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When it comes to detecting art forgery, the stakes are high. Paintings and sculptures carry price tags of tens or hundreds of millions of dollars. A chemical analysis can validate the price, or trash it. In this episode of ChemMatters, find out about the scientific techniques, many based on chemistry, used to examine paintings at the molecular level and determine whether they are fakes or the real deal.

The process of how sewage is transformed back into drinkable water is one of the great, underappreciated marvels of modern life. In our latest ChemMatters video, we're going to show you how wastewater goes from polluted to pure.

The next time you heat leftovers in your microwave, we can't guarantee you will get a great meal. But if you check out this video, you can find out the physics and chemistry behind how your food is cooked!

Disappearing ink. Trick birthday candles that relight after extinguishing. Pulling an egg through the mouth of a bottle without breaking it. These tricks seem to defy the laws of nature, but they’re not magic. Let’s apply a little chemistry to reveal the mysteries behind these magic tricks.

It’s National Chemistry Week, and we at Bytesize Science are celebrating it by rolling out the red carpet and going Hollywood; All week, we’ll be exploring how chemistry helps create some of the amazing special effects found in blockbuster films

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by DoKashiteru (via ccMixter.org); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by Justine Angus, thanvannispen, cognito, dobroide, Erdie, theta4, belloq, Connum, mikejedw and batchku.

Take fake snow for an example.  One of the paradoxes of fake snow is that it is better than the real thing. According to Richard Rickitt, author of Special Effects: The History and Technique, once snow is trampled, it can’t be restored, so snow shots can be repeated just once or twice, after which a movie crew needs to move to a new location.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by DoKashiteru (via ccMixter.org); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by Justine Angus, thanvannispen, cognito, dobroide, Erdie, theta4, belloq, Connum, mikejedw and batchku.

Making artificial skin is a big challenge, especially since we as humans are very familiar with how real skin wrinkles and moves, as well as how it looks with its slight translucency and flaws. Anything that is not quite right about artificial skin—such as a visible blend line at its edge—immediately tips us off and destroys the illusion.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by DoKashiteru (via ccMixter.org); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by Justine Angus, thanvannispen, cognito, dobroide, Erdie, theta4, belloq, Connum, mikejedw and batchku.

When it comes to explosions, flames, or other similar effects—also called pyrotechnic special effects—the problem is to create an illusion of towering fires and shattering explosions by the safest possible means. Special effects expert Joe Viskocil, who has spent nearly 40 years blowing up miniatures.

Intro theme and various sound effects by Adam Dylewski; music by DoKashiteru (via ccMixter.org); Creative Commons licensed audio from freesound.iua.upf.edu includes sound by Justine Angus, thanvannispen, cognito, dobroide, Erdie, theta4, belloq, Connum, mikejedw and batchku.

From the sizzle of the fuse to the boom and burst of colors ––a new American Chemical Society (ACS) video brings you all of the exciting sights and sounds of Fourth of July fireworks. The Chemistry of Fireworks, part of the ACS Holiday Video Series, illustrates in brilliant high-definition detail how the familiar rockets and other neat products that light up the night sky all represent chemistry in action. The video, released today, features a demonstration by fireworks expert John A. Conkling, Ph.D., Washington College, Chestertown, Md., author of The Chemistry of Pyrotechnics, Basic Principles and Theory.