these toxins to destroy your liver or even kill you. And there’s no antidote for mushroom poisoning. […]
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How is ceviche ‘cooked?’ (video)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 11, 2023 — What does it mean to have “cooked” something? Is heat the only way to break down proteins and transform raw ingredients? If you love ceviche, you know that’s not true … but how exactly does ceviche get “cooked?” No heat source is used, but it still undergoes a process in […]
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Why are mosquitos so obsessed with me?
WASHINGTON, July 17, 2023 — Some people are more attractive to mosquitos than others, and new research is starting to show why. This Reactions episode dives into the chemistry of the molecules on our skin that make some of us so much more appealing to these pesky insects. It also reveals which products we can use to […]
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Brining poultry: Cooking with chemistry or hot nonsense? (video)
WASHINGTON, Nov. 28, 2022 — The chemistry behind brining meat is well established — but is this decades-old technique just foodie smoke-and-mirrors, or does it really make meat taste better? Two Reactions hosts and a producer square off to find the answer … and find it they do! Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical […]
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Why does salt change the taste of everything?
WASHINGTON, Oct. 3, 2022 — If your coffee is too bitter, add a pinch of salt. If your salad isn’t sour enough, add a pinch of salt. If your beer is too bitter, add a pinch of salt. Salt has the seemingly magical ability to enhance good flavors and dampen bad ones. How does it […]
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How pencils can help us understand the future of everything (Alex wants a jetpack)
WASHINGTON, Sept. 6, 2022 — The chemistry world has been excited about the possibility of buckyballs, graphene and carbon nanotubes for decades. But the science has taken a long time to catch up to the hype. So where are we now, and how far away are we from a carbon-powered jetpack future? Reactions is a video […]
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Why can’t I distill liquor at home? (video)
WASHINGTON, June 21, 2022 — Distilling liquor might be a relatively simple process — heating a fermented liquid and keeping only the boiled alcohol — but it is dangerous and illegal without a license. To extract only alcohol from a mixture of many ingredients, scientists must explore boiling points and the intermolecular forces that shape […]
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We made our own Pop Rocks®-style popping candy, so you don’t have to (video)
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3, 2022 — Pop Rocks® is a popular brand of popping candy manufactured and sold by Zeta Espacial S.A. The candies are just sugar and carbon dioxide, but making your own version of them at home is harder than it looks. In this video, we use three different methods to try to capture […]
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We used science to make better pizza, featuring Peter Reinhart: VIDEO
This week our host, Sam, chats with renowned baker Peter Reinhart and learns how a couple of small chemistry tweaks can transform a terrible pizza into an amazing one: We show you how two simple changes can turn cardboard-y pizza into award winning pie (okay, award-winning might be a slight exaggeration, but we awarded ourselves […]
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How is it raining plastic?! (VIDEO)
Every year, more than 1,000 tons of plastic rain down onto national parks and wilderness areas in the western U.S. In this week’s episode, we talk about where that plastic comes from, and we look for it in rain that falls on Washington, D.C.: Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society […]
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Toward one drug to treat all coronaviruses
Safe and effective vaccines offer hope for an end to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the possible emergence of vaccine-resistant SARS-CoV-2 variants, as well as novel coronaviruses, make finding treatments that work against all coronaviruses as important as ever. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Proteome Research have analyzed viral proteins across 27 coronavirus species and thousands […]
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Sous vide cooking method makes beef protein more digestible
Once used to prepare cuisine in only the finest restaurants, sous vide is now making its way into home chefs’ kitchens. French for “under vacuum,” the technique involves vacuum sealing food in a plastic pouch and then slowly cooking it in warm water. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry have […]
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Brown carbon ‘tarballs’ detected in Himalayan atmosphere
November 5, 2020 – Some people refer to the Himalaya-Tibetan Plateau as the “third pole” because the region has the largest reserve of glacial snow and ice outside of the north and south poles. The glaciers, which are extremely sensitive to climate change and human influence, have been retreating over the past decade. Now, researchers […]
Posted inEnviro
Regional variations in freshwater overconsumption
Sept. 2, 2020 – Freshwater –– which falls to the earth as precipitation or exists beneath the surface as groundwater –– is desperately needed to sustain people, plants and animals. With an ever-increasing human population, water shortages are already occurring in many areas are only expected to get worse. Now, researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science […]
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COVID-19: A wake-up call to rebalance the drug supply chain?
Over 80% of chemicals used to make pharmaceuticals sold in Europe originate from China or India, according to the European Fine Chemicals Group. When COVID-19 emerged in Wuhan and spread across the globe, experts worried about disruption of the drug supply chain. Now, nations are rethinking their dependence on other countries for pharmaceutical ingredients and […]
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Can soap really ‘kill’ the coronavirus? (VIDEO)
WASHINGTON, March 23, 2020 — Constantly being told to wash your hands? Us, too. So we’re diving into the chemistry behind why soap is so effective against viruses like the coronavirus that causes COVID-19: Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios. Subscribe to Reactions at http://bit.ly/ACSReactions and […]
Posted inEnviro
PFASs from ski wax bioaccumulate at Nordic resort
March 17, 2020 – A recent study suggests that ski wax applied during winter months could have consequences that stretch to summer and beyond. Researchers reporting in ACS’ Environmental Science & Technology have found that certain perfluoroalkyl substances (PFASs) found in ski wax bioaccumulate and biomagnify in the food chain at a Nordic skiing area. PFASs are […]
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Which of these mushrooms could kill you? (video)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 27, 2019 — There are tens of thousands of mushroom species out there, and some of them could kill you. Today we’re going to test how well you can distinguish between perfectly safe and perilously poisonous, and we’ll dive into the chemistry behind what makes seemingly identical species so different: Reactions is a video […]
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What will you do with your body after you die? (VIDEO)
WASHINGTON, Dec. 20, 2019 — After you die, your body has quite a few options –– from being turned into a diamond to helping solve a murder. This week, let us break down the possibilities so you can rest easy Reactions is a video series produced by the American Chemical Society and PBS Digital Studios. […]