Chemistry For Your Life

By Melissa and Jam, Bleav

A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life.

Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine... more

4.6

294294 ratings

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FAQs about Chemistry For Your Life:

How many episodes does Chemistry For Your Life have?

The podcast currently has 400 episodes available.

Chemistry For Your Life episodes:

September 21, 2023Bonus: How does numbing cream work? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 48
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about shoes, freeze-drying, water filters, botox, and more!
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
38min
September 14, 2023What can we do now about "forever chemicals?" (PFAS part 3)
#169

Time for some action. This week on our "forever chemicals" aka PFAS series, get ready to talk about what we can do about PFAS. Can we get rid of them? Can we filter them? Destroy them? Once and for all? Let's find out.
References from this Episode
https://www.epa.gov/pfas/meaningful-and-achievable-steps-you-can-take-reduce-your-risk

https://www.epa.gov/sciencematters/reducing-pfas-drinking-water-treatment-technologies

https://www.fda.gov/food/process-contaminants-food/questions-and-answers-pfas-food

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/engineering/granular-activated-carbon

https://cen.acs.org/environment/persistent-pollutants/Forever-chemicals-technologies-aim-destroy/97/i12

https://www.chemistryworld.com/news/how-to-put-an-end-to-forever-chemicals-and-annihilate-pfas-pollution/4016018.article

https://www.health.state.mn.us/communities/environment/hazardous/topics/gac.html

https://www.epa.gov/sdwa/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas

https://www.ewg.org/news-insights/news-release/2023/03/epa-proposes-bold-new-limits-tackling-forever-chemicals-drinking#:~:text=The%20MCLs%20announced%20are%204,risks%20from%20mixtures%20of%20chemicals
We want to give a special thanks to Bri McAllister for illustrating molecules for some episodes! Please go check out Bri’s art, follow and support her at entr0pic.artstation.com and @McAllisterBri on twitter!
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
38min
September 07, 2023Are cast iron pans as cool as people say?
#045 Rebroadcast
The continuation of the unexpected cookware chemistry saga: cast iron. This week, Melissa and Jam discuss multiple aspects of cast iron chemistry. What is cast iron? Why do some people love it so much? How does it work? Is it better than other cookware? If you haven't listened to our two teflon "prequel" episodes, click here!

References from this episode
Let's Settle This! How to Care for Cast-Iron - American Chemical Society - Reactions

The Food Lab - J. Kenji López-Alt

General Chemistry, Edition 2 - Flowers, Theopold, Langley, Robinson
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
42min
August 31, 2023The history of “forever chemicals,” how did we get here? (PFAS part 2)
#168

Continuing our series on "forever chemicals" aka PFAS, we explore how we got into this situation. Where did PFAS come from? Why were they made? Were there any signs of PFAS being a problem early on? Let's investigate.
References from this Episode
https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/ptfe/3005920.article?adredir=1

https://www.teflon.com/en/news-events/history

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7530144/

https://www.investors.dupont.com/news-and-media/press-release-details/2023/Chemours-DuPont-and-Corteva-Reach-Comprehensive-PFAS-Settlement-with-U.S.-Water-Systems/default.aspx
We want to give a special thanks to Bri McAllister for illustrating molecules for some episodes! Please go check out Bri’s art, follow and support her at entr0pic.artstation.com and @McAllisterBri on twitter!
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
43min
August 24, 2023Bonus: Why does coffee spoil faster than tea? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 47
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about silicone, coffee, pizza stones, hotdogs, and more!
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
36min
August 17, 2023What are "forever" chemicals? (aka PFAs) And are they bad? (PFAS part 1)
#167

Have you heard of "forever" chemicals? Or PFAS, or PFOAS, or Teflon, or a bunch of other associated names and labels? Or have you ever used nonstick cookware, or a modern rain coat, or the countless other items that use PFAS today? Well if you couldn't tell by the questions, it's almost certain that you have interacted with PFAS in your life. What are they? Why are they everywhere? Is it a big deal? Let's get into it.
References from this Episode
https://youtu.be/tqKEG5LxPiY?t=189s

https://cen.acs.org/policy/chemical-regulation/define-PFAS/100/i24#

https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(18)65805-3/pdf

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/em/d0em00291g#!divAbstract

https://www.fda.gov/food/environmental-contaminants-food/and-polyfluoroalkyl-substances-pfas

https://www.jbc.org/article/S0021-9258(18)65805-3/pdf
We want to give a special thanks to Bri McAllister for illustrating molecules for some episodes! Please go check out Bri’s art, follow and support her at entr0pic.artstation.com and @McAllisterBri on twitter!
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
45min
August 10, 2023Is it safe to use teflon pans?
#041
Ok! So now that you know how teflon works (see last week's episode if you missed it), now it's time to discuss the equally important question: is it safe to use?? Are there any potential side-effects to using it? Can scratching teflon cause it to have an affect on our food, or even worse, on us? If there are potential dangers to teflon, is there any way to avoid them? Help! This week, Melissa and Jam delve into this topic, and tiptoe through the allegations to give you some things to consider when choosing you next pots and pans.

References from this episode
Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon

If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does it stick to pans? - Scientific American

DuPont Faces Class-Action Lawsuits Over Teflon - Reich, Chemical and Engineering News

Perspective on Fluorocarbon Chemistry - David M. Lemal

Teflon’s Toxicity Level - Sharon Kelley

PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective - Muhammad Sajid & Muhammad Ilyas

The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare - The New York Times Magazine, Rich

Teflon’s Toxic Legacy - Earth Island Journal, Kelly
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
39min
August 03, 2023What is silicone?
#166

At some point, silicone snuck onto the scene and found its way into many of our kitchens. It seems kinda like rubber, kinda like plastic, but somehow different. But how? Is silicone better, worse, or just different? What's going on at the molecular level, and can that tell us why silicone started replacing many kitchen utensils?
References from this Episode
https://www.rsc.org/periodic-table/element/14/silicon

https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/silicones/3005950.article

https://edu.rsc.org/soundbite/silicon-and-silicones/2021259.article

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/articlelanding/2020/qo/d0qo01075h

https://europepmc.org/article/med/2204381

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22575024/

https://www.thelancet.com/journals/ebiom/article/PIIS2352-3964(22)00521-7/fulltext
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
49min
July 27, 2023Bonus: Are my shoes chemistry? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 46
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about rubber, cold brew coffee, crystals, greenhouse gases, and more.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
25min
July 20, 2023What is dietary fiber?
#165

Fiber. Dietary Fiber. Fiber optic internet. We all probably know that fiber is good for you, good for digestion etc. But why? Also what is fiber really? Why do some foods have it and others don't? Is it actually helpful for digestion? If so, why? Let's find out!
References from this episode
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/jf101021s

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK234933/#:~:text=Dietary%20fibers%20a%20are%20mainly,fiber%20in%20plant%20cell%20walls.

https://pubs.rsc.org/en/content/getauthorversionpdf/C5FO00950B

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6627181/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814603005314

https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1467-3010.2005.00481.x

https://extension.colostate.edu/topic-areas/nutrition-food-safety-health/dietary-fiber-9-333/

https://extension.okstate.edu/fact-sheets/print-publications/t/dietary-fiber-t-3138.pdf

https://extension.usu.edu/archive/is-all-dietary-fiber-the-same

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC9226567/

https://www.chemistryworld.com/podcasts/lignin/3007765.article

https://www.fda.gov/food/cfsan-constituent-updates/fda-grants-citizen-petition-acacia-gum-arabic-dietary-fiber
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville

J0HNTR0Y

Jeannette Napoleon

Cullyn R

Erica Bee

Elizabeth P

Sarah Moar

Rachel Reina

Letila

Katrina Barnum-Huckins

Suzanne Phillips

Nelly Silva

Venus Rebholz

Lyn Stubblefield

Jacob Taber

Brian Kimball

Emerson Woodhall

Kristina Gotfredsen

Timothy Parker

Steven Boyles

Chris Skupien

Chelsea B

Bri McAllister

Avishai Barnoy

Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com
Watch our episodes on YouTube
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.

Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.
...more
47min

FAQs about Chemistry For Your Life:

How many episodes does Chemistry For Your Life have?

The podcast currently has 400 episodes available.

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