Intellect PlusChemistry
550 cards. Each one is a 40-second story with a five-minute read behind it. Page 10 of 10.
The chemistry behind the Volkswagen emissions scandalExplore the chemical processes used in diesel engines and the controversy surrounding Volkswagen's attempts to manipulate nitrogen oxide emissions. This video examines the science…
The chemistry behind the explosive expansion of Elephant's ToothpasteWitness the rapid decomposition of hydrogen peroxide in high detail. This slow-motion demonstration reveals how a simple catalyst can transform a liquid into a massive, colorful f…
Why you will never see a physical sample of astatineAstatine is one of the rarest elements on Earth. This video explores the extreme properties that make it nearly impossible for chemists to handle, featuring Professor Sir Martyn P…
Can a phosphorus explosion hollow out a pound coin?Witness the volatile power of phosphorus in a controlled demonstration. This video captures the moment a phosphorus explosion blasts the centre out of a £1 coin, revealing the int…
Uncovering the history behind a rare, early version of the periodic tableExplore the restoration of a precious scientific artifact. This video examines an early periodic table, brought to light through the dedicated efforts of historians and conservato…
Iron is where the fusion inside giant stars finally stopsIron is the most common element on Earth by mass, and the reason lies in dying stars. Fusion in the most massive stars runs up the periodic table until it reaches iron and then st…
Astronomers found a methanol cloud 288 million miles across drifting in spaceMethanol, the simplest alcohol, turns up in camping stoves, windscreen fluid and the chemistry of plastics. It also floats between the stars. In 2006 radio astronomers at Jodrell …
Make a polymer chain ten times longer and its melt gets over a thousand times thickerPlastic bags, silk, DNA and rubber tyres share one design: enormous molecules built from small units repeated thousands of times. Chain length changes everything. Beyond the point…
Elizabeth I paid 300 pounds in gold to learn how to grow saltpetreFor centuries, whoever controlled saltpetre controlled gunpowder. England had no supply of its own, so in 1561, at war with Spain and cut off from imports, Elizabeth I paid a Germ…
Table sugar is a molecule so stable it can sit dissolved for yearsSucrose, the stuff of white sugar, joins one glucose and one fructose through an unusual bond linking the reactive ends of both. That quirk makes it a non-reducing sugar, so a sol…