Which element do kids get bored of studying?

Bohrium

538 result(s) found for the term(s) ''

Everyday Chemistry - Why ice cubes are cloudy on the inside

Have you even tried to see through an ice cube? It's always a little hazy. Isn't it strange that transparent water when frozen becomes cloudy ice? And did you know chemistry is at play even here?

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do fish smell when you buy them?

Heard of the saying "something smells fishy"? Have you noticed how a fresh fish smells different from one that is not so fresh? Yes, once again it is chemistry that is the reason behind this.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does baking soda extinguish fires?

Playing with fire is always a dangerous thing. In the case of an accident, you can extinguish a fire in a number of ways. One of them is by using baking soda.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does a kitchen gas burner glow yellow when liquid comes in contact with it?

If you have been in the kitchen when your mother boils some water or milk, you may notice the flame of the gas burner turns yellow when liquid comes in contact with the flame. Did you know that there is chemistry at work behind this?

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Everyday Chemistry - How to harness the power of the waves

The earth is running out of fossil fuel. Soon there will be none left. So, the search for a clean and efficient alternative is on in full-swing. Harnessing the power of the waves is one way to create energy. Have you felt the power of the waves when taking a bath in the sea? The energy produced by surface ocean waves is tremendous. It's used to create electricity, to pump water into reservoir, and in desalination.

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Everyday Chemistry - Ever wondered why people use Iodine in CAT scans?

Have you ever been to a hospital with a person who needed to have a CAT scan done and wondered what that was all about? A CAT scan is a special kind of X-ray. It provides a three dimensional image of what is inside an object by using several two dimensional X-ray images. You may have seen a nurse giving patients an injection before the CAT scan begins. This is usually a solution of iodine.

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Everyday Chemistry - The science behind soda water

We all love to have a sip of our favourite soft drink when we are thirsty, especially in summers. And we also love to have a little fizz in it. This fizz is the bubbly effervescence that is produced by adding pressurized carbon dioxide gas to water. It's also called carbonated water or just soda water.

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Everyday Chemistry - The origins of soap

Everyone needs to stay clean, whether we like it or not. After a rough day on the playing field, a bath with soap gives us that fresh feeling. Soap is wonderful, the way it bubbles and the sweet smell that it has. Apart from bathing, we wash our clothes and clean our utensils with soap. We use soap everyday but do we know the story of soap? It is an excellent example of everyday chemistry in action.

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Everyday Chemistry - The secret about smog

On a cold winter morning, if you take a walk outside in our nation's capital, you are likely to be surrounded by a thick cloud of smoke. And you may not be able to see anything at all. This is because of smog. Here is a little clarity about why things get smoky during the winters.

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Everyday Chemistry - It's raining raincoats

When it rains, it pours. The only way to stay dry when there are strong winds is a raincoat. You may use one when you go to school or you may have seen your dad wear one when he goes for work in the rainy season. Haven't you ever wondered how these raincoats are different from the normal clothes you wear?

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do we detect an odour when LPG leaks

Your mother might have warned you many times to tell her if you ever get a pungent smell from the kitchen. The smell might have been from a gas leak. Read on to know what it actually is. And what you should do when you detect a leak.

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Everyday Chemistry - Global warming and greenhouse gases

The earth is surrounded by an envelope of gases called atmosphere. These layers of gases include gases called Greenhouse gases. It is these gases that make living on our planet possible.

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Everyday Chemistry - Getting to know glass

It's very clear that glass is an important part of our everyday lives. From the glass we drink water in, to the spectacles we wear, to window panes; glass is just everywhere.

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Everyday Chemistry - Geothermal energy: Harnessing the power of the planet

Wouldn't it be interesting if the earth were a rechargeable battery that we could use for all our energy needs. With geothermal energy this may just be possible.

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Everyday Chemistry - Understanding genetic engineering

You must of heard of the term genetic engineering in the news or in the papers. But what does it mean? Is it good for us? What are its benefits? If you have ever had any of these queries, then you are in the right place!

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Everyday Chemistry - Fiery facts about firecrackers

We love to make noise as kids. We also like things that make noise. This is why firecrackers are so much fun. Especially the ones that make the maximum noise.

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Everyday Chemistry - All you ever wanted to know about cloud seeding

Have you ever wondered if you could make rain when you're feeling hot? Or just whenever you want? Learn how this can be possible with cloud seeding.

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Everyday Chemistry - Chocolate: Food for the Gods & food for thought

'Chocolate' is one word that is mouth watering. Who could resist the delicious aroma of melted chocolate or a crunchy chocolate bar? Did you know that chocolate has 500 flavour components and a number of types, to suit every palate? In fact, chocolate's melting point is just below your body temperature, so it melts in your mouth! The melting increases our brain activity and heart rates, making us get excited and wanting even more!

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Everyday Chemistry - Fun facts about chewing gum to chew on

Chewing gum is one of the oldest sweets known to man beginning as a chewy tree sap from the Mastiche trees of ancient Greece. Across the world even the Mayans of South America liked chewy treats. It was in the 1800s that entrepreneur John Curtis introduced chewing gum to the US with his small sticks of "Maine Pure Spruce Gum."

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Everyday Chemistry - Understanding ceramics

You must have noticed a set of smooth plates, cups and bowls at home that your mother keeps safely. She must have even told you to be careful while using it. Chances are there that these pieces of crockery are made of ceramic.

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Everyday Chemistry - Cement: the backbone of building tomorrow

Cement is the one of the most common substances used by man. Whether it's a small village, town or bustling city, cement is the one substance that helps in making strong buildings.

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Everyday Chemistry - What gives the blue in blue jeans?

Jeans are stylish. Jeans are cool. And jeans are mostly blue.

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Everyday Chemistry - The basics about balloons

Balloons are fun. Well, aren't they? Be it the small ones you see at birthday parties or the giant ones you see floating in the sky, balloons are wonderful. If you are fascinated by balloons, the chemistry behind it will just blow you away.

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Everyday Chemistry - The stinging truth about acid rain

When you hear the words acid rain, you think of something that is dangerous and is likely to burn you skin. Think about it, what could be worse than having acid which seems to burn everything it touches when falling from the sky. Why even umbrellas aren't going to help us then!

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Everyday Chemistry - The sticky truth about adhesive tape

Adhesive tape is a tape that is coated with adhesive either on one side or both, and used for temporarily or permanently joining two overlapping materials. Adhesive tape is something we all use in our daily lives. It serves a number of purposes. Its convenience makes it virtually indispensable in our homes and while at work. If for example, you accidentally tear an important document at work, you reach for an adhesive tape to fix it in a jiffy. Though this invention has become indispensable in our lives, have you ever thought about what is the science behind this invention?

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Everyday Chemistry - The history behind your eraser

An eraser is an instrument of stationery used to remove pencil and sometimes pen marks. It is rather interesting to know that before the invention of erasers slabs of wax and breadcrumbs were used to 'wipe out' charcoal or lead marks from paper. Can you imagine doing that in the classroom? The first pencils were discovered around 1560's but people did not have anything that could rub out the marks with.

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Everyday Chemistry - Interesting facts about ink

Ink is a pigment or dye that is used for colouring a surface in order to produce an image or a text. You use ink in many ways, whether it is the ink in your ballpoint pen, your father's special fountain pen or the ink used in your printer cartridge.

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Everyday Chemistry - The history and science of Post-it notes

Have you ever seen that little Post-it note that your dad uses? That square yellow paper that he uses to makes notes on and pastes it to books and newspapers, or even on the refrigerator. Isn't it interesting how you can stick it somewhere then remove it easily and stick it somewhere else entirely?

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Everyday Chemistry - The polished facts about nail polish

Women love their makeup, and out of the hundreds of makeup products, nail polish is on the top five of their list. Nail polish today has become a significant part of women's fashion and nail care. These small bottles of coloured nitrocellulose have become a symbol of the 20th century, with more than half the women using it.

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Everyday Chemistry - The chemistry behind your mother's lipstick

I am sure you have seen your mother or sister using it, or if you are a girl, you probably have one tucked somewhere for special occasions. Lipstick is that waxy crayon-like cosmetic in a tube-like container used to colour lips.

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Everyday Chemistry - Interesting facts about insect repellent

Insect repellent is a substance applied to skin, clothing and certain surfaces to prevent the attack of insects.

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Everyday Chemistry - I scream, you scream, we all scream for ice cream!

Chocolate, strawberry, mint, chocolate chip, butterscotch, vanilla - the list is endless. You may have just one favourite flavour, but whether we're five years old or fifty, we all love ice cream don't we? But there's a lot more to ice cream than most of us generally know.

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Everyday Chemistry - The basics about biogas

Biogas is formed when organic matter breaks down due to no oxygen. This gas is made of methane and carbon dioxide and is used as a fuel. As a form of fuel, biogas is especially important for the villages of India, who use it for their cooking.

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Everyday Chemistry - Tree logging and its environmental impact

Have you seen cartoons and movies in which people, while cutting trees, shout 'Timber" as loudly as they can? This is to alert co-workers and people in the area as a safety precaution that a tree is going to fall.The process of cutting down trees in large numbers for the purpose of timber or forest management is called logging.

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Everyday Chemistry - Fast facts about food colours

Isn't it interesting to eat colourful food? Did you know that often food colouring is added to make what you eat so colourful? Any digestible substance added to food or drink in order to change its colour is known as food colour. Food colours are used both commercially as well as in domestic cooking.

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Everyday Chemistry - What goes into making a pencil

I am sure you would have used a pencil in the recent past. Whether it was just to doodle something or to take down notes, the pencil is an excellent tool to make a marking that is not permanent. Pencils are usually made of graphite or in some cases coloured pigment or charcoal, encased in a wooden cylinder. It can be used for writing, marking and drawing.

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Everyday Chemistry - Sparkling facts about tooth whiteners

Everybody loves to have white teeth. One of the most common procedures that dentists do these days is cosmetic dentistry. In this, tooth whitening is the most common and successful procedure. Over the last few years, tooth whitening has become very popular as it's an easy, inexpensive way to show off.

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Everyday Chemistry - The chemistry of correction fluid

Correction fluid is an opaque, white fluid that is used to paint over writing or painting errors. Before the invention of word processors, correction fluid was the easiest way you could correct a mistake in a handwritten document.

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Everyday Chemistry - The story of paper

Story books, newspapers, magazines and notebooks are all made of paper. Though we use paper every day, we take it for granted since it's easily available. Yet inventing paper itself was a challenge for man.

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Everyday Chemistry - Coral Bleaching

Corals are one of nature's wonders. You may have seen videos of divers swimming near colourful coral reefs documentaries or movies. These beautiful sea organisms are now losing the algae that give them their colour. This loss of colour is caused by stress factors like pollution, water temperature and sedimentation and is known as coral bleaching.

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Everyday Chemistry - Let's understand lactose intolerance

Everyone enjoys a healthy glass of milk to go with doughnuts, cakes, pancakes, cheese, cookies and such food. Yet not everyone can have milk or any of these foods. Why? Because there are some people who have something called lactose intolerance. Their bodies can't digest lactose, the sugar found in almost every dairy product.

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Everyday Chemistry - Is jelly a solid or a liquid?

We enjoy having jelly for dessert. It is not only a colourful dessert, the way jelly wobbles makes us enjoy playing with it while we eat. Why jelly wobbles all boils down to chemistry.

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Everyday Chemistry - Is too much water bad for you?

The first thing you reach for when you are thirsty is a glass of water. Nothing quenches your thirst like a glass of water. However, too much of anything is not good. Drinking too much water can give you water intoxication.

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Everyday Chemistry - Protein, the building blocks of our body

Protein plays an important role in your diet. Our body needs protein as it is a major part of the skin, muscles, organs and glands. This is why your mother plans your diet to ensure you have a lot of protein in it.

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Everyday Chemistry - Shedding a little light on photovoltaic cells

Do you remember seeing your dad's calculator that had that strange strip which powered it? Remember how you were playing with it when you asked him to help you solve your maths problem? Wasn't it fun to keep your finger over the strip and after a time to see the calculator shut down? That was a photovoltaic cell, the thing that makes solar energy possible.

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Everyday Chemistry - The sticky facts about superglue

One of the strongest glues available at your local hardware store is Superglue. Just one-square inch of this glue can hold up to a ton! What's more this glue is fast. It can fix anything within seconds of applying it.

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Everyday Chemistry - The chemistry that brews in your cup of coffee

Today there are cafe's everywhere and new ones keep cropping up. Everyone enjoys a coffee break to catch up over a cup of coffee. Though we enjoy drinking a cup of coffee, few of us know that it is the chemistry behind your cup of coffee that makes it enjoyable?

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does cabbage change colour when cooked?

If you have ever watched your mother cooking red cabbage you might have noticed it changes colour once it's cooked. Strange isn't it? Not if you think that cooking is chemistry after all and this is another excellent example of chemistry in our everyday life.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why doesn't oil dissolve in water?

Water is the 'universal solvent', almost all substances dissolve in it. Oil is the one substance that does not dissolve in water. However hard you try you will always see that if you try to mix the two, you will notice that the oil layer lies about the water.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does hair turn grey?

Having grey hair is part of growing old. Even in your own family you are likely to have uncles and aunts who have grey or white hair. The changing of hair colour is just another example of chemistry at work in your own body.

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Everyday Chemistry - The chemistry behind batteries!

Can you imagine what a day without batteries would be like? Almost everything around us is powered by batteries. From your television remote to your mobile phone and even the family car has a battery in it. Without the battery, our life would be a tangled mess. We would have to use long extension wires for anything that needed to move a distance.

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Everyday Chemistry - Few facts about fuel cells

Have you heard of the electric car? These cars are very similar to the normal cars. What makes these cars different is that they use large batteries to power them instead of using petrol. What make these environmentally friendly cars possible are fuel cells.

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Everyday Chemistry - The fundamentals of fermentation

Though you may never have heard of fermentation, you are likely to have experienced it. Fermentation helped make that piece of toast you had for breakfast. It is also responsible for making yoghurt, wine and beer.

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Everyday Chemistry - What makes stain removers, remove stains?

Even though our mother warns us time and again, we somehow manage to drop something like tea or dal on our favourite shirt. That shirt would be ruined if it were not our mother's stain remover. Did you know that there are more than ten different types of stain remover? These range from stain removal powders, tablets, liquids, to sprays.

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Everyday Chemistry - How the paints that colour our lives work

We all like a bit of colour in our life. Man has been using paints to give us this touch of colour ever since the days of cave paintings where red and yellow ochre colouring was used to draw pictures. Today paints and dyes are used for everything from home appliances to homes themselves.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why cold cream is so cool to touch

Cold cream gets its name from the cool feeling that you get when you apply it on your skin. It is used to cleanse the skin, remove makeup and soften the skin. They are also used on sunburnt skin. How this cream manages it is a cool bit of chemistry.

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Everyday Chemistry - How plastics are made

We all use products that are made out of plastics. From the toothbrush that we use in the morning to the plastic cutlery of take away food, plastic has become part and parcel of our life.

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Everyday Chemistry - Understanding hydrocarbons

Hydrocarbons are compounds that are made entirely out of hydrogen and carbon. We come across hydrocarbons in our day to day lives but don't realise it at times. When you go to the petrol bunk you fill your car with a mixture of hexane-septane-octane- nonane mixture. Doesn't sound familiar? Its gasoline!

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Everyday Chemistry - Astounding facts about alcohols

Think of alcohol and you may think of the drinks like beer, wine and whisky that your dad may lock away or reserves for those special parties where only 'adults' are allowed to drink. But for a chemist, these are just few of the alcohols that a chemist knows.

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Everyday Chemistry - The making of moth balls

Moth balls are small balls of chemical pesticide used to protect your clothes against moths. The vapour of the moth ball, that smells pleasant to humans, kills both moths and moth larvae. Mothballs are highly toxic and should be kept out of reach of children and pets.

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Everyday Chemistry - Fruity facts about carboxylic acid

Do you remember the amazing refreshing feeling of a glass of lemonade on a hot summer's day? You may have noticed the sharp sour taste of the lemonade. This tartness is a result of carboxylic acids. This is an organic acid that is found in a variety of fruits including grapes, lemons and vinegar.

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Everyday Chemistry - Discovering carbohydrates!

Carbohydrates are organic compounds of carbon, hydrogen and oxygen. The proportion between the hydrogen and oxygen in this is the same as it is in water. Plants produce carbohydrates by the process of photosynthesis.

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Everyday Chemistry - A few facts about carbon fibre

Carbon fibre is a lightweight yet strong substance. Many things from sports equipment like golf clubs and tennis racquets to sports cars use carbon fibre. Carbon fibre is easily identifiable by its unique chequered appearance.

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Everyday Chemistry - Getting down to earth with facts about fertilisers

Just like the human body requires important nutrients to survive, plants also need essential nutrients. Apart from getting these nutrients naturally, we sometimes help plants by giving them fertilisers that encourage their growth.

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Everyday Chemistry - What makes an eggshell and why do they crack?

You may have heard your mother telling you that when you boil an egg you should keep it in cold water and then heat it slowly. Did you know that there is chemistry at work behind this advice?

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Everyday Chemistry - Household cleaners

We use chemicals to keep our house clean. Two popular chemicals used for this are ammonia and bleach. Though both are effective cleaners, you might notice a warning on their containers telling you not to mix each other.

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Everyday Chemistry - The colourful truth about dyes

We all like to wear colourful clothes. Whether a special occasion or just daily wear, it's always nice to add a little colour in our lives. Dyes are the chemical substances that are responsible for turning plain cloth into the colourful garments that we wear every day.

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Everyday Chemistry - Mighty Milk

Most of us enjoy a glass of milk. Whether we have it plain or flavoured, milk is the ultimate health drink that our parents have given us. This white wonder is full of healthy vitamins and other chemicals.

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Everyday Chemistry - Looking back at Plaster of Paris

We have all seen a plaster cast some time or the other. They help people who have had accidents and broken their bones to get better quickly. The same substance is used to make sculptures and decorate your home.

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Everyday Chemistry - The sparkling truth about diamonds

Diamonds are always called a girl's best friend. They are formed from carbon and are used for a variety of purposes from jewellery to use in lasers and cutting and polishing tools. Though most diamonds are colourless you do come across a few; rare coloured diamonds.

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Everyday Chemistry - How antacids work

There are times when your tummy is not all right, after you have been eating all that junk food and soft drinks. Your mummy might give you some pills to make you feel better. It is likely that this medicine is an antacid. Learn about how these medicines help you feel better and the chemistry behind them.

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Everyday Chemistry - Whipping egg whites into shape

You might notice that some of your mother's recipe books specifically ask you to beat egg white in glass bowls. Even these little things are connected to Chemistry.

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Everyday Chemistry - Creating artificial fog

Artificial smoke and fog provides a special effect for music artists performing on stage. Most artists make use of this effect to complement it with lighting while they are on tour. This extraordinary visual effect would not be possible were it not for chemistry.

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Everyday Chemistry - Lava Lamp

Lava lamps are interesting curios to have. Though they often don't look like much, we kids are captivated by how those little blob things are always in motion is quite fascinating.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does wine get crystals over time?

The process that turns grape juice into red or white wine is basically a chemical process. Discover the chemistry behind this process.

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Everyday Chemistry - Colouring Easter Eggs

By Dr. Nagabhushana K S

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Everyday Chemistry - A flash of light

Taking photographs is always fun. But when the sun goes down and there is hardly any light, it is difficult to take a photo. Today this is no longer a problem with the invention of camera flash.

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Everyday Chemistry - Keeping things dry

We often find small sachets in the packaging of expensive electronic equipment like cameras or cell phones. These little packets contain substances called desiccants, which are used to ensure everything stays dry.

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Everyday Chemistry - Colourful seashells

She sells sea shells on the sea shore. You might have heard this tongue twister before. You may even have collected shells from the beach before. But have you ever wondered how these spectacular sea shells get their beautiful colours?

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Everyday Chemistry - The chemistry of rocketry

For a long time man has aspired to reach the stars. Rockets have taken man to the moon and back. Today one of the most spectacular sights to see is the billows of white clouds that accompany a shuttle lift off. It's time to learn about the basic chemistry behind rocketry.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is hydrogen peroxide stored in dark bottles?

You may have noticed that the hydrogen peroxide in your school laboratory is always stored in a dark tinted bottle. Ever wondered why?

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Everyday Chemistry - Vinegar and its winning properties

If you have seen copper or bronze statutes or curios you may have noticed that they turn black or green in colour. Did you know that you can use vinegar to clean this?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Balancing Chemical Equations

Have a tough time balancing chemical equations? This video will show you how.

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Everyday Chemistry - A tale of vinegar and hard water

If you live in an area where the water is hard, you may notice that when you wash utensils, a thin white stain is left behind. Did you know you can use vinegar to remove these stains?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: The mole and Avogadro's number

The mole is defined as an amount of any substance that contains 6.023 X 10^23 atoms or molecules of that substance.

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Everyday Chemistry - Stepping into the limelight

When you are the focus of everyone's attention, you have stepped into the limelight. Ever wondered how the expression arose?

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Everyday Chemistry - How does an anaesthetic put you to sleep?

Someone in your family may have had an operation. Have you wondered why they are made to sleep before being taken to the operation theatre?

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Everyday Chemistry - How is puff pastry made?

Whenever you eat a khari biscuit or a veg. puff, have you ever wondered how the baker made those thin, crispy layers? There's a lot of chemistry behind it.

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Everyday Chemistry - How are glass bulbs frosted?

When studying for exams, you may have been bothered by the harsh glare from a light bulb or tube light. Use a frosted bulb, which reduces glare by giving diffused light.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is chlorine added to swimming pools?

Ever taken a dip in a swimming pool, and wondered why the water tastes funny? That's because of the chlorine added to the water, as a disinfectant.

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Everyday Chemistry - Chilly hot, water cold, chilly hot again?

When you've eaten something spicy, you take a quick gulp of water to damp the hotness. But after sometime, it feels hot again. Why?

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Everyday Chemistry - Now you see it, now you don't!

If your father is a diplomat you might have noticed him scribbling on a note with a pen that didn't seem to have any ink in it. Though invisible ink is something you read in stories it really does exist. Here's how it works.

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Everyday Chemistry - Growing Greener Food

While chemistry has been a great benefit to us, sometimes its applications have caused harm. The widespread use of chemical pesticides and fertilizers is an example. One step towards the solution is growing more organic food.

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Everyday Chemistry - How can I earn carbon credits?

Every activity we do leads to the emission of some carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. Do you know that you can now measure how much carbon dioxide you are using, and thus know how to reduce it? This is done by trading 'carbon credits'.

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Everyday Chemistry - Making Eco-friendly Plastics

When you next go shopping, you'll probably come back with a plastic bag or two. Try an experiment with it. Take a flower pot, and bury a paper bag and a plastic bag in it. Wait for a month, and dig them out. Which one had degraded?

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Everyday Chemistry - E-waste: Reduce, Recycle, Reuse

Nowadays, we've hardly bought a new mobile phone or computer that new models appear. Have you ever wondered what happens to those old phones and laptops we stopped using?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: What happens when crude oil spills into the sea?

If you watch news on TV, you may have seen images of petroleum spilling into the sea in the Gulf of Mexico. It causes a lot of environmental destruction, as it affects the fishes and other creatures of the sea, as well as birds like pelicans and sea gulls that live by the sea. But why does an oil spill cause so much destruction?

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Everyday Chemistry - Disposing radioactive wastes safely

Radioactive materials play an important role in our lives. Some of the electricity you use comes from a nuclear power plant which uses them. Radio-isotopes are used in many medical applications. But did you know that once used, radioactive substances must be disposed off carefully?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Carbon Dioxide (part I)

We know today that carbon dioxide released into the atmosphere by our activities is causing climate change. But how much do we understand of this intriguing molecule, and how important it is to us?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Carbon Dioxide (part II)

In the last video, we saw how carbon dioxide was useful to us in many ways. So why is it such a danger to the planet?

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Everyday Chemistry - The green way to bright light

We often see posters or TV ads advising us to shift from ordinary tube lights and bulbs to CFL lamps. Let's explore why it makes sense, and why it is good for the environment to do so.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: How Plants matter to Chemistry

The plant kingdom is very important to us, for it provides us with food, clothing, wood and many other products. Most importantly, plants convert carbon dioxide to life. What secrets do they hold for our future?

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Everyday Chemistry - Catalysing a greener planet

If you or your friend bought a car recently, you may know that it has to adhere to BS-IV emission standards. Ever wondered what these are, and why we must stick by them?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Understanding pH

If you have had difficulty in school trying to understand the concept of pH, here's a video that can help.

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Everyday Chemistry - An Electrifying Tale of Furniture Polish

Try this little experiment. Take an old, unpolished piece of wood and rub it vigorously with a woolen (or cotton) cloth. Then bring the piece near your hand. Did you get a small electric shock?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: The Fuss about Uranium

You'll have seen or read in the news about how some countries are trying to develop nuclear weapons, and how some countries are trying to stop them. The element uranium lies below all of this fuss, so let's try to understand its chemistry.

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Everyday Chemistry - What is chromatography?

Some medicines we buy are mixtures of two or more drugs in a particular proportion. But how do manufacturers ensure that those proportions are correct? They use an analytical technique called chromatography.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: The chemistry of the World Cup

In the final of the FIFA World Cup 2010 in South Africa, you must have watched Spain hold aloft the golden Cup itself. So we thought it would be apt to share a video explaining the chemistry behind the making of the cup!

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Everyday Chemistry - The chemistry of perming & rebonding

Some of us have naturally curly hair but want it straightened; others have it naturally straight but want it curly. But whatever the style you like to wear, there's chemistry involved in it!

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Everyday Chemistry - How do oysters make pearls?

Pearls have fascinated people since ancient times. Their colour, iridescence, shape and smoothness make them fascinating. But do you know that more than 99% of pearls today are not made naturally?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: the 'Traffic Lights' Reaction

Have you watched a solution that changes colour from green to red? Here's a video that shows how chemistry can be quite fun.

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Everyday Chemistry - How does reverse osmosis purify water?

If you go to an appliances shop, you'll notice many brands of water purifiers that work by reverse osmosis. You may have one at home too. But how exactly does reverse osmosis work?

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does a car windshield repel water?

Next time you drink a glass of water, try cleaning it with a piece of rubber. There will still be a thin film of water left on the glass. Now look at how a car's windshield wiper works. How does that clean off the water, though it is made of rubber too?

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Everyday Chemistry - How do bullet-proof jackets stop bullets?

If you like action films, you might watch the hero battle all the villains, and remain unhurt even though the villains are firing hundreds of bullets at him. He's wearing a bullet-proof jacket, but how does that work?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Understanding Chemical Bonds

If you have had difficulty trying to know the difference between covalent, ionic and metallic bonds, here's a video that can help.

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Everyday Chemistry - Potassium permanganate: the all rounder salt

If you've seen a well being cleaned, you may have noticed that a reddish brown powder is thrown into it. That would be potassium permanganate, which is one of chemistry's most useful substances.

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Everyday Chemistry - Cholesterol: the Good, the Bad and the Ugly

You may have seen some TV ads talking about managing cholesterol with one or the other brand of cooking oil. Let's try and understand how cholesterol is important to us.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Demystifying mercury

We have all had to use a thermometer some time or the other. If you ever wondered what that silvery fluid that helps tell temperature about, this is the perfect video for you.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why are cakes baked in borosilicate glass dishes?

When you're baking a cake at home, your mom will tell you to put the cake mix in a special borosilicate glass dish to keep for baking. Why does she ask you to do that?

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Everyday Chemistry - Collodion: the stuff of horror and healing

We may rarely watch a horror movie, but we often wonder how those grotesque effects were created. Or perhaps how film artists make fake scars and bruises. Let's explore the chemistry of special effects make-up!

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Aqua Regia and dissolving gold

Gold has always been considered the metal of kings. Yet even this precious metal cannot withstand the chemistry of Aqua Regia - dissolver of gold.

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Everyday Chemistry - How do we clean up an oil spill?

We've been seeing news of the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, but now there's one much closer home. After two ships collided on Monday in the Arabian Sea, lots of petroleum has leaked, and is reaching the coast of Mumbai. How bad is it going to get?

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Everyday Chemistry - The story of gums: the plot gets thicker

What makes chewing gum gummy? What makes jam jammy? What makes sauce saucy? It's gum! So let's read a story about gums.

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Everyday Chemistry - Indoor Pollution: The Dangers at Home

It is so refreshing to get back inside the house after a tiring day, leaving behind the noise, air and light pollution of the traffic. But did you know that pollution is as serious a problem indoors as it is outdoors?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Carvone (Spearmint)

Chewing gum is so much fun to have. Who can resist the fresh taste of spearmint? Did you know that the chemical Carvone is responsible for this fantastic flavor?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Fiery phosphorus

You know a match helps to light a fire but did you know phosphorus is the key element used in making match sticks? This video explains the chemical characteristics of phosphorus and why it is such a hot element.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why are Noble Gases noble?

In many cultures, those who do not get angry when provoked, do not get influenced by anything and keep their dignity when in the presence of 'base' people are called 'noble'. Now what if a gas showed these traits? Would you call it a Noble Gas?

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Everyday Chemistry - What gives gems their colour?

If you've seen 'Pirates of the Caribbean', you'll have seen people fighting over rubies, pearls, diamonds and other coloured stones. What makes them so colourful and shiny, and why are they so precious?

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Everyday Chemistry - Mirror Compounds - A Tale of Twins

You'd have seen few twins as unlike each other as the boys in the Suite Life of Zack and Cody. In chemistry too, there are twins, like the chemicals that give oranges and lemons their flavours. They're called mirror compounds.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is Copper added to Gold Jewellery?

Let's tell you a jeweller's secret - the gold jewellery your mom wears, isn't pure gold at all! It's actually an alloy of copper or silver with varying amounts of gold! So why do jewellers and goldsmiths do this?

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Everyday Chemistry - What makes perfumes smell nice?

When your mom is going to a party, you'll have seen her spray on some expensive perfume. Why does she do this? What's the secret in the bottle?

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Everyday Chemistry - How does milk of magnesia work?

If you don't eat on time, you get a feeling of uneasiness and stomach pain, right? Adults call it acidity. Let's see what it means, and how milk of magnesia can cure it.

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Everyday Chemistry - Chemistry of fibreglass

If we told you that you could make a crash-proof car entirely out of glass, you'ld never believe us. But not just cars, even motor-boats and aeroplanes are made of glass today. The secret is in how the glass is made - as fibres!

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Everyday Chemistry - How is artificial rain made?

What's common to boiling water, artificial rain and the Mentos-Diet Coke reaction? It's nucleation! Let's see what that means.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Guncotton

Today, we know nitrocellulose as the material with which film rolls are made. But did you know there's a raw form of it called guncotton?

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Everyday Chemistry - How are synthetic fibres made?

Imagine you're getting late for school, and you discover that your shirt hasn't been ironed. It makes you so angry, doesn't it? Well, do you know there are fabrics that don't need ironing? They're called synthetics.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Hydrochloric Acid

It's a very dangerous acid, and yet it's found in our stomachs and helps us digest food! Let's know more about hydrochloric acid.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: More About Hydrochloric Acid

In an earlier video, we learned a bit about hydrochloric acid. Let's understand more about this famous acid.

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Everyday Chemistry - The Artificial Ripening of Fruits

If you've ever had a fruit before it ripens, you'll never forget the sour, unpleasant taste. So why are fruits unripe in the first place, and why does it ripen later on? Let's look beneath the skin.

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Everyday Chemistry - How do lithium ion rechargeable batteries work?

Once you've used a battery, you've got to throw it away. But batteries contain many poisonous chemicals, which damage the environment. That's why the world is shifting to rechargeable batteries. Shall we see how these work?

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Everyday Chemistry - The Chemistry of Cheese-making

Who does not love cheese - whether as the sticky covering on hot pizza or as the hard cubes that are delicious to nibble at? Let's have a look at how it is made, and try and make some ourselves.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Penicillin

Sometimes, a molecule comes along that changes the whole world. One such is penicillin - the antibiotic that has saved countless lives since it was discovered accidentally. Let's know more.

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Everyday Chemistry - What is neutral soap?

Some people nowadays use special liquid soaps and beauty bars to wash their hands, instead of regular soap. Think they're being snobby? Not really. Let's have a peep into what's in those special soaps.

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Everyday Chemistry - What are antioxidants?

All of us love drinking fruit juice. Did you know they provide us with a nutrient we really need - antioxidants. Let's see how.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Exploding Cake

When you think of a chemist, do you think of a serious person in a white coat? But chemists love to have fun too, in their own special way. Here's a video of a special chemistry party!

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Everyday Chemistry - What makes Teflon non-sticky?

Ever tried to make an omelette in an ordinary frying pan? Did it stick to the pan and give you a hard time getting it off, right? That's why we use Teflon-coated non-stick pans. Let's see what is non-stick about it.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is boric powder used in carrom boards?

Say 'acid' and what's the image that comes to mind? A fuming liquid inside a glass jar, too dangerous to handle. We don't think of boric acid, do we? But it's among the most useful chemicals to have around the house!

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do confection products use invert sugar?

Who doesn't like boiled sweets? The translucent colours and shapes, and the sweet seeping into the tongue as you suck on the sweet. So why not have a look into how they are made?

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Silver Mirror

Do you know that the reflecting side of a mirror is made of silver? Here's a video that shows you how to make one!

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is salt used to thaw ice?

Have you seen people sprinkling salt over snow in the winter? (You might have seen it on TV) It's used to keep the roads free of snow. It's also the way to make ice-cream!

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Chocolates and Roses

We like it so much when we are given chocolates and roses as gifts. Here's a video that tells you about the chemistry that makes them so pleasant.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Heavy Water

Heavy water is made of a heavier isotope of hydrogen called deuterium. But is it really heavier than water? Here's a video that finds out.

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Everyday Chemistry - How is a mirror silvered?

Ever been to a mirror maze in an amusement park? Did the reflections get you completely lost, and made you wonder how these things are made? If yes, you'll find the answers here!

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: a bigger periodic table?

We created an interactive periodic table for you that explains all about elements in a fun way. Now news comes that the table might just get bigger!

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Everyday Chemistry - How do light sticks work?

If you go on a camping vacation, do pack some light sticks in your kit. They are useful for getting some light without electricity or matches. And they come in lots of colours.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Chemistry in India

Let's join Prof. Poliakoff on a journey through India, as he experiences both achievement and tragedy in chemistry.

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Everyday Chemistry - What causes 'hospital smell'?

Ever stepped into a hospital, and immediately noticed the curious smell? It's not the smell of disease, but of a particular disinfectant that hospitals prefer to use. This disinfectant is iodoform.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do pumice stones float in water?

Imagine having a bath with volcanic foam. Weird? Not really, because lots of people use it everyday - as pumice stones.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is sulfuric acid called the king of chemicals?

What's common to petrol, fertilizers, cars and soaps? They, like a lot of other things, require sulfuric acid to be made. That's why sulfuric acid is called the king of chemicals.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Graphene

Imagine a great sheet of material just one atom thick, but which is very useful. Here's a video about it.

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Everyday Chemistry - Cream of tartar: your friend in the kitchen

Why are tarts and pastries made in bakeries so much smoother than when we make them at home? That's because they use a secret ingredient - cream of tartar.

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Everyday Chemistry - Video: Mountaintop Chemistry

Did you think chemistry meant there had to be a big lab with lots of gadgets? Here's a video, where scientists make an anti-cancer drug - in a tent on top of a mountain!

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Everyday Chemistry - What is dry ice?

Tried making ice-cream at home? All that ice and salt makes such a mess, doesn't it? What if there was a dry kind of ice, that didn't melt into a mess? Well, there is - it's called dry ice.

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Everyday Chemistry - How does Mayonnaise remain creamy all the time?

Mayonnaise is such a fun thing to eat - it goes with bread, chapattis, burgers, pizzas, everything. How does it stay creamy all the time - even though it keeps going in and out of the fridge?

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Everyday Chemistry - What is Ozonised Water?

In your school water cooler, you might have seen a huge, inverted plastic jar saying 'Ozonised water'. Ever wondered why anyone wants to put ozone in drinking water?

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Everyday Chemistry - Are tins really made of tin?

Ever waited impatiently, for mum or dad to open a tin of pineapples or rosogollas, floating in sugar syrup? Did you know the tin can isn't actually made of tin?

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Everyday Chemistry - What causes aluminium to stain?

If you've seen mom or dad cooking rice in an aluminium pressure cooker, you might notice they put a slice of lemon in the cooker. Wonder why they do that? What would happen if the lemon wasn't there?

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Everyday Chemistry - How does thermal ink work?

Can you write without ink on a piece of paper? If you had some special fax paper, and an old refill, there's a special trick you can use to write. That's called thermal printing!

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does stainless steel remain stainless?

Actually, stainless steel does get stains that may be hard to remove. But 'stain' here refers to rust, which is something stainless steel rarely catches. Ever wondered why?

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do old books become yellow?

Walk into a big library, and you'll see many old books that have become yellow and brittle. Why did that happen? How can we make them stay fresh forever?

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Everyday Chemistry - Why are Octane Ratings important?

Have you ever wondered about how petrol actually powers your car's engine? Or how safe it is? Here is a closer look at the chemistry behind octane and how its rating works.

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Everyday Chemistry - How is milk powder made?

Who doesn't love the taste of milk powder, whether dry or dissolved in milk. Do you know that as powder, milk can be preserved for years together? Let's have a look into how it is made.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why are people's fingers marked during elections?

Whenever an election comes round, you'll see that people who voted have an ink mark on their fingers. Why do they get it, and why does it not rub off?

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Everyday Chemistry - How do you froth milk?

When you go to a coffee shop, do you wonder how they make those pretty patterns on the coffee froth? And did you ever wonder why you get a thick froth in the shop coffee, but just a thin one at home?

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Everyday Chemistry - How are essences made?

When you open a bottle of rose or lavender scent, do you wonder how it came to be there? Let's have a look at how the fragrance of a rose is trapped and bottled!

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Everyday Chemistry - How do plaster casts help healing?

If any of your friends has had an accident, you'll see the hurt arm covered in plaster. Why do doctors do this? Chemistry tells us why.

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Everyday Chemistry - How does aqua regia clean gold ornaments?

Sometimes you may have seen an old gold ornament at home that has got spots or other signs of age. Your parents may take it to a 'polisher' to get it cleaned and polished. But did you know that the polisher actually removes a layer of gold?

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Everyday Chemistry - How is float glass made?

Nowadays, we see buildings that seem to be made entirely of glass. Huge sheets of glass that rise to several storeys. Let's have a peek at how these glass sheets are made.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do some dyes 'run' when washed?

You may be familiar with this. You bought a very attractive looking dress, but it lost some of its colour when you washed it. Ever wondered what caused it to lose colour? Let's have a look.

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Everyday Chemistry - What are watermarks?

Have you held a currency note to the light and seen all the secret pictures on it? Those are called watermarks. Let's have a peek into how they are made.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do cut apples turn brown?

You start eating an apple, and just then you friend calls you up about homework, and you're speaking for hours together. When you come back to your apple, it's gone brown all over. What happened?

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do jet planes leave a trail behind them?

Ever looked at a blue, cloudless sky, and seen a jet plane fly across it, leaving a long, thin trail of white clouds? Have you noticed that passenger planes don't seem to leave any trail like that? Let's find out why.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is blood collected in 'heparinised' vials?

When you have to take a blood test, do you notice that the lab person collects your blood into a special tube marked 'heparinised'? Let's find out why a special vial is needed.

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Everyday Chemistry - How do things catch fire?

It's red, yellow or orange. It's hot, bright and wants to burns everything it touches. It also gives light, warmth and cooks your food.
Everybody knows about fire, but what starts it?

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Everyday Chemistry - How does a cup of coffee keep me awake?

Remember the late nights during exams when the only thing on your mind was crawling into bed? And how a single cup of hot coffee kept you up all night with your books? Let's find out how.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do some balloons float upwards and others don't?

Every one loves balloons. Round, colourful and they explode with a bang.
Have you wondered why the balloons we blow ourselves don't float, while some float up and away?
Hold your breath...the secret is about to be revealed.

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Everyday Chemistry - Is it true that sugar explodes?

Imagine you are at the breakfast table and about to put some cereal in the milk. Now as you reach for the sugar from the bowl, the spoon clinks against the bowl and - BOOM? Sounds impossible? Could be. Read on to find out more.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does snow look white?

One of the reasons why we love snow is that it's clean, pure and white. Snow wouldn't be snow if it wasn't white. But if you think about it, it seems weird that snow is white at all, since it's just a bunch of transparent ice crystals stuck together. So where does it get its color?

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Everyday Chemistry - How does popcorn pop?

The sound of popcorn popping is almost as much fun as eating it. No wonder it is the most popular snack at movie halls and homes around the world. But what makes it pop in this unique way? Stop wondering and read on.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why can we see through glass?

Window panes, drinking glasses, lenses for spectacles, cameras and telescopes, table tops, paper weights... Glass is so much a part of everyday life that we rarely stop and ask how we can see through glass?

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Everyday Chemistry - How do artificial flavors work?

All the snacks and chocolates that you love to feast on have something in common. If you read the packaging carefully you'll see the text 'Contains Artificial Flavors'. If you ever wondered what that means, read on.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does chocolate turn grey sometimes? Is it still safe to eat?

Chocolate - the magic word that can make anyone smile. But what happens when this wonderful treat turns grey? Well let's find out.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why are fertilizers indispensible to gardening and agricultural practices?

Plants are also considered as living beings of nature just like humans, animals and other living stock. Just like how we humans need extra vitamin, calcium and other supplements apart from our normal intake of nutrition to stay healthy, plants need fertilizers to grow and stay healthy. In order for the plants to grow, they need a number of chemical elements. Let us find out how fertilizers work.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is coir used to make ropes and mats?

Coir has taken a huge place in our everyday life. Can we imagine a life without ropes, mats or mattresses these days? Talking about coir, let us first know what it is and why is it used to make some of our very useful household items.

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Everyday Chemistry - What renders garlic its pungent smell?

Have you wondered why do we end up with a bad breath after eating food that had garlic in it? In fact, even our burps emit a foul smell after we consume garlic in our food. Why is it that in spite of using so much of deodorant our body emits a foul smell especially when we consume garlic! Let us find out the reason...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does bread favour mold and fungi?

Have you noticed some brown powder-like substance on a loaf of bread that has been kept for some days? Also, along with the brown spots, you may also notice some green coloured spots. Have you wondered why bread is so vulnerable to molds and fungi? We will tell you why...

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Everyday Chemistry - How is calcium vital to the body, especially teeth?

When one talks of milk, the first thing it gets associated with is the important nutrient, calcium. Milk is considered as an essential source of calcium. But is calcium really important to our body, especially to our teeth? What is this fuss all about calcium? Let us find out...

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Everyday Chemistry - 3 reasons why you should wear cotton in summer!

How do we feel when we come under a huge umbrella after walking for few minutes in scorching heat? Why do we start sweating too much especially if we are wearing clothes made of synthetic or any other fabric besides cotton? You will soon find an answer!

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Everyday Chemistry - What makes a Neon light Glow

Almost every city seems colourful in the evenings. It is not that someone has painted the city with particular colour but it is because of neon lights. Neon lights are being used almost everywhere. Have you ever wondered how do these neon lights glow in the dark?

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Everyday Chemistry - What are pheromones? How do they affect us everyday?

Have you wondered how do insects get attracted towards the opposite sex of their species? Well, when you ask around, you will probably find an answer like blame it on their hormones! The answer is partially right. The magic of attraction is because of pheromones.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do we smell when we sweat?

Sweating can be quite annoying especially if you have to attend an important function and you wish to look your best. Sweat tends to leave a big wet patch either on your back or under your arms. Wonder what sweat is and what makes it odorous and smelly? Let us find out...

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Everyday Chemistry - What is Mehndi or Henna?

In India, almost any celebration is incomplete without mehndi . Be it a festival, a marriage or any other auspicious occasion, a mehndi ceremony is a must-have. Talking about mehndi, let us first get to know what exactly this mehndi is and how does it get a distinct colour.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do onions make us cry?

Your mother asks you to chop some onions and the mere thought of it can literally make you cry. Have you ever wondered why do onions bring tears to our eyes when we cut them? We will tell you why...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why does ice always float and not sink?

We all love to have our drinks cold. Either we add cold water to our drink or simply toss in some ice cubes. But have you ever wondered when you add sugar to water, it goes right down to the bottom of your glass, but when you add ice cubes, they float instead of sinking. We will help you find an answer...

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Everyday Chemistry - Fire extinguishers save lives. But how do they work?

A fire extinguisher is almost a necessity in such places as it will end up saving your life and property in case of emergency like a fire. As the word goes, fire extinguisher is used to extinguish fire. But do you know how this thing works? Well let us discover...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is the sky so blue?

Have you ever tried asking this question why the sky is blue in colour to your teacher? It is interesting to know what renders the blue colour to the vast sky. Definitely there is an answer to such questions. Let us find out the answer right away.

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Everyday Chemistry - Always under attack by mosquitoes? Find out why!

Do you consider yourself sweet-blooded just because mosquitoes attack you more than others? Well, people may call it just your imagination to rule it out, however that is not right. Mosquitoes really have their preferences and may find one target more attractive than the other.

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Everyday Chemistry - How do sunscreens work?

The market is flooded with sunscreens. Each company is trying to sell their product by bringing out a unique feature. But have you ever given a thought on what these sunscreens do and how do these sunscreens work? Let us find out...

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Everyday Chemistry - Chemistry behind artificial sweeteners!

It may sound ridiculous to find a sweet that will help you maintain your weight. But it is possible. Thanks to the artificial sweeteners that have replaced the sugar in sweets! We will tell you how artificial sweeteners actually work...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do leaves change colour?

Why leaves change colour is an exciting question and the answer is also equally exciting. If you ask an average person, you will probably get an answer like the leaves dry and they wither. But that is not the right answer. Let us explore why leaves change their colour...

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Everyday Chemistry - What's the magic behind trick birthday candles?

Do you know the magic behind tricky birthday candles? The more you blow the more they relight. Is this magic? Well not really, it is simply chemistry. Let us find out the magic behind the tricky birthday candles...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why Do Rings Turn Your Finger Green or Brown?

Finger rings look good on our fingers, however, after a while the rings start discolouring our fingers. Have you wondered why this happens? This awful discolouration can be a good reason for you to stop wearing a finger ring made out of high quality metal which was an esteemed possession all this while. Let us find out the reason behind this...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why Does Turmeric Turn Red?

You are busy eating your food when a spoonful of curry falls on your white shirt. You decide to go home and wash it. The moment you dip the shirt in soap water, the stain turns red. You are horrified! How come the otherwise yellow coloured stain turned red the moment it came in contact with the soap?

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Everyday Chemistry - How do glow paints work?

Every kid likes his/her room to be painted with cartoon characters like Winnie the Pooh, Mickey Mouse or Donald Duck. And instead of sticking the boring glow stickers on the ceiling of your house, painting it with glow paints is definitely a better option as it lasts longer as compared to the stickers and gives a better look as well.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why do stars twinkle?

"Twinkle, twinkle little star, how I wonder what they are up above the world so high like a diamond in the sky!" Heard of this rhyme? This is a famous nursery rhyme that most of us would have learnt while we were kids. Indeed this rhyme makes lot of sense. How many of us know the answer behind this small question, why do stars twinkle?

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Everyday Chemistry - How hair detangler works?

Hair is the crowning glory of any girl or woman. In fact, in recent years, even men have grown a fascination towards having long tresses. Right from Bollywood to Hollywood, many actors have started a trend of long tresses and new look in their films. May it be Bruce Lee or Sanjay Dutt, most of the celebrities have boasted of great long hair at some point of their career. However, managing long hair is not a child's play. It is important to maintain them and keep them tangle-free as much as possible.

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Everyday Chemistry - Tips to Preserve Your Christmas Tree.

Cut flower preservatives contain ingredients that act as a disinfectant and help you to prevent growth of molds, fungi and algae in your Christmas tree. Let us find out how to prepare a floral preservative...

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Everyday Chemistry - How to Make Fake Snow!

Feeling depressed because the place where you stay has no snow? Well, let us prepare fake snow to give a complete Christmas feel...

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Everyday Chemistry - Discover the Chemistry Behind Snowflakes!

Have you seen a snowflake and have you ever given a thought on how the snowflakes are formed and the reason behind why they look different from other snow? Let us discover the secret behind the chemistry that is involved behind the different shapes of the snow flakes.

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Everyday Chemistry - Gift a Handmade Perfume

Instead of buying a perfume, you can actually create one and make the person feel super-special instead of just special. Let us find out how you can create a perfume.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is water hard or soft in nature?

Have you wondered why the water tastes differently in some parts of the country; especially the rural areas? We will tell you why...

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Everyday Chemistry - Do you have freckles on your face? Find out why!

Freckles are common in people who are born with light coloured hair and fair complexion. It is not that these people are the chosen ones, but it is just that there is some chemistry involved here. Let us unveil the secret behind these freckles...

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Everyday Chemistry - How do Pop Rocks Candies work?

Have you tried the pop rock candies? Pop rock candies are the hard popping candies that create a popping effect in our mouth, the moment we taste them. It may make us feel weird but they are definitely fun candies. Let us find out how these magic candies work...

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Everyday Chemistry - How do mood rings work?

We have all heard of finger rings, but have you heard of mood rings? Just as the name signifies, these rings help in knowing the mood of the person who is wearing the rings. Let us find out more about these rings...

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Everyday Chemistry - Learn How Bubbles Work!

Bubbles manage to fascinate most of us, no matter which age group we belong to. Everything has a science involved behind it and bubbles are no exceptions. Let us unveil the secret behind how these fascinating transparent balls work...

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Everyday Chemistry - How do pregnancy tests work?

Pregnancy tests help in knowing if the woman is actually pregnant or not and are considered as 97 per cent accurate when it comes to results. Let us find out the chemical activity involved in these test kits.

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Everyday Chemistry - Embarrassed about a growling stomach? Here's why it happens!

Our stomach is similar to a carton of juice. When the carton is full, it will not make any noise, however, when it is almost empty, you shake it and it will make some noise. Read on to know why our stomachs growl and make funny sounds which land us in awkward situations.

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Everyday Chemistry - What is a Hangover and how do I get rid of it?

Whenever there is a party or a holiday season coming up, adults end up drinking. Every person has his or her own favourite way of curing hangover. However, here are some chemicals that will help you get over a hangover.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why is your hair curly or straight?

Some are naturally born with curls while there are few others who rush to the salons and spend a fortune to deliberately curl their hair. What makes our hair straight, curly or wavy? Let us find out...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why are tomatoes red?

Tomatoes add a flavour to food and make the food item more interesting and appealing. Have you ever wondered what renders the red colour to these tomatoes? Let us find out...

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Everyday Chemistry - How do rechargeable batteries work?

We know that rechargeable batteries will not last indefinitely, but they are definitely better options than disposable batteries and they do help in saving our planet as well. Let us find out how these rechargeable batteries work...

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Everyday Chemistry - Microdermabrasion: Chemistry in Skin Care

One of the new breakthrough technologies in skincare that are available today is called microdermabrasion. Here is all that you wish to know about this procedure.

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Everyday Chemistry - Carbon Monoxide: Useful but Deadly

When we say the word "carbon monoxide", the first thing that comes to our mind is pollution and dangerous diseases that are associated with it. Let us find out more about this otherwise harmless molecule....

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Everyday Chemistry - Wine Making - A Chemical Process

Wine is indeed an indispensable part of any celebration. But have you ever thought of why wine tastes so good and which factors contribute to the taste of wine and how is wine brewed, what kind of chemistry is involved? Well, let us unlock all these questions...

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Everyday Chemistry - How is chemistry related to fats in your body?

Talking about fat, did you know that there is chemistry behind the fat in our body too? Yes, this is true, there is chemistry involved behind fats as well. Let us find out more about the chemistry of fat in our bodies.

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Everyday Chemistry - Why Oil and Water do not mix?

There is a perfectly good explanation for why oil and water do not mix. It all comes down to chemistry. Let us now explore...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why Does Red Cabbage Change Colour When Cooked?

When we cook this red cabbage, the cabbage changes its colour. Have you wondered how that happens? Well, you guessed it right; it is the chemistry that is again playing its part. Let us find out what happens when we cook the red cabbage...

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Everyday Chemistry - The Chemistry and Mystery of Sodium Dodecyl and Laureth Sulfates Explained

Every morning we wake up and the first thing that we do is brush our teeth. But have you ever wondered what do the tube of toothpaste and the bar of soap that we use contain? Well they contain a substance called as SDS. Let us find out more about this substance....

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Everyday Chemistry - Is Salt Bad for You?

Salt is often demonised by "food experts" as they consider it responsible in causing high blood pressure, heart disease and other health ailments in humans. However, we need to remember that this simple chemical is very important in every diet but what needs to be considered is that it should be used in moderation.

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Everyday Chemistry - Does Distilled Water Conduct Electricity?

Most of us are familiar that wires and metals conduct electricity. However, did you know that water too can help electricity travel? But not every water conducts electricity and the rate of electricity conduction is also different. Wondering how? Let us explain...

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Everyday Chemistry - Why Can't We Breathe Underwater?

It is a known fact that water is made up of oxygen and hydrogen, however, when we go underwater, why do we require an oxygen cylinder and why are we unable to breathe under water? In contrast, fishes can live only in water although they also breathe oxygen for their survival. Have you thought about this mystery?

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Everyday Chemistry - How DVDs and CDs Store Data?

Earlier, we used to use video tapes to watch movies and cassettes to listen to music. However, times have changed! We now have compact discs or CDs, DVDs and such devices, as we fondly call them, to replace the cassettes and video tapes. As the name suggests, compact discs and Digital Versatile Disc are easy to handle and compact. They occupy very less place at our household and have better storage capacity. Let us find out how these DVDs and CDs store data and how they operate....

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Everyday Chemistry - Meet Phytoalexins: Natural Plant Antibiotics

Phytochemicals help in defending plants and they are so intricate, that each taxonomic grouping of plants can be identified by the unique phytochemicals that are produced by that group. Let us find out more about phytochemicals...

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Everyday Chemistry - What is Maillard Reaction?

When you cook meat, have you wondered why the meat changes colour at different stages of cooking? This is because of the Maillard reaction. Wondering what is Maillard reaction? Well, let us find out....

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Everyday Chemistry - We know DNA. But what is RNA?

We have all heard of DNA. But what exactly is RNA? RNA is similar to DNA in many ways at the structural level however; the differences that are present make RNA chemistry very different than that of DNA.

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Everyday Chemistry - Phosphorus: The Bringer of Light

Man invented fire ages ago and till date, fire is an indispensable aspect of our everyday life. Right from cooking to light, we use fire directly or indirectly. We use matchsticks for lighting the lamp and also for many other things. The matchsticks have phosphorus and let us now find out more about phosphorus...

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Everyday Chemistry - Meet Cerium: The Rare Earth Element

Not many of us are familiar with the element Cerium. Cerium is an element used in flat television screens and compact discs and such important electronic devices. Let us find out more about this element...

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Everyday Chemistry - Cell Metabolism - A Defining Feature of Life

We often refer to this word called as metabolism. But what exactly do we mean by metabolism and what is cell metabolism in specific? Let us find out more about cell metabolism...

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Everyday Chemistry - All about natural mosquito repellents

We have always known mosquito repellents to carry pungent and irritating smell. In fact, many of us are even allergic to the smell because of the chemicals involved in these repellents. However, we do have natural mosquito repellents that are not pungent and are user friendly... Let us explore more...

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Everyday Chemistry - Can you drink too much water?

Almost every fitness book or a health club preaches one thing, "Drink lot of water". This is an open ended statement as each of our bodies is different and the requirement also differs. Another question that comes to our mind is how much water to drink and whether we can drink too much of water.

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History & Future - The environmental effects of dams

Dams are huge concrete constructions built to store water. You must have definitely seen one while traveling between cities. They are used to control flood hazards, store water for irrigation, and produce hydroelectric power. These are the benefits of a dam. But did you know they are also harmful in many ways?

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History & Future - The secret of solar energy

Sun is the life giver to everything on earth. Plants, animals and humans spring to life with the touch of the first sunrays. The sun's energy or solar energy is a form of renewable energy received from the Sun in the form of solar radiation. This energy can be used to produce solar electricity.

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History & Future - The small wonders of nano technology

Nanotechnology is a type of engineering that deals with the design and manufacture of minute electronic circuits. It is a whole new level of engineering where everything is built at a molecular level.

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History & Future - Catching CO2

We all know the ill effects of too much CO2 being in the atmosphere. This is the gas that primarily contributes to the phenomenon of global warming. The problem is that though man is producing more and more CO2 everyday how does one actually catch the CO2 we emit and what do we do with it once we do so.

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History & Future - A tale about the frigid lakes of titan

It is easy to pick out Saturn in a map of our solar system. You see it portrayed with its beautiful rings that surround the planet. Today scientists are discovering that one of the moons of Saturn, Titan has the chemistry properties to make it viable to sustain life.

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History & Future - Cutting down on coal

Our country is highly dependent on coal, as a major source of power. Today with growing environmental awareness, India has vowed to reduce its coal emissions with new power plants using clean coal technologies.

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History & Future - The promise of penicillin

Antibiotics are so common today that we take them for granted. Whenever we fall ill or get injured the doctor gives us an antibiotic to fight diseases and prevent infections. One of the first antibiotics discovered by man was Penicillin. It was discovered by Alexander Fleming, and is a drug that has been widely adopted and has lead to the development of other successful antibiotics.

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History & Future - The chemistry of photographic film

Taking a picture is such a simple thing these days. Everyone seems to have a digital camera. If not, most mobile phones come with cameras. Yet in the beginning photography was as much a science as it was an art. The invention of film is where the chemistry and physics of photography collide.

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History & Future - The promise of pasteurization

It is common practice for us to boil a glass of milk before having it. Did you know that this practice has its origins in Chemistry and the benefits of which was first discovered by the French chemist Louis Pasteur.

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History & Future - A fresh look at fresh water

We use a lot of water in our daily for drinking, cooking, washing and sanitary purposes. Today we are facing a water shortage. It has been estimated that by 2050 almost a third of the people on our planet will not have access to this resource.

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History & Future - An alternative to plastic - smart mud

Plastic plays an important role in our lives. From the toothbrush that you use in the morning to the alarm clock you set at night, it is very likely that you use some plastic everyday. Japanese scientists have now discovered a new substance that promises to be a possible alternative to plastic.

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History & Future - When the ice melts in Greenland!

You may have observed that when you leave an ice cube outside, it starts to melt and turn into water. This is because the temperature outside your freezer is much higher. Imagine then what the effect of global warming will be to those places that are full of ice. One such place is Greenland, which has lost 1500 cubic kilometres between the year 2000 and 2008.

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History & Future - The future of biofuels

Biofuels has long been considered an alternative to traditional fossil fuels. In the 80's this was one of the most popular solutions to the planets fuel crisis. Scientists today are realising the drawbacks of using this as an alternative to normal fuels.

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History & Future - A trip back to the atom

One of the first things we study in chemistry is how the atom forms the basic building block of everything. It is the simplest unit of matter. But have you ever wondered when man first discovered the atom?

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History & Future - Understanding ozone depletion

Ozone is a protective layer that surrounds the earth. Due to various forms of man made pollution there are holes forming in the ozone layer. If we do not take preventive action this continent sized hole will grow even bigger and have harmful effects for the planet.

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History & Future - What makes toothpaste work?

We use it every morning and every night, yet we never stop to wonder how toothpastes actually prevent those nasty cavities and keep us away from that terrifying dentist. The chemistry behind it is quite simple really.

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History & Future - The chemistry of alchemy

Alchemy is one of the earliest and mystical forms of chemistry. We often see references of it in storybooks and television serials. Here, alchemy has a mystical image that is tied up with wizards and their pursuit for the Philosopher's Stone. Yet alchemy is a very real science and has it roots in chemistry.

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History & Future - The chemistry of chalk

We spend a lot of the time in the class room watching teachers write on the blackboard with chalk. But when was the first time that we started to use this little white stick?

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History & Future - Photosynthesis-the future of biofuels?

We have heard that photosynthesis is the process by which a plant converts solar energy to chemical energy by using chlorophyll. What you might not know is that scientists in France have discovered a way to use the same photosynthesis into electrical energy.

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History & Future - The history of pitchblende

Pitchblende, also known as Uraninite, is a uranium rich mineral. This mineral forms one of the primary ores of uranium, containing almost 50 to 80 percent of it.

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History & Future - What happens when things get cold?

Heat and cold are two important factors that are critical for most chemical reactions. In science, the absolute zero temperature of a substance varies from the zero degree that you see on your thermometer.

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History & Future - Looking back at the thermometer

Every once in a while we fall sick. Our parents use a thermometer to check how sick we are or if we are pretending so that we don't need to go to school. This little instrument is very reliable in telling how warm we really are.

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History & Future - The magic of morphine

Morphine is a drug that is used as an anaesthetic. It is derived from opium and it affects the central nervous system relieving pain.

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History & Future - Biomimetics - materials for the future

Over millions of years, plants and animals have evolved materials with amazing properties - the sticky feet of geckos, spiders' silk, self-cleaning lotus leaves. Scientists are now learning to make products in the lab that imitate their properties; these are called biomimetics.

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History & Future - Quinine - a miracle against malaria

Quinine has been used as a cure for malaria since the 17th century. It was only later in the 1940s that other drugs replaced it. Discover how the medicinal properties of this wonder drug were discovered.

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History & Future - Salvarsan & Prontosil: The beginning of modern medicine

Just a hundred years ago, drugs were expensive and had to be obtained from exotic tropical trees. This changed with the discovery of an artificial compound called Salvarsan. It cured the dreaded disease syphilis and laid the foundation of modern medicine.

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History & Future - Biting one's own tail: the history of benzene

Benzene is one of chemistry's great stars. It has numerous applications, and is the basis for manufacturing many more useful compounds. But did you know its structure was a subject of a lot of controversy in the 19th century?

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History & Future - Lighting up safely: the history of matches

History books tell us that Stone Age people would rub two pieces of flint very hard to produce a fire. Today we just strike a match, and it lights up immediately. Ever wondered how we came this far?

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History & Future - The strings of life: discovering DNA

Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), is sometimes called the most important chemical on earth, because it makes up our genes. But did you know the tale of its discovery was a long journey, involving many scientists?

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History & Future - Sensors and Sensibility - Keeping workers and consumers safe

Every year, our country adds more and more factories, which produce a wide variety of things. Along with such growth however, comes the challenge of ensuring the safety of workers and consumers. Chemical sensors are important tools in ensuring safety.

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History & Future - A sad tale to TEL

You may have heard an elder asking for unleaded petrol at a pump. Do you know why lead was once added to petrol? And why it was discontinued?

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History & Future - Celebrating World Environment Day

Chemical science has done much in the previous century to benefit humans - from creating new drugs, creating exciting new materials and discovering the basis of life. But as Spiderman says, with great power comes great responsibility. And the biggest responsibility is to protect the environment.

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History & Future - From Tragedy to Triumph at Montreal

You may have heard of the dangerous hole in the ozone layer. Have you wondered how it came to be? And how countries are trying to plug it? That is the story of the Montreal Protocol.

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History & Future - Green: the new colour of chemistry

After you have done with your chemistry practicals at school, what do you do? You pour the chemicals down the sink. Now imagine thousands of factories doing that, and you'll realize we have a problem. Luckily a solution is coming about - green chemistry.

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History & Future - Honey I shrunk the lab!

When doing chemistry experiments at school, you might have heard your teachers telling you to use as little as possible of every chemical. Now imagine of all chemistry could be done with just one drop! That's the idea of a lab-on-a-chip.

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History & Future - Fertilising a greener tomorrow

We know that too much carbon dioxide in our atmosphere is causing climate change. If we increased forest cover on land, we could reabsorb some of the CO2. But did you know the best solution is actually in the oceans?

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History & Future - Alloys of the future

If you look around, quite a lot of things in your home, your car or your school will be made of alloys. An alloy is a material made by smelting two or more metals together. Alloys have thousands of uses; indeed our lives would be very different without them. Let's have a look at some exciting alloys that will dominate our lives in the future.

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History & Future - Supercritical water: the solvent of the future

Almost everything we use today - plastics, medicines, synthetic fabrics - is made by some chemical process or the other. Many of these require organic solvents like benzene or acetone, which are environmental pollutants. How nice would it be if there was a way to make these useful things without needing harmful solvents?

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History & Future - Tyrian Purple: the Colour of Kings

Today, clothes of all colours cost the same. But did you know that a few generations ago, the cost depended on the colour of the cloth? This was because dyes were expensive to obtain. Tyrian Purple was a dye so expensive that only kings could afford it!

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History & Future - The House of Wisdom

Today, advances in science are made in well-furnished research institutes, such as the Tata Chemicals Innovation Centre. Did you know that one of the earliest research institutes was the House of Wisdom in Baghdad?

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History & Future - Antiseptics: A clean bill of health

You might grumble when your mom makes you wash your hands with soap before sitting down for dinner. But did you know that washing hands is so important, it actually saves lives?

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History & Future - Plasma: the fourth state of matter

Like fish in the ocean, we humans too, live in a giant ocean. We spend all our lives in a gigantic ocean of plasma, but we're barely aware what it is! Physicist Max Babi explains all about plasma - the fourth state of matter.

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History & Future - The Lamp That Saved Lives

We depend on coal-burning thermal power plants for much of our electricity. But do you know that coal mines are extremely dangerous places? Let's read how a simple lamp made coal mines much safer places to work in by shedding some light on the situation.

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History & Future - India, Indigo and Independence

Well, we know chemistry influences the world. But did you know the curious history of a chemical accident - that's tied to our country's struggle for independence?

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History & Future - The Royal Society

When you have a bright idea, who do you share it with? When scientists have a bright idea, they share it with other scientists in a 'learned society'. This tradition was begun by Britain's Royal Society.

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History & Future - The Chemistry of Stone Age Art

In the Stone Age, chemistry was unknown. However, humans had learned the use of pigments for making pictures and symbols. We can see them in caves around the world. How did they know about these pigments?

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History & Future - Green Fluorescent Protein

It glows a bright green, it comes from a jellyfish, and is often found in the dark corners of scientific labs. Sounds eerie? But it is one of the best friends biotechnologists have, and has helped us solve many mysteries of life!

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History & Future - Crystallography - The Beautiful Science

Last year, Venkatraman 'Venki' Ramakrishnan won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering how the ribosome works. The method he uses has helped a lot of other scientists Maurice Wilkins, Linus Pauling and Dorothy Hodgkin win the Prize too. It's called Crystallography.

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History & Future - IUPAC - the Government of Chemistry

Imagine you've just discovered a great new chemical and you tell the world. Someone else now claims that she discovered it first. Whom would you go to, to decide the facts? You go to IUPAC.

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History & Future - Unweaving the Rainbow

The English poet Keats wrote a famous poem called Lamia, criticising scientists. He lamented that they had 'unwoven the rainbow' - i.e. by explaining how a rainbow is created, destroyed its beauty. But the science that explains a rainbow, also explains the secrets of life and the birth of the universe!

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History & Future - Peptides: Medicines for the Future

Your friend might have been given tamiflu to cure him of a bout of bird-flu, but did he end up with a stomach-ache too? Like tamiflu, many medicines have side-effects. In the future, we may have a new form of medicine called peptides that won't have any side-effects!

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History & Future - The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2010

This year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Akira Suzuki, Richard F. Heck, and Ei-ichi Negishi for "palladium-catalysed cross couplings in organic synthesis". Let's see what this means.

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History & Future - Butterfly wings: the future of banknotes

Few of us can resist admiring the pretty colours on a butterfly's wings. They are fabulous when they catch and reflect the sun's rays. But did you ever imagine that they could be used to make currency notes safer?

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History & Future - Drinking up the sea

You've probably had fights with your siblings over chocolates. But did you know that your children might have to fight one day over a glass of drinking water? Let's see what we can do to avoid a situation like that.

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History & Future - Future fuel: from your septic tank!

Ever had the experience of going to dad for pocket money, and he starts grumbling about how expensive everything has become? Especially the cost of fuel? If the price of petrol was less, you might get a little more pocket money, wouldn't you?

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History & Future - Graphite over generations

It's present everywhere - from the lead in your pencil to nuclear reactors. Let's have a look at how graphite has become important to the human economy.

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History & Future - The chemical history of photography

Today, with a digital camera, we can snap / an image, upload it on the net and share it with our friend in a jiffy. But when photography started, it took hours to take a photograph, which would come out very blurred. Let's take a trip backward in time, and see how photography began.

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History & Future - Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science

The 19th century was a turning point in India's history, with many new technologies introduced by the British. Inspired, some Indians wished that our country too should be at the forefront of discovery. That's how India's oldest scientific research institute started.

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History & Future - The Many Ages of Ice

We've heard scientists telling us that global warming is causing the ice in Antarctica and the Arctic Ocean to melt. Did you know that these ice sheets hold some secret stories in them? It's the story of how our earth's atmosphere changed over many millions of years!

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History & Future - The History of Gold Mining

Gold has always fascinated humans. There are poems about it, as much as there were wars about it. Let's look at the history of how humans have sought this shiny metal.

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History & Future - The Hydrogen Economy

Today, we rely on carbon-based fuels for almost all our energy needs. Coal is used for electricity and petroleum products for moving vehicles. But these cause pollution and global warming. Many scientists and economists have suggested moving to a hydrogen-based economy.

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History & Future - Artificial Leaves

Did you know that just one-thousandth of the sun's light that reaches the earth could satisfy all of humanity's energy nine times over? What if we capture this energy cheaply? Perhaps, artificial leaves are the answer?

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History & Future - Artificial Diamonds

It is said that diamonds are a girl's best friend. But does that mean artificial diamonds are false friends? Not really, for they are quite useful to humans for many reasons.

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History & Future - Superconductors

Imagine you're an electron on a motorcycle, zooming along on a smooth, empty road. No speed breakers or potholes to stop you. In an instant, you've reached your destination. Well, for an electron, such a road is called a superconductor.

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History & Future - Urea and the beginnings of organic chemistry

Urea is one of the most important chemicals in use today - as a fertiliser and industrial raw material. It is also the chemical that gave birth to the science of organic chemistry. Let's see how.

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History & Future - Using nanotechnology for drug delivery

Today, when you have an illness, you have to take medicine in several doses, as pills or syrups. Imagine a day when you have to take the drug only once, and it works a whole lot better. Nanotechnology can help do that.

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History & Future - The most beautiful experiment in chemistry

As we start celebrating the International Year of Chemistry, let's think about chemistry and beauty. What makes an experiment beautiful? Does it have to be clever, or prove something unbelievable? And which is the most beautiful of them all?

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History & Future - Rare Earths - Materials for the 21st Century

Heard of praseodymium and dysprosium? They sound like tongue twisters, don't they? They're a part of our daily lives - right inside our gaming consoles, mobile phones and digital cameras! So let's see how they affect us.

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History & Future - The Polymer that won the Korean War

In the Second World War, soldiers injured on the battlefield often died of very low blood pressure before they could reach hospital. But there was a dramatic change when the Korean War happened. There was a miracle life saver around - dextran.

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History & Future - Shale Gas: Naughty or Nice?

We live in a world where petroleum and coal are getting rarer and more expensive. We also know they contribute to global warming. Experts are now looking towards other sources of fuel like shale gas. Let's try and understand more.

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History & Future - Lithium: The oil of a new century

Today, most of our vehicles and electric power plants run on fuels that come from petroleum. The supply of these fuels will end a few decades from now. So what would power our cars and homes? The answer may be lithium.

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History & Future - Rust-eating bacteria

You might have seen a car scrap yard - a place where old cars lie rusting. Now there's news of a bacterium that can eat these cars - and thus help recycling iron!

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History & Future - Why life needs a Goldilocks Planet

You'll have heard the fairy tale of Goldilocks - the girl who ate the Little Bear's Soup because it was neither too hot nor too cold. Well, life needs a planet just like that - neither too hot, nor too cold.

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History & Future - The Discovery of Blood Groups

If someone you know gets hurt and needs a lot of blood, you have to find a blood donor who has the same blood group. Did you wonder why this is so necessary? Why not anyone's blood? The answer lies in the chemistry of blood.

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History & Future - How coffee came to India

If you've been in South India, you'll see people enjoying steaming cups of 'filter coffee' in the morning. Did you know that it was quite an adventure for coffee to come to India?

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History & Future - Cricket bats over the times

The IPL fever is on. So we thought, wouldn't an article on cricket bats be apt for the occasion?

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History & Future - Molecular Robots

Over time, the science of medicine has got better. Now few of us suffer much from infectious diseases like malaria or typhoid, and many of us live longer lives. But with age come new kinds of illness like Alzheimer's. Completely new kinds of medicines are needed to treat such illnesses.

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History & Future - Meet the new plastics

Things made of plastic, from credit cards to spoons to bags, have become so common in our lives that we can hardly think of life without them. Yet all plastics are made from petroleum, which will run out in a few decades. What do we do next?

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History & Future - Tropoelastin: the elastic that never gives up

If you look at an old pair of pyjamas or Bermudas, you might notice that the elastic has given way, and does not snap back into shape anymore. What if there was an elastic that never went out of shape? Well, there is, and it's right in our bodies!

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History & Future - The magnetic stripe on your credit card

The black stripe behind a credit card contains important information about your bank account in magnetic code. Anything that de-magnetizes the stripe can wipe out the code and make the card unusable. Some common "de-magnetizers" are magnetic clasps on a purse or wallet, televisions, and stereo speakers.

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History & Future - LASIK surgery. Quick correction of short sight.

Poor vision is one of the most common physical ailments in the world. The eye is a complex organ that requires a very exact arrangement of components to function properly. If even one of these components is not precisely shaped, then light that falls on the eye will not be focused correctly.

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History & Future - Aerogel - The Guinness Book of Records champion material

Aerogel holds 15 entries in the Guinness Book of Records, more than any other material. It may be the most unique substance on Earth. It's the lightest solid in existence according to the Guinness Book.

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History & Future - The Magnetic Tape. The original backbone of the electronic age.

Remember the cassette tape? They were the most popular way to listen to music till the CD was invented. In fact, the magnetic tape used in cassettes was instrumental to the development of virtually every electronic device we now use.

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History & Future - LCDs - Liquid crystals that glow

You probably use items containing an LCD (liquid crystal display) every day. They are all around us -- in laptop computers, digital clocks and watches, microwave ovens, CD players and many other electronic devices.

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History & Future - How NASA accidentally discovered baby food.

When you think of baby formula, you probably don't think of NASA or a space craft. The lead scientific team that invented the original baby food formula spent time as researchers for NASA, and it was there that they first conceived of a nutritional supplement that is now called Baby Formula all over the world.

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History & Future - Microwave ovens - the magic of cooking in minutes

The microwave oven is one of the great inventions of the 20th century -- millions of homes have one. Microwave ovens are popular because they cook food in an amazingly short amount of time. They are also extremely efficient in their use of electricity because a microwave oven heats only the food, and nothing else!

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History & Future - Smoke detectors - the tiny life-saving device

Smoke detectors are one of those amazing inventions that, because of mass production, cost practically nothing. And while they cost very little, smoke detectors save thousands of lives each year. In fact, it is recommended that every home have one smoke detector per floor.

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History & Future - Smart Fuel Cells - What's so smart about them?

A Fuel Cell is a device that converts the chemical energy of a fuel directly into electrical energy. Unlike steam-powered generator system, the fuel cell does not first convert chemical energy into mechanical energy.

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History & Future - Know the invention of washing machines

Life is so much simpler these days. Everything revolves around a single button! Washing clothes without having to rinse, dry or soak is just a blessing in disguise. Do you wish to know how washing machines evolved? Let us discover....

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History & Future - When did people start having tea?

Are you enjoying a cup of tea as you are reading this article? If yes, then keep up the good work as soon you will realize the history and some other interesting facts about tea.

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History & Future - Pencils - The past and future of these wonderful tools

Children all over the world learn the simple facts using the humble pencil. Here is an insight about how pencils were discovered and how are they made.

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History & Future - How was soap invented?

Soap is being used widely almost by every person in every part of the world. Have you ever wondered how was the soap invented? Do you know how the soap gained so much popularity? Can we actually imagine a life without soap?

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History & Future - Meet Mr. Teflon!

When your mother pours the pan cake dough, to your surprise the pan cake comes out clean without even a piece sticking to the pan. You wonder if this is some kind of magic! This is definitely the magic of Teflon! Let us discover more...

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History & Future - Know How Boot Polish Evolved

We love anything that shines, that looks good. In fact we are also concerned about the shoes that we wear. But have you ever given a thought on how the shoe polishes evolved and what is it that makes our otherwise dull shoe shine?

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History & Future - What are nanorobots?

Each one of us has been to the doctor for some reason or the other. Imagine one day you go to a doctor for treating persistent fever and instead of prescribing medicines or an injection shot, the doctor refers to a medical team that implants a tiny robot in your bloodstream. Surprising isn't it? Let us find out how...

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History & Future - History Behind Kohl Pencil

Women decorate their eyes with kohl and it definitely looks good as it lends a definition to the eyes and makes them look more beautiful. But have you ever thought how this kohl evolved? Let us discover...

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History & Future - Know the difference between Baking powder and Baking soda

You are busy watching a cookery show when the host asks you to add baking powder at one instance and baking soda at the other. Confused? Don't be! We will explain you the difference...

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History & Future - Why is smoking so harmful?

Smoking is becoming a lifestyle problem and is leading to some serious health issues. Let us discover why is smoking so harmful.

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History & Future - Know how crayons made their debut

Every kid loves drawing and colouring. Even adults love colouring. The first colouring tools that we as kids get introduced to are the wax crayons. No matter what age we are, the wax crayons do not miss a chance to fascinate us. Talking about wax crayons, do you know what they are and how they evolved? Well let us find out...

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History & Future - Understanding the history of artificial nails

Women have been decorating their nails since decades. They have been associated with long nails since ages now. Long nails symbolize femininity and at once were also seen as a symbol of wealth and status. Let us discover how artificial nails evolved...

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History & Future - How Tattoo evolved?

Tattoos are indeed the latest fad among most people. Before going for a tattoo, you must be curious to know what tattoos are, how they evolved and whether it hurts and so many other doubts...Tattoos have never developed overnight. They have been existing since decades. What have evolved are the designs and the methods. Let us find out how...

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History & Future - Know the chemistry behind airbags

Airbags have saved many lives since their introduction in early 1980s. Every car boasts of having an airbag. But do you know what an airbag is and how and why is it considered as an asset to your vehicle? We will tell you why...

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History & Future - Discovery of the Periodic Table

Just as we have tables in mathematics to remember the calculation of various numbers, a periodic table is also a must when it comes to calculation of different properties and the atomic numbers of various chemical elements. Let us find out what a periodic table is and how it was discovered.

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History & Future - Know the Stem Cell Technology

The stem cell technology is the latest as far as the medical field is concerned and there is lot of excitement happening around this particular method of treatment. Let us know more about this treatment...

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History & Future - Know the different types of Soil

The soil forms the main portion of a ground and it is important for us to learn to appreciate it. Soil is important as far as plant growth is concerned and we need to make an effort to know more about it.

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History & Future - Hearing Aids, a Boon to those with hearing problems

Hearing loss happens more commonly in elderly people. However, it is not restricted to them; there are many children who suffer from hearing loss due to several reasons. This is when hearing aids came to their rescue. Let us find out how these hearing aids work and how did they evolve.

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History & Future - Unlocking Aloe Vera's Secrets

What is the secret behind this cactus called as aloe Vera? What properties does it have that gives it the ability to heal wounds and other skin related issues. Let us unlock the secret...

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History & Future - Wonder why Platinum is so expensive

You keep wondering why all celebrities take pride in owning a platinum piece of jewellery while the gold rates keep soaring on one side. Let us find out the reason and also more about platinum and how it was invented?

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History & Future - The History of Chewing Gum and Bubble Gum

The act of chewing the chewing gum or making bubbles out of the bubble gum is enjoyed by almost every one of us, no matter how older we get. But did you know that chewing gum and bubble gum has been around since ages? Well, let us discover...

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History & Future - The Low-down on Lollipops

Large rainbow swirls, a small heart shaped lollipop, marshmallow lollipop, and the mere thought of them can make your mouth water. Lollipops have been very popular. Let us find out how lollipops were discovered...

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History & Future - How Body Piercings Evolved?

You may be surprised to know that body piercings have existed since thousands of years. Let us find out the history of body piercings.

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History & Future - Know How Face Powder Made Its Debut

Almost every woman or girl finds her make-up incomplete without dabbing the face powder. In fact if you ever get a chance to peek inside a girl's purse, you are sure to find a compact or compressed powder. Have you ever wondered what does this "magical" face powder do and how did the women find this piece of make-up? Let us explore...

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History & Future - Origin of Toilet Paper

Have you ever given a thought on how this toilet paper came into existence? Just as important as this small piece of paper is, it also has an interesting past. Let us find out...

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History & Future - Importance of Energy Conservation

December 14th is celebrated as World Energy Conservation day, so let us discuss some ways by which we can conserve energy and find out why energy conservation is so important.

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History & Future - Bid good-bye to bad hair days with Keratin Treatment

For last few months, keratin hair treatments are making lot of buzz in the beauty industry. There are many speculations about this treatment. Let us find out how this treatment works and what keratin is.

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History & Future - Discovery of Pesticides and Insecticides

Have you ever given a thought on how the insecticides came into existence and what do they contain? Well let us find out...

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History & Future - How Balloons Evolved?

No birthday parties or marriage parties are complete without balloons. But have you ever given a thought on how balloons came into existence? Let us find out...

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History & Future - How Hand Sanitizers Made Their Debut

With today's realization on hygiene and germ-free world, hand sanitizers have hugely replaced the traditional soap and water in many places. Let us find out how this hand sanitizer evolved...

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History & Future - History of Sunscreens

Have you ever wondered how these so-called important sunscreens ever come into existence? Who invented this indispensable thing? Let us find out...

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History & Future - Chemotherapy: A boon for those suffering from cancer

Chemotherapy has now become an indispensable part of any cancer treatment. Let us find out how this treatment evolved...

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History & Future - Rewind back to the discovery of shoes

Today, we have a huge variety when it comes to shoes. Have you ever given a thought on how the first shoes were? Who invented them and could people afford them? Well, let us rewind back to find out the history of shoes.

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History & Future - Magnetic therapy as alternative medicine

Alternative medicine is based on old primitive methods, traditional medicine, folk knowledge, spiritual beliefs and new approaches to healing. Magnetic therapy is also one form of alternative medicine. Let us find out how it helps and how it came into being...

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History & Future - Angiography: A boon for people!

Angiography is a method that has gained immense popularity over the recent years. Let us find out more about this medical advancement.

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History & Future - Discovery of Hair Dye

When hair turns grey, people dye their hair with the shades of their preference. But have you wondered how this hair dye made a debut....

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History & Future - History of Microscope

Microscopes are unique tools that allow us to see the tiniest of objects under a magnifying light. Let us find out how these wonderful devices were discovered....

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History & Future - Know how lipsticks came into being

The origins of lipstick lie in the mists of time; in the beginnings of human civilization in fact. Let us find out more about this...

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History & Future - Know how vinegar came into existence

Vinegar is known for its multi-purpose quality. There are interesting folklores that surround this all-purpose liquid. Let us find out how it all started...

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History & Future - The History of Polystyrene

Today, with the discovery of so many compact discs or CDs, we do have CD cases to store these data storage devices. The material that is used for packing and also in CD cases plastic model kits is called as polystyrene. Let us now find out how this useful material came into existence...

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History & Future - Discovery of LSD - Psychedelic Hallucinogen

When we talk about LSD or Lysergic Acid Diethylamide, the first thing that we tend to associate it with is hippies. This drug has a history with remarkable potential and was banned because of the misuse by the "hippies." Let us now find out how this particular drug came into existence.

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History & Future - Nitrogen, the Reluctant Life Saver

Nitrogen is the most stable gas and has many uses attached to it. Let us find out more about this stable gas.

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History & Future - Origins of Life: Biochemical Evolution

Fossilized bacteria inform the scientists the story of how life may have evolved in the unique environment of primordial Earth 3.8 billion years ago. Let us find out how life started....

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History & Future - Titanium: Modern Technology's Designer Metal

Titanium is a metal which is still hardly known by most of us. In fact, titanium has, in little more than fifty years, become almost the magic answer to almost every technological need. Let us find out more about this metal...

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History & Future - History of Tin

Nowadays, tin is an absolutely important element in the world economy and is used in a number of products. We cannot imagine anything without this metal, tin. Let us find out how this useful metal came into existence in the first place...

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History & Future - Know How Indium Came Into Existence

Almost each of our house adorns electronic devices that are made of the metal indium and in fact even our mobile phones have gone touch screen! Let us find out more about this metal which is rare yet so useful.

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History & Future - Folic Acid: The Importance of Vitamin B9

Folic acid is also known as folacin, vitamin M and vitamin B9 and is an essential component in a large number of biochemical processes in the human body. Let us find out how this important acid came into being and how it is important in our day-to-day life.

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History & Future - A Look at Enantiomers and Their Role in Drugs and Perfumes

Enantiomers are those "handed" molecules that occupy an interesting place in both hard-science medicine and the mysterious, almost-alchemical world of scent. Let us find out more about these magical molecules...

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History & Future - Meet the Organic Molecules

Have you ever given a thought what are these organic and inorganic molecules and what is the difference between an organic and an inorganic molecule? What substances are within the realm of organic chemistry? Let us read on and discover....

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History & Future - New Research Provides Insight to Eye Condition

Age-related macular degeneration is the most common cause of blindness in the elderly population, but it could be prevented. Let us find out how...

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History & Future - Neodymium: Super Strength Magnets

Today, we have wind turbines and electric cars. The most used metal in these wind turbines and electric cars is called as neodymium. Let us explore more about this...

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History & Future - New Battery: As Thin As Paper And Spread Like A Virus

With so many hybrid and electric vehicles being built, a change for the type of batteries used in them has become a necessity.

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History & Future - Plastic Waste Disposal: Source for Green Fuel

A latest technology has come into being that helps in converting this plastic waste disposal into a good source of green fuel. Not only does this technology helps save our environment from waste accumulation but also helps us save lot of money... Let us find out how...

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History & Future - Alcohol...More Than Just a Drink

The moment we say alcohol, the first thing that comes to our mind is drink... However, alcohol has better uses and is more than just a drink. Let us find out more about this important thing...

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History & Future - The History of Polymers

Have you ever thought how did we come to depend on plastic, Teflon, Nylon and Lycra? Today the market is flooded with different materials. Modern life would be incomparably different without synthetic chemicals which are called as polymers.

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History & Future - Mass Spectrometry helps identify molecules

Over the twentieth century, the Mass Spectrometer has become an indispensable tool of many types of chemists and will continue to be important. This piece of equipment is used to identify chemical compounds by breaking them up into smaller charged particles and then detecting them. The first apparatus to be called a mass spectrometer was built by Francis Ashton in Cambridge, UK in 1918.

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History & Future - Meet the Insects That Make Cyanide

We all are aware that all animals and plants have their own defence systems that they use against predators. Insects are also included in this category. Burnet moths have not only adapted to their host's cyanogenic glucosides but also have the ability to synthesize and sequester hydrogen cyanide. Let us find out how...

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History & Future - Know about glass recycling

Most of us are aware about plastic recycling but are you aware that even the glass products can be easily recycled? Let us find out how...

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History & Future - What is Biochemistry?

In between the disciplines of Biology and Chemistry there is an area known as Biochemistry. This involves the study of what is going on in living cells on the molecular level. Let us know more...

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Famous Scientists - Svante Arrhenius

Svante Arrhenius was one of the first chemists in the field of physical chemistry. He was the first person to discover the effect of global warming. His experiments focus on the effect of the doubling of the amount of carbon dioxide gas on the environment. Even today the issue of global warming is still debated and extensive research is conducted in this field.

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Famous Scientists - Sir William Ramsay

Sir William Ramsay was the Scottish scientist who discovered the noble gases. These gases are argon, neon, krypton and xenon. These gases along with helium and radon formed a new set of elements. For this discovery, Ramsay was awarded the Noble Prize in 1904.

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Famous Scientists - Sir Humphry Davy

Sir Humphry Davy was an electrochemist who discovered several alkalis. He discovered elements like chlorine and iodine Davy is also remembered for brightening the lives of miners by making the miners safety lamp, now called the Davy lamp.

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Famous Scientists - Robert Boyle

We have all done litmus tests at school. How many of us know that Robert Boyle is the inventor of the litmus test. Considered to be the founder of modern chemistry, Robert Boyle was a scientist of the 17th century. Boyle is remembered for his law about the relationship between pressure and volume of gasses.

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Famous Scientists - Joseph Priestley

Ever had a sip of soda and marvelled at the fact how a little fizz makes it different from fruit juices? Joseph Priestley added fizz in our life with the discovery of soda water and oxygen.

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Famous Scientists - John Dalton

Best-known for his work in modern atomic theory, John Dalton was an English chemist, meteorologist and physicist. The son of a weaver, Dalton's major contribution to the field of chemistry is his atomic theory proposed in 1803. In the theory he reasoned that tiny particles called atoms make up elements.

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Famous Scientists - Jacobus Henricus

Born in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Jacobus Henricus van't Hoff is known for his contribution in physical chemistry. He conducted extensive research in the fields of chemical equilibrium, osmotic pressure and stereochemistry, for which he received his first Nobel Prize in Chemistry.

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Famous Scientists - Wendell Stanley

What if you had to deal with viruses for the most of your active life? Sounds dangerous, doesn't it? Well, that's what Wendell Stanley chose as his career. He was an American biochemist who received the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on purification and crystallization of viruses to demonstrate their molecular structure. He is the man even experts turn to when they have problems with viruses.

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Famous Scientists - Sir Robert Robinson

Imagine what would happen if there were no drugs to cure Malaria. That's a scary situation, isn't it? Sir Robert Robinson's research in organic chemistry with the structure and synthesis of organic bodies led to the production of anti-malarial drugs.

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Famous Scientists - Marie Curie

Today, we talk about radioactivity and radioactive elements. But do you know who coined the term 'radioactivity''? Yes, it was the Nobel Prize winning Marie Curie. She discovered two important elements - Radium and Polonium, which you will be able to easily spot in the periodic table. Marie Curie dedicated her entire life for research on radioactive elements.

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Famous Scientists - Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac

Joseph Louis Gay-Lussac is quite popular in the world of chemistry. He is remembered for his laws on gases, known as Gay Lussac's laws. His two laws deal with volumes, pressures and temperatures of gases and the relationship between them.

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Famous Scientists - Daniel Rutherford

We all love to munch on chips. Have you ever wondered how these chips stay so fresh? If you look closely at the packet, you will realise that the preservative gas used is Nitrogen. The first person to discover nitrogen was Daniel Rutherford in 1772.

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Famous Scientists - Amedeo Avogadro

Today it is very easy for us to define what an atom or molecule is. In the early days of science there was a lot of debate about this. It was Amedeo Avogadro who helped tell the difference between compounds, molecules and atoms.

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Famous Scientists - Adolf von Baeyer

Baeyer is a German chemist who synthesised indigo, the stuff that is used to make your jeans blue in colour. He won the Nobel Prize for his work in organic chemistry and with synthetic dyes

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Famous Scientists - Emil Fischer

Emil Fischer is known in the world of chemistry for discovering the peptide bond. He was awarded the Nobel Prize for his work on the structure and properties of purines and sugars.

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Famous Scientists - Wilhelm Ostwald

Friedrich Wilhelm Ostwald was the son of Gottfried Wilhelm Ostwald and Elisabeth Leuckel. He was a Baltic German chemist whose work on catalysis, chemical equilibrium and reaction velocities won him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1909.

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Famous Scientists - Henri Moissan

Henri Moissan was a French chemist, born in Paris on September 28, 1852. He won the 1906 Nobel Prize for his work in isolating fluorine from its compounds.

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Famous Scientists - Ernest Rutherford

Rutherford is considered to be the father of nuclear physics, being the first person to split the atom in 1917. He discovered that all atoms had their positive charge concentrated in a nucleus. He was awarded the Noble Prize for his work in the field.

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Famous Scientists - Edward Buchner

Eduard Buchner was a German chemist and zymologist. He won the 1907 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on the fermentation of carbohydrates.

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Famous Scientists - Arne Tiselius

Arne Tiselius was a Swedish biochemist, born on August 10, 1902 in Stockholm. He won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1948 for his work on electrophoresis and adsorption analysis.

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Famous Scientists - V. Ramakrishnan

V. Ramakrishnan is one of three scientists who was awarded the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was awarded the prize for his studies of the structure and function of the ribosome. His research is important in the field of medicine and hopefully will help develop new antibiotic cures.

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Famous Scientists - Alfred Werner

Alfred Werner was a Swiss chemist who won the Nobel Prize for chemistry in 1913 for his research on coordination chemistry. He proposed the octahedral configuration of transition metal complexes and became the first inorganic chemist to win the prize.

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Famous Scientists - Otto Hahn

Otto Hahn a German chemist was one of the first scientists to break new ground in the field of radioactivity and radiochemistry. He won the Nobel Prize in 1944 for his discovery of nuclear fission. Due to his work he is often called 'the father of nuclear chemistry' and the 'founder of the atomic age'.

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Famous Scientists - Otto Wallach

Otto Wallach is the German Chemist who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on alicyclic compounds. One of his major contributions that he is known for is his isoprene rule and study of terpene which is used in turpentine today.

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Famous Scientists - Glenn Theodore Seaborg

Glenn Seaborg was born in Ishpeming, Michigan on April 19th, 1912. He was an American scientist who had a Scottish lineage. He won the Nobel Laureate in Chemistry in 1951 for his many discoveries in the field of Transuranium metals. He has many things named after him from the element Seaborgium to an asteroid called 4856 Seaborg.

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Famous Scientists - Theodor Svedberg

Theodor Svedberg was a Swedish chemist born in Flerang, Sweden on August 30th, 1884. He won the Nobel Prize for chemistry for his studies in the field of colloids and also for the invention of the ultracentrifuge in 1926.

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Famous Scientists - Frederic Joliot Curie & Irene Joliot-Curie

Frederic Joliot-Curie and Irene Joliot-Curie were both French scientists. Husband and wife, they were jointly awarded Nobel laureates in 1935 for their joint discovery of new radioactive isotopes which they prepared artificially. They are also known for their contribution towards the discovery of the neutron.

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Famous Scientists - Victor Grignard & Paul Sabatier

Francois Auguste Victor Grignard and Paul Sabatier were joint Noble Laureates for chemistry in the year 1912. They were both French chemists who started their careers in different fields, mathematics and physics, but made respectable contributions to the field of chemistry later in their life.

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Famous Scientists - Carl Bosch

Carl Bosch was born on 27th August, 1874 in Cologne, Germany. He was a German chemist and engineer. Carl won the Nobel Prize in chemistry in 1931 for his contribution in the introduction of high pressure chemistry. The asteroid- 7414 Bosch was named after him in his honour.

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Famous Scientists - William Giauque

William Giauque was born on 12th May, 1895 in Niagara Falls, Canada. Giauque was a chemist and won the Nobel Prize for Chemistry in 1949.

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Famous Scientists - John Northrop

John Howard Northrop was a joint winner of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1946 for his work on purifying enzymes, proteins and viruses.

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Famous Scientists - Gerhard Herzberg

Gerhard Herzberg was born on the 25th December, 1904, in Hamburg, Germany. A pioneer in both chemistry and physical chemistry, he won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1971. The asteroid 3316 Herzberg too is named after him.

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Famous Scientists - Theodore Richards

Theodore Richards was the first American to win the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. He was awarded it in 1914 for accurately determining the atomic weight of 25 elements.

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Famous Scientists - Francis Aston

Francis William Aston won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for discovering isotopes by conducting mass spectrograph of isotopes. He conducted this research in a large amount of non-radioactive elements. He is also remembered for his whole-number rule.

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Famous Scientists - Frederick Soddy

Remembered for his contributions in the field of radiochemistry and the discovery of isotopes, Frederick Soddy won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1921.

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Famous Scientists - Fritz Haber

Fritz Haber was a German chemist who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on synthesising ammonia, important fertilisers and explosives.

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Famous Scientists - Walther Hermann Nernst

Walther Hermann Nernst won the 1920 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his work on thermochemistry.

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Famous Scientists - Fritz Pregl

Austrian chemist Fritz Pregl won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contribution in the field of quantitative organic microanalysis. He played a major role in helping develop the combustion train technique of elemental analysis.

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Famous Scientists - Heinrich Wieland

The son of Theodor Wieland and Elise Blum, Heinrich Wieland won the 1927 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his research in bile acids.

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Famous Scientists - Adolf Windaus

German chemist Adolf Otto Reinhold Windaus, is remembered for his work on sterols and their relation to vitamins for which he was awarded the Nobel Prize in 1928.

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Famous Scientists - Richard Adolf Zsigmondy

Hungarian born Richard Adolf Zsigmondy was awarded the Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on Colloids.

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Famous Scientists - Arthur Harden

Arthur Harden was a biochemist who jointly won the 1929 Nobel Prize for Chemistry for his work on the fermentation of sugars and fermentative enzymes. He shared this prize with Hans Karl August Simon von Euler-Chelpin.

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Famous Scientists - Friedrich Bergius

German chemist Friedrich Bergius was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1951. He won this award in recognition for his invention and development of chemical high-pressure methods.

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Famous Scientists - Hans Fischer

Hans Fischer won the 1930 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for his contribution to the field of biochemistry. He did extensive work on the chemistry of pyrrole and the synthesis of haemin.

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Famous Scientists - Hans von Euler-Chelpin

Hans von Euler-Chelpin jointly won the 1929 Nobel Prize in Chemistry for research in the fermenting of sugar and fermentative enzymes.

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Famous Scientists - Sir Walter Norman Haworth

The British chemist W. N. Haworth made important contributions to biochemistry, including his study of Vitamin C. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937 along with Paul Karrer, and was knighted in 1947.

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Famous Scientists - Harold Urey

We owe a lot of our understanding of the field of isotopes to Harold Urey, who won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1934. Urey also contributed to building the atom bomb and notably the development of organic life from non-living matter.

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Famous Scientists - Irving Langmuir

The 1932 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to Irving Langmuir for his work on surface chemistry. He has contributed to several developments in the field of chemistry and physics.

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Famous Scientists - Paul Karrer

The Swiss chemist Paul Karrer made important contributions to the study of vitamins. He won the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1937 along with W.N. Haworth.

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Famous Scientists - Peter Debye

Peter Debye walked away with the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1936 for his contributions in the field of physical chemistry.

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Famous Scientists - James Lovelock

Today, we know that CFCs threaten the earth by destroying the ozone hole. For this knowledge, we must thank James Lovelock, who first detected that CFCs were being released into the atmosphere.

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Famous Scientists - Frank Rowland and Mario Molina

In 1987, countries around the world agreed upon the Montreal Protocol, a treaty to eliminate chemicals which deplete the ozone layer. Frank Rowland and Mario Molino deserve the credit for this, for they showed exactly how CFCs destroy ozone.

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Famous Scientists - Paul Crutzen

While the role of CFCs in depleting the ozone layer is well-known, there are many other gases that deplete ozone and act as greenhouse gases. The role of these gases was explained by Paul Crutzen, who got the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1995.

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Famous Scientists - Ryoji Noyori

Some scientists love science simply because it is wonderful. Some pursue science because they feel "Research is for nations and mankind, not for researchers themselves". Prof. Ryoji Noyori firmly believes in the latter.

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Famous Scientists - Richard Martin Willstatter

You know that plants are green because they contain chlorophyll. You also know that chlorophyll is important for photosynthesis. But do you know that it was a scientist called Richard Martin Willstatter who discovered it?

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Famous Scientists - Robert Grubbs

As the 21st century progresses, we're all aware that that our lives need to become more eco-friendly. Green chemistry is a way to make that happen. One of the pioneers of green chemistry is Robert Howard Grubbs.

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Famous Scientists - Antoine-Laurent de Lavoisier

Few things are as important as water, which we know is made of oxygen and hydrogen. Did you know that Antoine Lavoisier was the discoverer of both elements?

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Famous Scientists - Richard Schrock

Richard Royce Schrock won a Nobel Prize for his contribution to metathesis, a chemical process that laid the foundation of green chemistry.

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Famous Scientists - Pliny the Elder

When you read an encyclopaedia, ever wondered who had the patience to put it all together? One of the world's oldest encyclopaedias was put together by a Roman writer called Gaius Plinius Secundus, or Pliny the Ender.

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Famous Scientists - Yves Chauvin

Often our elders tell us to stick to the 'tried and tested'. But the best scientists have been those who refused to follow the familiar. One such is Yves Chauvin, who says you must steer clear of methods perfected over time!

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Famous Scientists - Jbir ibn Hayyn

In chemistry practicals, you mix chemicals in test tubes, grind them in mortars and boil them in retorts. Did you know that many of these common equipment and procedures were devised more than a thousand years ago by Jbir ibn Hayyn?

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Famous Scientists - Enrico Fermi

As fossil fuels become rarer, people are searching for alternative sources of energy. One of the most promising, yet controversial, is energy generated from nuclear reactions. Much of our knowledge of these reactions is owed to the Italian scientist Enrico Fermi.

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Famous Scientists - William Henry Perkin

In an earlier article we discussed dyes. But for a long time, dyes like Royal Purple were extremely expensive. Did you know that dyes became affordable to many because of William Henry Perkin?

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Famous Scientists - Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia

Last week we learned about the Royal Society. Ardaseer Cursetjee Wadia was mentioned in it as the first Indian FRS. Let's get to know him better.

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Famous Scientists - Stephanie Kwolek

Last month we saw how a bullet-proof jacket works. Did you wonder how the material that it is made of - Kevlar - was discovered? And by whom? Then let's meet Stephanie Kwolek.

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Famous Scientists - Rachel Fuller Brown

What's common to fungal infections in babies, Dutch Elm disease in trees and mouldy works of art? They can all be cured by a drug called nystatin. And the story of the woman who discovered it - Rachel Fuller Brown - has a lot to learn from.

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Famous Scientists - Jagdish Chandra Bose

What happens if you take a rich magistrate's son and make him learn in a village school sitting besides the sons of servants and fishermen? He'll hear tales of birds and animals that make him curious about Nature. And that makes him one of India's first scientists - Jagdish Chandra Bose.

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Famous Scientists - Rosalind Elsie Franklin

A woman scientist from Cambridge University published an article in the April 25, 1953 on the journal Nature about the molecular structure of DNA. However two male scientists had written another article on the same subject in the same issue of the magazine. Those male scientists - Francis Crick and James Watson - got all the credit. The woman, Rosalind Franklin, vanished into history.

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Famous Scientists - Linus Carl Pauling

The power of science is often hard to know. How does a scientist know that what he has discovered will put to a good use, and not a bad one? Throughout his life, Linus Pauling grappled with this difficulty.

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Famous Scientists - Dmitri Ivanovich Mendeleev

Imagine if there was an element no one had ever seen before, but one day you announce that you know all its properties. People will call you crazy, won't they? But that's what Dmitri Mendeleev did!

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Famous Scientists - Ahmed Hassan Zewail

In a little town called Damanhur, Egypt, a little boy was very fond of learning science. His family dreamed that he would become a great professor some day. So they posted a small sign "Dr. Ahmed" outside his study to encourage him. He grew up to be one of the greatest chemists of our times - Prof. Ahmed Zewail.

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Famous Scientists - Kathleen Lonsdale

Women have often had a tough time in science - first getting jobs, and then getting enough recognition for their research. Kathleen Lonsdale's life is a great inspiration to girls who want to become scientists. She showed they are as good (or even better) than boys.

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Famous Scientists - Prafulla Chandra Ray

Many scientists are happy to make their discoveries, but are not interested in making a business of it. But a few rare ones understand why it's important to build bridges between science and industry. Prafulla Chandra Ray was the first Indian to realise this.

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Famous Scientists - Thomas Graham

You might have heard of someone whose kidney has a problem and needs something called dialysis regularly. This life-saving process was invented by Thomas Graham.

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Famous Scientists - August Kekule

Few scientists have left a stamp on chemistry as August Kekule has. Even today, chemists celebrate his life and work like a hero. So let's learn a bit more about him!

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Famous Scientists - Fausto de Elhuyar

Tungsten is everywhere in our lives. A tungsten filament gives us light whenever we switch a tubelight or CFL on. Let's have a look at the chemists who discovered this vital element.

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Famous Scientists - Hermann Kolbe

In the 19th century, people believed in a theory called vitalism. It said that a mysterious 'life-force' was required to make the organic chemicals found in our bodies. Hermann Kolbe was among the scientists who disproved the theory, by showing that chemicals could be made in the lab.

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Famous Scientists - James Dewar

All of us know that chemistry is the science that studies the materials that are important to our lives. But did you know that one field, physical chemistry, is particularly important? Let's meet one of the most renowned physical chemists ever.

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Famous Scientists - Abu Ali al-Husayn ibn Abdallah ibn Sina

When a drug is introduced to market, it must undergo a number of clinical trials to show that it really cures a disease. But a long time ago, doctors would hand out medicine based on hearsay or even imagination. So who changed it all?

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Famous Scientists - Dorothy Mary Hodgkin

What's common to diabetes, pernicious anaemaia and infectious diseases? We know a lot about how to deal with them because of one woman - Dorothy Hodgkin.

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Famous Scientists - Artturi Ilmari Virtanen

A lot of the food we eat must be processed with chemicals so that it is ready to eat, both for humans and animals. Agricultural chemistry is the field that does this, and Arturi Virtanen is considered the star of this field!

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Famous Scientists - Hevesy Gyorgy

If you know someone who has cancer, they might probably have gone for a PET scan to find out how much the cancer has developed. PET scans make uses of radioisotopes. Their use in medicine was pioneered by Hevesy Gyorgy.

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Famous Scientists - Satyendra Nath Bose

If you make a landmark discovery, but no journal is willing to publish it, what do you do? If you are Satyendra Nath Bose, you send it to the most famous scientist in the world.

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Famous Scientists - Agnes Pockels

As we celebrate the International Year of Chemistry we realise that anyone can discover a great scientific theory. Would you believe us that a woman without a college education, discovered such a theory while washing dishes in the kitchen sink? She was Agnes Pockels!

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Famous Scientists - Elizabeth Fulhame

Three centuries ago, women were expected to stick to 'womanly' activities such as painting and weaving, and not try to do 'manly' things like scientific experiments. But one woman refused to be so limited - Elizabeth Fulhame.

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Famous Scientists - Marie-Anne Lavoisier

Antoine Lavoisier is often called the greatest chemist ever, for his amazing discoveries. But did you know that his wife was a great chemist too - the secret of his success? As we celebrate the International Year of Chemistry it seems apt that today on her birth anniversary, we know more about her.

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Famous Scientists - Allene Rosalind Jeanes

Often we know of a chemical or a device that helps save lives, but we don't know the person who made it possible. So in the international year of chemistry, we thought we'll introduce you to some such people. One of them is Allene Jeanes.

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Famous Scientists - Irina Beletskaya

Can you do advanced scientific research, even when there is very little money available to buy chemicals and equipment? If you are Prof. Irina Beletskaya, you always find a way.

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Famous Scientists - Ya'qub Al-Kindi

When you study chemistry at school, have you wondered how it all started? While most famous chemists are Europeans and Americans, chemistry actually started among the Arabs. Let's get to know one of the earliest ones - Al-Kindi.

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Famous Scientists - Claudine Picardet

For a long time, women were never allowed to do scientific research. Yet they played many important roles by writing books, being laboratory assistants and sometimes sponsors of scientists. Claudine Picardet was one such, for she conducted a 'salon' in 18th century France, where scientists could meet and discuss.

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Famous Scientists - Jane Marcet

The Human Touch of Chemistry was created with the idea of making chemistry easy to understand, and great fun too. But even we were surprised to know that Mrs. Jane Marcet had just the same idea - 206 years ago!

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Famous Scientists - Herman von Helmholtz

Whether you're waiting for your noodles to get cooked, or racing along in a car, did you know thermodynamics is at work? That's a science which owes a lot to Hermann von Helmholtz.

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Famous Scientists - Josiah Willard Gibbs

We read a little about Hermann von Helmholtz, the founder of thermodynamics, last week. But it was really Josiah Gibbs who helped it develop into a great science, which is followed by all chemists today. Let's know more about him.

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Famous Scientists - Paul Emile Lecoq de Boisbaudran

Every time you use a computer (such as in reading this article), you make use of the element gallium. It is an important component of semiconductors. Did you know it was Francois Lecoq who discovered it?

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Famous Scientists - Emilie du Chatelet

While today many women are famous scientists, till just a few centuries back, they weren't allowed to do scientific research or even learn science. Emilie du Chatelet was one of the first women to break the barrier and become a practising scientist.

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Famous Scientists - Gilbert Newton Lewis

Different kinds of reactions happen between chemicals. We know that metals give electrons to non-metals to form salts. But many compounds exist, which are formed by non-metals alone. It was Gilbert Lewis who explained how these compounds are formed.

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Famous Scientists - Helen Abbott Michael

Today we are able to genetically engineer plants to produce various useful chemicals. But did you know that this ability traces back to Helen Michael, who was among the first to study the chemical properties of plants?

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Famous Scientists - Father of Microbiology, Robert Koch

Cholera and Tuberculosis were two of the most dangerous killer diseases in the late 19th century. Cholera was nicknamed 'King Cholera' because no one seemed to be able to cure it. Tuberculosis was known as the 'White Death' because sufferers vomited up white matter as their lungs disintegrated.
Meet the man who made a breakthrough in the fight against these diseases, Robert Koch.

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Famous Scientists - Inventor of Carbon Dating, Willard Frank Libby

How can we find out how old a dinosaur fossil is? Or an ancient shipwreck discovered at the bottom of the ocean?
Willard Frank Libby came up with the method known as Radiocarbon Dating, a process that revolutionized the way we look at artifacts and document world history.

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Famous Scientists - Discoverer of the Atomic Structure, Niels Bohr

We know that all matter is made up of atoms. Unless we know how atoms function, we cannot go deeper into scientific possibilities. So understanding the structure of atoms is fundamental not only in chemistry, but also to almost every field of science and technology.

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Famous Scientists - Vaccinations, thanks to Louis Pasteur

Louis Pasteur devised the first vaccines for humans, thereby saving millions of lives by long term prevention of disease. He also challenged the myth on spontaneous generation, thereby setting the stage for modern biology and biochemistry.

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Famous Scientists - Secret Behind the Plants Pigments - Sir Richard Willstatter

Want to know how the plants got their pigments and how do they function, owe your thanks to Sir Richard Willstatter.

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Famous Scientists - Discovery of the Dynamite, Thanks To Sir Alfred Nobel

Alfred Nobel gave us a gift called as the dynamite which has made life easier for those who are in the mining industry to blast the rocks. He knew about the destructive power of dynamite and hoped that it would not lead to warfare.

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Famous Scientists - Johan August Arfwedson: The Man Behind Lithium

Each one of us uses a mobile phone. The mobile phone has a battery and the lightweight and efficient battery is made of lithium. Lithium has many interesting and important uses. Know the history behind Lithium.

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Famous Scientists - Wallace Carothers: Father of Nylon

Fishing nets, parachute cords, machine parts, toothbrushes, silk stockings, carpets, bridal veils, carpets, ropes, vehicle tires, sporting bags, combat uniforms ... do you know what do these things have in common? They are made of nylon. Wallace Carothers is the person behind the discovery of nylon.

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Famous Scientists - Coenraad Johannes van Houten: Discovery of Cocoa Powder

Chocolate drinks, chocolates, chocolate cake, the mere words can make your water mouth! Who is not fond of chocolates? Coenraad Johannes van Houten is the famous scientist who discovered cocoa powder, the main ingredient of chocolate and chocolate flavoured items.

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Famous Scientists - Dan Shechtman: Man Behind Quasicrystals

Prof Dan Shechtman is the first person to discover quasicrystals. Quasicrystals are the crystals found in the atoms of metals that are structured in certain pattern, however unlike a normal crystal, they do not repeat their patterns.

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Famous Scientists - Edward Jenner: Person Behind Smallpox Vaccine

For many decades, smallpox has devastated the humans. But for the past few years, we do not have to worry about this dreadful disease. We need to thank Edward Jenner for inventing an effective vaccine for combating smallpox virus.

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Famous Scientists - Hans Christian Oersted: The man behind electromagnetism and Aluminium

Today, no matter which gadget you touch, everything has got Hans Christian Oersted's fingerprints on them, literally. We cannot imagine a life without his precious contribution. Right from the use of MRI scanners to almost everything in our day-to-day life, every object has electromagnetism in them.

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Famous Scientists - Michael Faraday: Man Behind Benzene

We all need basic things like detergents, floor cleaners and many other things in our day-to-day life. But do you have any idea what chemical goes into these things? Benzene is the most important chemical that goes into each of these items.

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Famous Scientists - Karl Ziegler Discovers Ziegler-Natta catalyst

The Ziegler-Natta catalyst is the most used catalyst in the process called as synthesizing of polymers. Known as the most useful catalyst, let us know a little more about the man behind the Ziegler Natta catalyst.

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Famous Scientists - Hermann Emil Fischer Invents Purine

We all are familiar with tea, coffee and chocolate. However, how many of us know the fact that they are made of a base called as purines? May be none of us. Thanks to Hermann Emil Fischer, purines were discovered and Fischer received a Nobel Prize for the same as well. Let us find out how Fischer managed to unveil this important component.

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Famous Scientists - Irene Joliot-Curie Finds synthesis of new radioactive isotopes

Irene Joliot Curie found out the synthesis of new radioactive isotopes and was awarded for this discovery. Let us find out more about this famous chemist.

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Famous Scientists - Jaroslav Heyrovsky: Development of polarography

Jaroslav Heyrovsky is known for discovering the analytical tool polarography. Polarography is a tool that uses dropping mercury electrode (DME) to find out the effects of varying currents and potentials of a compound.

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Famous Scientists - Lafayette Benedict Mendel: Discovery of vitamins A and B

Today, when you walk into a doctor's clinic, the doctor examines you and suggests that you are deficient in Vitamins A and B or may be some other vitamin. However, have you ever given a thought how these vitamins came into existence? Who discovered them on first place? Who named them as A,B, C, D and so on? Well let us find out...

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Famous Scientists - Meet Joseph Nicephore Niepce, the man behind photography

Today, the moment we get to know that a day is important, we do ensure to carry our cameras and capture the moment forever in a photograph in order to cherish that moment throughout our life. However, have you ever thought how it all began? Well let us ponder this interesting fact...

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Famous Scientists - Roy J. Plunkett discovers Teflon

Almost every household has utensils that are Teflon coated. It is so easy for us to cook in a pan and not worry about the batter sticking to it and all. However, as we enjoy the benefits of this magic coating, it is important for us to know about the person behind the invention of this masterpiece.

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Famous Scientists - Louis Jacques Thenard discovers hydrogen peroxide

Hydrogen peroxide, the most effective cleaning agent has become an indispensable part of every household. Let us find out who discovered this solvent and how it was discovered...

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Famous Scientists - Soren Sorensen introduces the pH scale

Any chemistry laboratory is incomplete without the pH scale. A pH scale is very important and is required for almost every chemical procedure that is conducted. Let us now explore how this important thing came into being.

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Famous Scientists - Georges Urbain, Baron Carl Auer von Welsbach, Charles James discover Lutetium

Lutetium is very difficult to separate from other elements and the principal commercially viable ore of lutetium is the rare earth phosphate mineral monazite. Let us find out how it was discovered...

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Famous Scientists - Reinhold Benesch & Ruth Erica Benesch Find How Oxygen is Transported in Human Body

Reinhold Benesch and Ruth Erica Benesch are American biochemists who put in forty years to find out how oxygen is transported in our human body.

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Famous Scientists - Maxine Singer Decodes the Language of DNA

Maxine Frank Singer helped in deciphering the human genetic code and the chemical language that DNA uses to create the proteins that keep our bodies going and growing.

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Famous Scientists - Herbert Henry Dow Unveils New Ways to Extract Bromine

Herbert Henry Dow has invented many successful diversifications and several business reorganizations, first into chlorine chemicals, then into organic chemicals, such as phenol and indigo dye, and finally into magnesium metal.

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Famous Scientists - Joliot-Curie Discover Artificial Radioactivity

Irene Joliot-Curie and Frederic Joliot Curie jointly discovered artificial radioactivity. These isotopes rapidly became important tools in biomedical research and in the treatment of cancer and related diseases.

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Famous Scientists - Paul B. Weisz Pioneers Use of Hydrous Silicates as Catalysts

Paul B. Weisz pioneered the use of natural and synthetic zeolites, which are also known as hydrous silicates as catalysts. These catalysts are highly selective and facilitated only certain reactions between specific molecules of given shapes.

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Famous Scientists - Rudolph A. Marcus And his theory of electron transfer

Rudolph A. Marcus came up with his theory on electron transfer which is also known as Marcus theory and also won a Nobel Prize for the same in 1992.

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Famous Scientists - George Andrew Olah isolates carbocations

George Andrew Olah's research involves the generation and reactivity of carbocations via superacids. Besides the Nobel Prize, he has also been awarded the Priestley Medal which is the highest honour granted by the American Chemical Society.

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Famous Scientists - Walter Gilbert Unveils the Secrets behind RNA and DNA

Walter Gilbert developed a technique of using gel electrophoresis to read the nucleotide sequences of DNA segments.

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Famous Scientists - Gertrude B. Elion Develops Drugs for Malaria and AIDS

Gertrude B Elion had an impressive career and she helped develop drugs to treat many major diseases which included malaria and AIDS.

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Famous Scientists - Ahmed H. Zewail Develops Technique to study atoms

With his new technique to study atoms, Ahmed H Zewail became the third ethnic Egyptian to receive the Nobel Prize.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - R. Gopalkrishnan Speech, Best Chemistry Teacher Award 2011

R. Gopalkrishnan Speech, Best Chemistry Teacher Award 2011

R. Gopalkrishnan - Executive Director of TATA Sons Ltd. gives a speech at the Best Chemistry Teacher Awards, 2011.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - Best Chemistry Teacher Award 2011 - Recap from last year.

A look at the amazing journey of the Best Chemistry Teachers Award from nominations to gruelling judging to finally the dazzling awards ceremony

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Best Chemistry Teacher - Panellists speak about Best Chemistry Teacher Award

Meet the panellists from Best Chemistry Teacher Award 2011 - Dr. Murali Sastry, Prof. A Bhattacharya, Dr. D. V. Pabhu, Prof. S. D. Samant, Dr. K. Guruswamy and hear what they have to say.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - Best Chemistry Teacher Association of Chemistry Teachers Screening Committee

Some thoughts and observations from the ACT Screening Committee from the Best Chemistry Teachers Award 2011.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - Human Touch of Chemistry - Best Chemistry Teacher Award

The Best Chemistry Teacher Award 2011 was presented by Tata Chemicals in collaboration with Association of Chemistry Teachers to honour and recognize excellence in teaching chemistry. This short video captures the sentiment that students have towards their chemistry teachers and why they feel this award is an excellent idea.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - R. Mukundan Speech, Best Chemistry Teacher Award 2011

Relive the memories from Best Chemistry Teacher Award 2011. Here is a recap of R. Mukundan - The Managing Director of TATA Chemicals Ltd. as he gives a speech at the Best Chemistry Teacher Awards, 2011.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - Hall of Fame 2011

Heroes are worthy of being acknowledged. Human Touch of Chemistry recognizes exemplary work and unbridled talent. Know more about the winners of Best Chemistry Teacher Awards 2011 who were recognized for their contribution to furthering the cause of Chemistry.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - Best chemistry teacher awards 2012 sponsored by Godrej

500 million Indians choose Godrej everyday. We believe that the best is yet to come.

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Best Chemistry Teacher -

The Association of Chemistry Teachers

The Association of Chemistry Teachers was launched in 2000 to serve as an apex national body of chemistry educators to promote excellence in chemistry education. The Association brings together on a common platform higher secondary school teachers, college and university lecturers, professors, scientists and researchers from industry for organizing subject related activities. Since its inception, ACT has worked tirelessly to strengthen chemistry education in India and to motivate students to pursue chemistry as a career.

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Best Chemistry Teacher -

In the year 2011, Tata Chemicals instituted the Best Chemistry Teacher Award in India to commemorate United Nation's International Year of Chemistry (IYC 2011). The response was overwhelming and now the Best Chemistry Teacher Award is in its second year.

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Best Chemistry Teacher - Hall of Fame 2012

It's our pleasure to announce the Winners of Best Chemistry Teacher Awards 2012. We are truly inspired by their outstanding contribution to the field of Chemistry and demonstrating their capacity to encourage. Know more about them and their great work below

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