Distillations: Science + Culture + History

Laboratory science can be a risky business. While some of these substances’ dangers are easily mitigated by following proper safety procedures, others have risks that increase with extended exposure—a lesson unfortunately learned by many chemists in previous centuries, which we explore on today’s show. Chemical Agent: Lead. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:02 Chemical Agent: Lead 03:31 Tools of the Trade: Safety Goggles 06:23 Feature: High School Chemistry Demonstrations 10:45 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Robin Sussingham, Anke Timmerman , and Hilary Domush for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

This year is the 50th anniversary of the integrated circuit! The IC is an important part of many electronic technologies we use today, from your iPod to your GPS. Chemical Agent: Chemically Amplified Photoresists. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:15 Chemical Agent: Chemically Amplified Photoresists 03:43 Mystery Solved! Crystal Puller 06:27 A conversation with Hyungsub Choi 10:46 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Chi Chan, Eleanor Goldberg, and Audra Wolfe for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

After several long, cold months baseball season has finally begun! From Philadelphia, the home of 2008 World Series Champions, we bring you a show straight from the ballpark. Chemical Agent: Anabolic steroids. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:02 Chemical Agent: Anabolic Steroids 03:24 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Hot Dogs 06:04 Feature: Is That Nanotechnology in Your Bat? 10:40 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Ari Daniel Shapiro and Jennifer Dionisio for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

It is officially spring — time to open the windows, let the fresh air in, and sweep those winter blues away! Learn about acetic acid and its cleaning power. Then find out how hard water can make cleaning more difficult, and what you can do about it. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:59 Chemical Agent: Acetic Acid 03:05 Mystery Solved! Hard Water 06:05 Feature: Green Dry Cleaning 11:12 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Rene Gutel and Eleanor Goldberg for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Nearly 60% of American households have at least one pet, and nearly two-thirds of pet owners had more than one. That’s a lot of dogs, cats, turtles, birds, hamsters and iguanas. On today’s episode we turn our scientific lens to the relationship between humans and their furry friends. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:51 Chemical Agent: Histamines 03:04 Mystery Solved! Cancer-sniffing Dogs 05:45 Feature: Pet-friendly Extermination Methods 10:11 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jori Lewis and Jennifer Dionisio for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Plants are not the silent, stationary creatures we imagine them to be. They drift, stretch, and dance in search of nutrients, water, and sunlight. Inspired by sLowlife, a dynamic multimedia exhibit now on display in the Clifford C. Hach Gallery at the Chemical Heritage Foundation, today’s show looks at the chemistry behind plant growth and movement. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:00 Chemical Agent: Photosynthesis 03:02 A conversation with Amy Stewart 08:19 Mystery Solved! Tropisms 11:10 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Audra Wolfe for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Fossil fuel has gotten us into all sorts of trouble lately. Gas production and consumption has caused international conflict, wrecked havoc on our planet, and lightened our wallets at the gas pump. Why not turn to plants? They get their energy from the sun; and with a little smart science, they can pass on their clean green energy to our cars. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:24 Chemical Agent: Cellulose 04:01 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Biodiesel 06:52 Feature: Algae as Fuel 11:00 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Catherine Girardeau for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

It’s Valentine’s Day this weekend, and love is in the air. Let’s learn how atoms find each other with an examination of chemical bonds. Chemical Agent: Free Radicals. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:05 Chemical Agent: Free Radicals 02:56 A conversation with Alan Rocke 08:19 Mystery Solved: The Ozone Hole 11:19 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush and Eleanor Goldberg for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Space, the Final Frontier! Mention the chemistry of space and you’re likely to hear bad jokes about Tang or the behavior of liquids in zero gravity. But it turns out that there’s an entire field—astrochemistry—dedicated to understanding the chemistry of the universe. Chemical Agent: Panspermia. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:56 Chemical Agent: Panspermia 03:11 A conversation with Stefanie Milam 08:11 Tools of the Trade: Radio telescopes 11:15 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Audra Wolfe for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Today Distillations is finding out more about professional networks—particularly in the field of chemistry. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:12 Chemical Agent: Sodium Cyanide 03:21 Tools of the Trade: Imaging Software 06:13 A conversation with Michael Gordin 10:58 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio, Hilary Domush, and Eleanor Goldberg for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

We’re hitting the slopes—and tending our wounds—on today’s episode of Distillations. We start off with the science behind sports gels. Next, find out more about the synthetic fabrics. Finally, learn about the latest advances in fake snow. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:58 Chemical Agent: Menthol 03:05 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Synthetic Fibers 06:30 Feature: Snowflex 11:16 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Erin McLeary, Eleanor Goldberg, and Lydia Wilson for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Distillations is taking a look at the presidential side of chemistry. First we learn about stem cells and the controversy surrounding their research. Next we find out why 21-gun salutes are safe and not so smoky in Mystery Solved! SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:01 Chemical Agent: Stem Cells 03:30 Mystery Solved! Smokeless Gunpowder 06:32 Commentary: A Planet in Peril 11:05 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio, Nicole Rietmann, and Jody Roberts for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Let’s go to the library! This week we take a field trip to that venerable institution where great reading abounds and shushing up is de rigueur. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:04 Chemical Agent: Water 03:43 Tools of the Trade: The Chemical Abstract Service 06:44 Feature: Book Printing and Binding 11:18 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Audra J. Wolfe for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

What do you resolve to do in 2009? Get in shape? Improve your eating habits? Stop smoking? We cover them all on this week’s show.Our Mystery Solved! segment investigates why fruits and vegetables high in antioxidants, like the pomegranates pictured here, are being credited with all sorts of health-saving powers. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:06 Chemical Agent: Nicotine 03:52 Mystery Solved! Antioxidants 07:00 Feature: Aching Muscles 11:22 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jennifer Dionisio, Eleanor Goldberg, and Lara Ratzlaff for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

We are marking the one year anniversary of Distillations this week! To celebrate we’re looking back at the year 2008 and its noteworthy occasions: first, boron, whose 200th birthday was this year, then, the Nobel Prize. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:07 Element of the Week: Boron 03:20 2008 Nobel Prize in Chemistry 06:49 The Most Significant Chemical Moment of 2008 10:20 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Eleanor Goldberg and Chi Chan for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Thanks to J. J. Thomson‘s plum pudding model of the atom, chemistry will be forever associated with 19th-century British Christmas traditions. His model was soon discarded, but it remains a staple of high school chemistry textbooks. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:10 Element of the Week: Tin 02:47 Tools of the Trade: Plum Pudding 05:41 Feature: Ham 10:47 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush, Anke Timmermann, and Eleanor Goldberg for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

The truth behind the fake—this week Distillations explores the science of forgery. Some forgery is known and expected, such as fake meat products for vegetarians, while other fakes are meant to deceive…think imitated artists. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:31 Update: The Electric Car 03:49 Update: Cleaning Up Oil Spills 09:27 Update: A Planet in Peril 13:00 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Erin McLeary, Audra Wolfe, and Rebecca Sheir for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Americans are still relatively new to consuming wine—but they do so with gusto during the holiday season. On today’s show we take a look at the chemistry of this intoxicating substance: its aroma, its flavor, and its sometimes unwanted side effects. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 00:52 Element of the Week: Oxygen 02:54 Mystery Solved! Sulfites and Hangovers 05:35 Feature: Organic Wines 10:11 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hilary Domush and Eric Mack for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Monday, December 1, is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. In honor of this campaign, Distillations is considering global health. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:58 Element of the Week: Silver 02:59 A Conversation with Seema Shah 07:54 Mystery Solved! Affordable Vaccines 11:27 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Dominique Tobbell for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

Nothing is more important to parents than the health of their children, and advances in chemistry and pharmaceuticals have made it possible for children to receive the best care that science has to offer. However, chemical hazards in everyday life still pose hidden risks to children. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:33 Introduction 00:58 Element of the Week: Lithium 02:49 A Conversation with Sandra Steingraber 08:38 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Bisphenol A 11:18 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jody Roberts and Eleanor Goldberg for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.