Here’s element 10 in our International Year of the Periodic Table element series: Neon. Best known for its use in neon lights, neon also finds use as a refrigerant. Its unreactive nature means it has no known stable compounds with other elements. Neon lends its name to neon lights – though, in truth, only those …
8 March is International Women’s Day. In the past few years, Ci has featured graphics on women in chemistry to mark this occasion; first, this one on women in chemistry history, and last year this one on women in chemistry present. This year, here’s another edition, looking at twelve more underappreciated women from chemistry history. …
Tribology was formalized by the Jost report. The Jost report formally a report on “Lubrication (Tribology) Education and Research” organized and presented to the UK government 9 March 1966 by Dr. Peter H. Jost. This paper coins the term Tribology and quantifies the saving that can happen when using sound tribological concepts. That is by …
Element number 8 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series is oxygen. Oxygen is a paramagnetic gas which is essential for respiration of living things, and also finds use as a rocket fuel. Oxygen is a magnetic gas, though this isn’t something that’s demonstrable in the gaseous state. However, if oxygen is cooled …
Pregnancy is a rollercoaster of shifting hormone levels which can have numerous effects. This graphic looks at six key hormones during pregnancy, their roles in the development of the baby, and other effects. Human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG)hCG is an important hormone in early pregnancy. It’s produced by the placenta after implantation, and supports the function …
We’re up to element 7 in our International Year of the Periodic Table series: Nitrogen. This element was feeding the world long before Band Aid made it cool, and also makes up the bulk of the air that surrounds us. 78% of air is nitrogen, making it the most common element in the Earth’s atmosphere. …
Here’s element number six, carbon, in the series of element graphics I’m producing with the Royal Society of Chemistry for the International Year of the Periodic Table. Elemental carbon has several different forms, known as allotropes. Diamond is one of the best known, and one of the hardest known substances. Graphite, another allotrope of carbon, …
Here’s element number five in the series of element graphics I’m producing with the Royal Society of Chemistry for the International Year of the Periodic Table. Boron is found as a preservative and buffer in eye drops and contact lens solutions in the form of borax (sodium tetraborate). You might be more familiar with borax …
Air pollution is a growing concern in cities around the world, and seeing people on the streets wearing masks to block air pollution is increasingly common. What exactly are these masks intended to block – and more importantly, do they actually work? This month’s graphic in C&EN has the answers. https://www.compoundchem.com/2019/02/18/do-air-pollution-masks-work-in-cen/
Air pollution is a growing concern in cities around the world, and seeing people on the streets wearing masks to block air pollution is increasingly common. What exactly are these masks intended to block – and more importantly, do they actually work? This month’s graphic in C&EN has the answers. https://www.compoundchem.com/2019/02/18/do-air-pollution-masks-work-in-cen/
