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Chemical Reporter

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

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Why do you wince when you bite into a lemon?

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What are fungicides?

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Why does a mirror grow dark?

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How do engine coolants work?

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How is artificial rain produced?

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How does a sparkler work?

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How do you brew non-alcoholic beer?

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

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What's the difference between sugar and artificial sweetener?

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

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What is the chemistry behind a permanent wave hairstyle?

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Why does fluoride make your teeth hard?

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

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

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What is carbon dioxide?

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What is the radiocarbon dating method?

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Why does silver inhibit bacterial growth?

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What are sponges made of?

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

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

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Why do cherries burst when it rains?

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Why does caffeine have a stimulating effect?

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What makes blue-jeans blue?

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

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

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

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What gives a rubber band its elasticity?

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What happens to meat when you roast it?

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What is spider silk made of?

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What is dry-cleaning?

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Why does ice melt when you sprinkle salt on it?

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How does a plasma monitor work?

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What is shoe polish made of?

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How does a glow stick work?

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What are liquid crystals?

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What is cling film made of?

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What are emulsifiers?

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What is mother-of-pearl?

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How does conditioner make your hair soft?

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What are bioplastics?

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How does a drain cleaner work?

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Why does hair turn grey?

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Why is sugar sticky?

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Why can´t you mix oil and water?

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How does fabric softener make your laundry soft?

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What does fertilizer have to do with plant growth?

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What´s a bullet-proof vest made of?

garlic.png

Why do you get garlic breath?

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What does the SAE classification on motor oil cans mean?

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How is leather produced?

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What happens to film when it is developed?

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What is chewing gum made of?

dry-ice.png

What is dry ice?

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How does a fluorescent lamp work?

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How do air fresheners work?

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Why does coffee smell so good?

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How do tanning creams make our skin turn brown?

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How does a pocket warmer work?

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What makes a match ignite?

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What does laundry detergent consist of?

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What makes steel stainless?

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How does toothpaste clean our teeth?

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How does fireworks function?

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How is a mirror assembled?

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Why is a highlighter pen fluorescent?

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Why do bananas turn brown through cold?

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Why does baking powder put out a fire?

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Why does a kettle calcify?

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How does a deodorant work?

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What makes a chili pepper have a hot fiery flavor?

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Why does silver tarnish?

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Why is fall foliage so colourful?

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What makes a car’s paint scratch-resistant?

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How does hair styling gel work?

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Why does chopping onions make us cry?

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How does soap clean our hands?

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What makes a refrigerator cold?

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Why do colors fade?

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What does the gasoline octane rating represent?

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What is concrete made of?

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How is mineral water carbonated?

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How does an automotive catalytic converter work?

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How are leather shoes made rainproof?

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How is paper made tear-proof?

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What does actually take place when we color our hair?

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How does a battery work?

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Why can’t we drink seawater?

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Why is laughing gas actually called laughing gas?

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How does sunscreen lotion protect our skin?

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Is formic acid derived from ants?

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What makes baby diapers so absorbent?

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How does an ink eraser erase ink?

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What makes lipstick kiss-proof?

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Why does foam lather?

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Why does natural gas have an odor?

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Why do fireflies glow?

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Why is glass transparent?

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How do solar panels work?

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Why does glue stick?

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What makes a non-iron shirt wrinkle free?