The History of Chemistry
Chemistry is everywhere, and involves everything. But how did chemistry get to be what it is? I'm Steve Cohen, a chemist and writer, bringing you The History of Chemistry. This podcast explores the development of chemistry from prehistoric times to the present, including the people and societies who made chemistry what it is today. The History of Chemistry is for you, whether you hated chemistry in high school, or got a PhD in inorganic chemistry. We'll explore how chemistry affected art, music, language, politics and vice-versa. Whether it's ancient Greek philosophers, medieval alchemists, or modern laboratory apparatus, it's all here. Don't forget to support my series at https://www.patreon.com/thehistoryofchemistry !
Show episodes
We discuss the history of finding quasicrystals, those arrays of atoms that are like crystals--but aren"t quite crystals. These are rarely talked about in undergraduate classes. We start with a purely mathematical question by David Hilbert, and move forward through the 1960s and 1970s, till actual quasicrystals were di
We finally return to polymers, but in a more ecological way. We learn about using wood waste to make plastics. We hear of how to make plastic naturally degrade in the environment, whether with bacteria, sunlight, zapping it with ions, or heating up without oxygen. We also learn of new methods to mine plastics for hydro
We give a "solid foundation" to chemistry by recounting the history of concrete, starting with the earliest architectural use of lime around 10,000 years ago. We continue through ancient history and modern times with Roman concrete, the loss of its recipe, and (partial) rediscovery in the Renaissance. We continue to th
This episode relates the history of the new field of "skeletal editing" of molecules. While there have been a few known reactions of this type since the very late 1800s, the general system was unknown till the 21st century, beginning with Marcos Suero. We add to the mix Mark Levin and Guangbin Dong, talk of what precis
We reach the Big 1-5-0, in which I discuss the venerable history of mRNA vaccines, from the 1960s to the present, from a chemical point of view. We hear of transferring mRNA into cells, then transferring anti-viral mRNA into cells. There are a variety of mRNA vaccines under study--not merely COVID, but flu, RSV, and ev
In this episode we touch on how chemistry has directly influenced religion. Our example is how knowledge of chemistry affected a rabbi"s decision to allow a certain brand of carbonated beverage to claim that it is kosher, that is, fit to be ingested by Jews who follow traditional Jewish laws and customs regarding food.