The chemical breakdown & Chemistry in its element

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Latest Episodes:

Minoxidil and finasteride: Chemistry in its element Mar 13, 2020

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Catherine Hodges explores the chemical solutions to thinning hair and patchy beards, examining the popularity of minoxidil and the cautionary tale of finasteride

Fipronil: Chemistry in its element Mar 06, 2020

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The pesticide that keeps pets free of pests, but may have also been responsible for the devastating collapse of bee colonies. With Harriet Brewerton.

Leptin: Chemistry in its element Feb 28, 2020

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Rotund rodents revolutionised our understanding of the biological role of fat. Now, as Katrina Krämer discovers, the hormones created by fats could redefine obesity.

Vitamin K: Chemistry in its element Feb 21, 2020

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Ben Valsler on vitamin K – the blood clotting factor that is likely to be the first supplement you ever receive

Amylase: Chemistry in its element Feb 14, 2020

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Brian Clegg on the enzymes make life a little sweeter by breaking down starch into sugars, helping to make bread and beer

Hydroquinone: Chemistry in its element Feb 07, 2020

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Georgia Mills on a compound that explodes from a beetle's bum, and has a controversial role in skin depigmentation

Sodium cyanide: Chemistry in its element Jan 31, 2020

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This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Baia Mare disaster, when toxic sodium cyanide spilled from a gold processing plant led to ecological damage on a huge scale. Mike Freemantle tells the tragic tale and explores the poison's place in precious metal processing.

Terephthalic acid: Chemistry in its element Jan 24, 2020

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Once thought of as an interesting – but useless – turpentine derivative, this oddly-named acid became the precursor to one of the world's most widely used plastics

Cobalt oxide: Chemistry in its Element Jan 17, 2020

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From ancient Egyptian pottery to distinctive blue bottles, cobalt oxide has been providing 'chemically and artistically perfect' pigments for centuries

Vitamin B12 or Cobalamin Jan 10, 2020

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If you're trying out a vegan diet, you're likely to be told to make sure you get enough vitamin B12. Ben Valsler asks what B12 does, where we get it from, and how can we be sure we're getting enough?