In simple terms, behind the glass on the front of a plasma screen you'll find a whole lot of tiny cells that are filled with one of the 'noble' gases, generally neon or xenon. Each of these cells represents a single point - a pixel. If a voltage is applied to the gas, then it converts into what is known as a plasma - and the pixel begins to glow. In entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
If you want your leather shoes to continue to look clean and snazzy, then there's no way around it: you have to polish them occasionally. The polish that you apply contains both fats - lipids - and wax. The lipids make the leather soft and smooth, while the wax protects it from moisture and dirt and gives it a beautiful sheen. In entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
Although the way glow sticks work at first seems almost magical, it's actually pretty simple. They provide a purely chemical source of light. A glow stick is a sealed, see-through plastic pipe containing a fluorescent dye and two different liquids. In entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
After the advent of liquid crystal displays, or LCDs, everybody nowadays has at least heard the term 'liquid crystal'. The high-tech screens are everywhere: in computer monitors, cell phones, digital cameras, and calculators. In entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
Cling film - also called plastic wrap - has to be pretty versatile. It should stretch a lot without tearing, it should keep out the germs, and it has to seal in moisture and aroma to keep those cold cuts from drying out and that chunk of French cheese from smelling up the refrigerator. On top of that, the wrap has to stick to the edge of the plate or the bowl. For many years, one plastic in particular has been performing all of those chores perfectly – polyethylene, or PE for short. In entertaining episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
If you put the oil and water together in a single glass, then they act like a couple of suspicious neighbors. Each quickly finds its own level - the oil on top and the water below - and has as little interaction with the other as possible. There's a kind of fence between them that each is unable to overcome on its own: this barrier is called 'surface tension'. But with the help of emulsifiers the oil and water are able to come to terms. In entertaining biweekly episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
While taking a walk along the beach, you might have noticed shells that have inner surfaces that shimmer in colorful patterns when they reflect the sunlight. The iridescent substance responsible for it is called nacre, or more commonly: mother-of-pearl. The name says it all, because the shell comes from one of the species of mollusk that can also produce pearls. In entertaining weekly episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
Hair isn't exactly lying still all the time. It's constantly in motion - we brush it, run our fingers through it, and style it in all kinds of tortuous ways. When we tax it and strain it, the shingles on the outside of a strand of hair can stand up - or even break off. But with the help of conditioner, the hair’s protective outer layer is able to repair itself. In entertaining weekly episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
Bioplastics might look artificial, but they sure act like they're organic. When you toss them on a compost heap, for example, they simply disappear. There's no magic involved, though. Compostable bioplastics disintegrate in nature without leaving a trace. In entertaining weekly episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
A lot of stuff disappears down the drain that never comes out the other end. If you can’t get to the blockage in the pipe to clean it mechanically, then your only choice to get the water flowing again is a drain cleaner. In entertaining weekly episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
In campfire stories, you often hear that someones' hair turns grey or white overnight because of a stressful or frightening experience. That's pretty obviously an exaggeration - but what ARE the factors involved when hair loses its young and vibrant tones and assumes that silvery sheen? In entertaining weekly episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
Sugar's ability to adhere to a surface pretty impressive. Back in the 1950s, women even used sugar water to hold extravagant hairdos in place - and it made them pretty indestructible. But how does the sugar do it? In entertaining weekly episodes our Chemical Reporter answers questions of our Podcast listeners on Chemistry in our everyday life.
Everyone knows that oil a