Chemical Reporter

In these entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions on Chemistry in our everyday life.

Close up shot of lemons cut in half

Why do you wince when you bite into a lemon?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Macro shot two leaves

What are fungicides?

MP3 ( 3.7 MB )

Wall with paint chipping off and a mirror with a doors reflection

Why does a mirror grow dark?

MP3 ( 3.4 MB )

Big red drums and small white bottle to store coolant

How do engine coolants work?

MP3 ( 4.1 MB )

Black umbrella with rain

How is artificial rain produced?

MP3 ( 3.7 MB )

Close up shot of a sparkler

How does a sparkler work?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Row of glass bottle tops

How do you brew non-alcoholic beer?

MP3 ( 3.4 MB )

Silver faucet with water droplet

What does it mean when people talk about "hard water"?

MP3 ( 3.2 MB )

Gold spoon with small pills

What's the difference between sugar and artificial sweetener?

MP3 ( 3.7 MB )

Black pan

How does the non-stick surface in a pan work?

MP3 ( 3.4 MB )

Woman with wavy red hair

What is the chemistry behind a permanent wave hairstyle?

MP3 ( 3.3 MB )

Smiling woman holding a glue tooth brush with toothpaste

Why does fluoride make your teeth hard?

MP3 ( 3.5 MB )

potatoes and eggs

Why do potatoes get softer when you cook them, while eggs get harder?

MP3 ( 3.2 MB )

Multiple wine bottles with corks

What’s the significance of that percentage number on the label of a bottle containing an alcoholic beverage?

MP3 ( 3.4 MB )

Green leaf with co2 cut out

What is carbon dioxide?

MP3 ( 4.2 MB )

fossilized bones

What is the radiocarbon dating method?

MP3 ( 3.9 MB )

Why does silver inhibit bacterial growth?

MP3 ( 3.3 MB )

Yellow sponge

What are sponges made of?

MP3 ( 3.7 MB )

Whip cream in a glass cup

Why does cream turn to whipped cream when you whip it?

MP3 ( 2.8 MB )

Why does your urine smell so different after you`ve eaten asparagus?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Red cherries

Why do cherries burst when it rains?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

Coffee Beans

Why does caffeine have a stimulating effect?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Stack of blue jeans

What makes blue-jeans blue?

MP3 ( 3.5 MB )

Ketchup pouring out of a bottle

Why is it sometimes so hard to get ketchup out of the bottle?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Glass of white milk foam

Why does milk form a skin on top when you cook it?

MP3 ( 2.8 MB )

Black pencil tip

What´s the difference in carbon between a pencil lead and a diamond?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Pile of colourful rubber bands

What gives a rubber band its elasticity?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Meat roasting on a grill

What happens to meat when you roast it?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Spider web

What is spider silk made of?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Line of clothes at a dry cleaner

What is dry-cleaning?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Tractor driving on a road surrounded by snow

Why does ice melt when you sprinkle salt on it?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Tv monitor displaying sandy beach

How does a plasma monitor work?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Black dress show with shoe polish and a brush

What is shoe polish made of?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

Green glow sticks

How does a glow stick work?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Calculator screen with 499.56

What are liquid crystals?

MP3 ( 3.6 MB )

Happy boy pulling cling wrap

What is cling film made of?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Hands rubbing cream

What are emulsifiers?

MP3 ( 3.2 MB )

Three pearls in Oyster shell

What is mother-of-pearl?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Woman rubbing conditioner in her hair

How does conditioner make your hair soft?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Hands pulling apart florescent plastic sheet

What are bioplastics?

MP3 ( 3.8 MB )

Sink drain with water pouring on it

How does a drain cleaner work?

MP3 ( 3.4 MB )

Back of older lady's grey hair

Why does hair turn grey?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Cubes of brown sugar

Why is sugar sticky?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

Droplets of oil in water

Why can´t you mix oil and water?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Woman feeling the softness of her sweater

How does fabric softener make your laundry soft?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Red and yellow fertilizing tractor in a field

What does fertilizer have to do with plant growth?

MP3 ( 3.5 MB )

Black bullet proof vest

What´s a bullet-proof vest made of?

MP3 ( 3.3 MB )

Cloves of garlic

Why do you get garlic breath?

MP3 ( 3.3 MB )

Person pouring oil into a funnel

What does the SAE classification on motor oil cans mean?

MP3 ( 3.6 MB )

Brown leather

How is leather produced?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Photo developing film

What happens to film when it is developed?

MP3 ( 3.5 MB )

Colourful gum balls

What is chewing gum made of?

MP3 ( 3.4 MB )

Beakers with smoke coming out

What is dry ice?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Dimmed florescent tube lights

How does a fluorescent lamp work?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

White can with red cap spraying airsol

How do air fresheners work?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Coffee cup and saucer

Why does coffee smell so good?

MP3 ( 2.6 MB )

Legs hanging over a pool

How do tanning creams make our skin turn brown?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

How does a pocket warmer work?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Lit match stick

What makes a match ignite?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

White powder laundry detergent with blue grains pouring out of plastic cup

What does laundry detergent consist of?

MP3 ( 3.1 MB )

Stainless steel drink mixing kit

What makes steel stainless?

MP3 ( 2.5 MB )

Tooth brush with blue toothpaste

How does toothpaste clean our teeth?

MP3 ( 2.8 MB )

Fireworks in night sky

How does fireworks function?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Blonde woman looking at herself in the mirror with gold frame

How is a mirror assembled?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Green highlighter making a line on white paper

Why is a highlighter pen fluorescent?

MP3 ( 2.6 MB )

Two yellow bananas

Why do bananas turn brown through cold?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Yellow and red flame

Why does baking powder put out a fire?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Why does a kettle calcify?

MP3 ( 2.8 MB )

How does a deodorant work?

MP3 ( 3.4 MB )

Red and yellow chilli peppers

What makes a chili pepper have a hot fiery flavor?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Why does silver tarnish?

MP3 ( 2.6 MB )

Red, geen and yellow pile of maple leaves

Why is fall foliage so colourful?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

car_ paint.png

What makes a car’s paint scratch-resistant?

MP3 ( 2.8 MB )

Man with a mohawk smiling

How does hair styling gel work?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

White onion

Why does chopping onions make us cry?

MP3 ( 2.6 MB )

How does soap clean our hands?

MP3 ( 2.4 MB )

Refrigerator filled with vegetables and food pots

What makes a refrigerator cold?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Line of clothes hanging on a silver pole

Why do colors fade?

MP3 ( 2.6 MB )

What does the gasoline octane rating represent?

MP3 ( 2.6 MB )

Concrete being poured

What is concrete made of?

MP3 ( 3.2 MB )

Water boiling in a silver pot

How is mineral water carbonated?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

How does an automotive catalytic converter work?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Women's pointy leather shoes with laces

How are leather shoes made rainproof?

MP3 ( 3.0 MB )

Stack of brown paper

How is paper made tear-proof?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

What does actually take place when we color our hair?

MP3 ( 2.8 MB )

close up of AA battery top

How does a battery work?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

Waves in the sea

Why can’t we drink seawater?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

close up on woman's laugh

Why is laughing gas actually called laughing gas?

MP3 ( 2.2 MB )

How does sunscreen lotion protect our skin?

MP3 ( 3.2 MB )

Two ants walking on a white surface

Is formic acid derived from ants?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

Cute baby in diapers sleeping

What makes baby diapers so absorbent?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

How does an ink eraser erase ink?

MP3 ( 2.7 MB )

Woman applying lipstick

What makes lipstick kiss-proof?

MP3 ( 2.8 MB )

Close up of a glass beaker with foam bubbles

Why does foam lather?

MP3 ( 2.9 MB )

Why does natural gas have an odor?

MP3 ( 2.4 MB )

Firefly

Why do fireflies glow?

MP3 ( 2.5 MB )

Why is glass transparent?

MP3 ( 2.0 MB )

How do solar panels work?

MP3 ( 2.0 MB )

Clear sticky substance being pulled apart

Why does glue stick?

MP3 ( 2.3 MB )

Mens dress shirt hanging

What makes a non-iron shirt wrinkle free?

MP3 ( 2.3 MB )