The spice that gives your Christmas eggnog its distinctive taste and aroma is also a toxic narcotic that played an important role in international history. Florence Schechter shares the history of myristicin – the active ingredient in nutmeg

Post-nuclear steel is a little bit radioactive, so for some specialist jobs we need to find a source of steel from before the bomb

The compounds that put the 'tin' in tin cans and help you to reflect on your appearance

Kat Arney's investigation of the pungent chemical in onions is enough to bring tears to your eyes

Epoxies – including hard-wearing resins and strong adhesives – can be found almost everywhere, from your household white goods to the Large Hadron Collider. And the aroma of these compounds cemented their place in Brian Clegg's childhood memories.

How one footballer's climate concerns led to the creation of a green chemistry company: Mike Freemantle discovers the story of Mathieu Flamini, GFBiochemicals and levulinic acid.

Florence Schechter discovers how a seemingly healthy grapefruit-based breakfast could disrupt your daily drugs

Kat Arney gets to the bottom of the story of phenolphthalein – a chemical with two very different uses. If you've measured pH in a classroom or had some trouble in the bathroom, you may have met this compound before.

A biologically active compound from the biblical balm of Gilead, said to 'heal the sin-sick soul'

Gege Li on the compound formerly known by the no-nonsense name 'very fast death factor'