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 419 episodes available.

Chemistry For Your Life episodes:

April 27, 2023What are trans fats and are they evil?
#004 Rebroadcast

This week Melissa and Jam talk about some of the possible unexpected results of hydrogenation, including trans fats.

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
22min
April 20, 2023What is butter?
#159
Can you spread it? Can you melt it? Can you bake with it? Can you cook things with it? You butter believe it! But what is butter? Or rather, whatter is butter? How do we turn cream into butter, and what is happening at the molecular level? Let's find out.
References from this episode
https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/they_did_what_to_your_milk

https://www.compoundchem.com/2018/06/02/milk/

Biochemistry, 4th edition - Garrett & Grisham

https://edu.rsc.org/primary-science/how-to-make-butter/4011889.article

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6836175/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34065288/

https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0308814612009363
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
April 13, 2023Bonus: How does lightning striking sand create glass? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 42
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about freezing point depression, super-heated water, what salt does to yeast, video games, 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
47min
April 06, 2023How do gemstones get their color?
#158
Gemstones come in all sorts of colors, but how do they get them? Are different stones super different at the molecular level? How do these different colors happen naturally? And how can those colors be replicated in lab-made gemstones? Let's get into it.
References from this episode
https://www.acs.org/education/students/highschool/chemistryclubs/activities/jewelry-science.html
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
44min
March 30, 2023What is silver tarnish?
#073 Rebroadcast
Well if you haven't experienced silver tarnish yourself, then you've almost certainly heard people complain about it. Can anything last? These sparkly treasures we collect and cherish, are they but temporary sparkles, doomed to a fate of tarnish? Or is there a way out? Also what is tarnish? Thankfully in this case, these philosophical questions actually have a chemistry explanation. So let's get into it.

References from this episode
https://chicagoacs.org/articles/176

https://pubs.acs.org/doi/pdf/10.1021/ed077p328A#:~:text=In%20air%2C%20a%20silver%20object,(1).
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
March 23, 2023How do smoke alarms detect smoke? (part 2)
#157
Part Two: When smoke alarms aren't beeping at us to replace their batteries, they are sitting, watching, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for smoke to happen so they can alert us that a fire may be happening. But how on earth do they detect the presence of smoke? How do they only react to smoke and nothing else? What is going on inside of our little circular, protective friends? Let's find out.
References from this episode
https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-equipment/Smoke-alarms/Ionization-vs-photoelectric

https://www.nfpa.org/-/media/Files/Public-Education/By-topic/Smoke-alarms/Photoelectric-smoke-alarm-chart.ashx

https://www.epa.gov/radtown/americium-ionization-smoke-detectors

https://dps.mn.gov/divisions/sfm/programs-services/Documents/Sprinkler%20Applications/HowSprinklersWork.pdf

https://www.nist.gov/how-do-you-measure-it/how-do-smoke-detectors-work#:~:text=Smoke%20alarms%20detect%20fires%20by,to%20safety%20and%20call%20911.
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
March 16, 2023Bonus: Why do cucumbers upset people's stomachs? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 41
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about glass cookware, freezing point depression, digesting cucumbers, pasta staining Tupperware, hotdogs being sandwiches, and more!
References from this episode:
https://www.acs.org/molecule-of-the-week/archive/c/cucurbitacins.html#:~:text=Cucurbitacins%20are%20tetracyclic%20terpenes%20with%2Cemetics%2C%20narcotics%2C%20and%20antimalarials
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
31min
March 09, 2023How do smoke alarms detect smoke? (part 1)
#156
When smoke alarms aren't beeping at us to replace their batteries, they are sitting, watching, waiting for the perfect moment, waiting for smoke to happen so they can alert us that a fire may be happening. But how on earth do they detect the presence of smoke? How do they only react to smoke and nothing else? What is going on inside of our little circular, protective friends? Let's find out.
References from this episode
https://www.nist.gov/how-do-you-measure-it/how-do-smoke-detectors-work#:~:text=Smoke%20alarms%20detect%20fires%20by,to%20safety%20and%20call%20911.

https://www.compoundchem.com/2019/11/20/iypt095-americium/

https://cen.acs.org/materials/Chemistry-Pictures-Americium-beautiful/99/web/2021/07

https://www.epa.gov/radtown/americium-ionization-smoke-detectors

https://www.nfpa.org/Public-Education/Staying-safe/Safety-equipment/Smoke-alarms/Ionization-vs-photoelectric
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
March 02, 2023Baking soda and baking powder: What's the difference?
#009 Rebroadcast

Baking powder? Baking soda? I mean they're both white powders with the word "baking" in it. How different could they be? Well, one can cause miniature kitchen volcanos and the other does what? Listen this week as Melissa and Jam talk about acids, bases, baking soda, baking powder, and how they can make all the difference in your busy life as a single parent of three.
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
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
February 23, 2023How does baking soda eliminate odors?
#155
So baking soda, do you bake it? Can you drink it? What's the deal? And specifically for the purposes of this episode, how does it eliminate odors? You may have heard of the idea of placing baking soda in your fridge to eliminate lingering odors, does that work? If so how? Let's bake this soda.
References from this episode
https://axial.acs.org/2018/08/03/the-science-of-baking-soda/

https://youtu.be/85diRmuk-ow
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
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
48min

FAQs about Chemistry For Your Life:

How many episodes does Chemistry For Your Life have?

The podcast currently has 419 episodes available.

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