Topic: Invention

Discover the single most important chemical reaction on Earth, and why we need to kill it.

Can we solve electric vehicle fires before fully understand what’s happening inside them?

In this episode, we visited McFadden Art Glass in Baltimore, Maryland, to learn about the chemistry of this ancient material.

In this video, learn how leather is made using techniques that are thousands of years old.

This life hack is for those you out there who yearn to know about whether or not your oven is actually reaching the same temperature as the dial is set to.

We've found the chemical elements lurking inside a smartphone with help from our friends at the Compound Interest blog.

Nanomachines are many orders of magnitude smaller than a human cell, but they have huge promise. In the future, they could deliver drugs anywhere in the body, clean up oil spills and might even be used as artificial muscle cells.

This video explores how hydrogen fuel cars seem like a great driving solution.

In this episode, we break down the chemistry of cryogenic and reanimating a frozen corpse.

In this episode, we learn how blacksmithing is just as much chemistry as it is an artform.

In this video, find out great lengths used to make gunpowder during the Revolutionary War.

We honor women’s history month, with a story of two women chemists that changed the world.

This video explores the do’s and don’ts of washing your clothes using textile chemistry.

Reactions and Ms. Beautyphile explain, the chemistry of shaving creams.

These black preserved eggs don’t look like food, but in this episode we’ll show how chemistry turns century eggs into a Chinese comfort food.

Reactions is taking science to the skies to see what happens in the chemistry behind chemtrails, or more accurately, airplane contrails.

In this video, we look at gallium, the science behind the holes in the periodic table, and the history of how the elements fell into place.

Theo Gray is 2011 ACS Grady Stack Award winner and in this video, his real DIY masterpiece is the world's first "periodic table table."

Jacques Dubochet, Joachim Frank, and Richard Henderson are the 2017 Nobel Prize winners for their development of cryo-electron microscopy.

Lint from fleece and other synthetic fibers is getting washed down the drain and entering aquatic ecosystems.

Headlines keep on popping up in the news about exploding cellphones and we're covering the chemistry on why batteries go boom!

The products we use every day leave behind chemical footprints. Learn how and why researchers are now studying those trails.

Learn about an unusual polymer that’s found everywhere you look, from cars to shoes to rocket fuel – even sports balls of all varieties!

Petria Noble andf Jaap Boon at the Rijks Museum, work to save thousands of paintings from around the world from microscopic destruction.

Get hyped! This episode talks, not only about Bicycle day – but the psychedelic effects of LSD, discovered by chemist Albert Hoffman.

Thanks to the laws of thermodynamics, thermometers can measure temperature. But how do they work in the kitchen or doctor’s office?

In the second edition of our accidental discoveries series, get to know the stories of how TNT, dynamite and air bags were discovered totally by accident.

Short of carrying an external battery all the time, is there a way to extend the life of your smartphone? Reactions explains the chemistry of lithium-ion batteries with tips to get the most from that smartphone battery.

Have you ever wondered about what makes a fluorescent color stand out so brightly from the rest? This video highlights brilliant applications of fluorescence coming out of nanotechnology.

For the Fourth of July and for all of you firework lovers out there, here’s an up close, slow motion look at the chemistry of how sparklers work.

The Speaking of Chemistry California road trip continues as we scope out some cutting-edge, flexible electronics at Stanford University.

We're hitting the road in California. Check out our first stop at Carbon, a 3-D printing startup in Silicon Valley. Join us as we learn why Carbon believes it’s poised to kick off a new era of 3-D manufacturing.

Many people have turned to over-the-counter teeth-whitening treatments, while some have made a trip to the dentist. This week, Reactions looks at the chemistry of a brighter smile.

A Reactions viewer asked us, "Why do metal things corrode?" It’s a great question and number two in our Reactions Q & A series. And did you know that metals actually PREFER to be rusted?

Dull knives and not having a knife sharpener is a drag. This chemistry life hack is going to have you going straight MacGyver up on that lame point of yours.

These sprays can work wonders, but how do they actually work? Do they really remove the smell or just mask it?

In a special bonus episode of Reactions, we celebrate the International Year of Light by exploring the science behind light, sight and invisibility.

Could you make your own Game of Thrones Valyrian steel sword using real-life chemistry?

Throughout the history of science, many major discoveries came accidentally.

How Thomas Edison Changed The World

The survivors on "The Walking Dead" can learn a lot from chemistry when fighting off walkers. In this video, Dr. Raychelle Burks explains her idea for a "death cologne".

To kick off this football season, Reactions looks at everything that goes into a football helmet and how chemistry helps keep players safe.

The pain of a bare foot pressing down on a Lego is one of the worst. Today, we're talking nociception folks, and how these blocks pack enough punch to send you into orbit.