Chemistry For Your Life

What sparks the mystery of static electricity?

Listen Later

Melissa and Jam delve into the intricate phenomenon of static electricity. They discuss their own experiences with static shocks and static cling, particularly in the winter months. They explain the concept of contact electrification and the tribal electric effect, providing basic explanations along with why these do not fully account for everything we observe. They highlight recent scientific research, revealing that much about static electricity remains a mystery, including why it occurs more in some materials than others and how friction affects it. The podcast also explores practical examples and ways static electricity impacts everyday life, such as in winter clothing, camp blankets, coffee grinding, and even industrial settings.

00:00 Introduction and Winter Talk

00:24 Static Shock Experiences
01:39 Welcome to Chemistry for Your Life
03:49 Understanding Static Electricity
06:06 Static Electricity in Everyday Life
12:14 Recent Research on Static Electricity
18:44 Understanding Static Electricity
19:26 Challenges in Studying Static
20:19 Experiments and Observations
22:58 Static in Everyday Life
24:28 Water and Static Electricity
25:58 Personal Experiences with Static
28:52 Conclusion and Community Engagement

Support this podcast on Patreon

Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

Watch our episodes on YouTube

Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife

References from the Episode:

    1. https://news.northwestern.edu/stories/2019/09/solving-the-longstanding-mystery-of-how-friction-leads-to-static-electricity 
    2. https://www.nature.com/articles/d41586-025-00298-7 
    3. https://www.sciencealert.com/we-finally-know-what-creates-static-electricity-after-thousands-of-years 
    4. https://link.aps.org/accepted/10.1103/PhysRevLett.123.116103 
    5. https://www.mcgill.ca/oss/article/environment-general-science/how-can-i-stop-getting-static-shocks 
    6. https://www.acs.org/pressroom/presspacs/2025/january/research-update-generating-electricity-from-tacky-tape.html 
    7. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acsomega.2c05629 
    8. https://case.edu/news/why-does-rubbing-balloon-your-hair-make-it-stick 
    9. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08530-6 
    10. https://youtu.be/-Buz6Sp2YTg 
    11. https://www.canr.msu.edu/news/only_you_can_prevent_combine_fires
    12. https://pubs.acs.org/doi/10.1021/acs.nanolett.4c03656

      13. Thanks to our monthly supporters

      • Emily Morrison
      • Kyle McCray
      • Emily Hardy
      • Ash
      • Vince W
      • Julie S.
      • Heather Ragusa
      • Autoclave
      • Chelsea Morelos
      • Dorien VD
      • Scott Beyer
      • Jessie Reder
      • Ciara Linville
      • J0HNTR0Y
      • Jeannette Napoleon
      • Cullyn R
      • Erica Bee
      • Elizabeth P
      • Rachel Reina
      • Letila
      • Katrina Barnum-Huckins
      • Suzanne Phillips
      • Venus Rebholz
      • Lyn Stubblefield
      • Jacob Taber
      • Brian Kimball
      • Kristina Gotfredsen
      • Timothy Parker
      • Steven Boyles
      • Chris Skupien
      • Chelsea B
      • Avishai Barnoy
      • Hunter Reardon
        • Support this podcast on Patreon
        Buy Podcast Merch and Apparel

        Check out our website at chemforyourlife.com

        Watch our episodes on YouTube

        Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife


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

        ...more
        View all episodesView all episodes
        Download on the App Store
        Chemistry For Your LifeBy Melissa and Jam, Bleav
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6
        • 4.6

        4.6

        292 ratings

        More shows like Chemistry For Your Life

        View all
        The Naked Scientists Podcast by The Naked Scientists

        The Naked Scientists Podcast

        602 Listeners

        Nature Podcast by Springer Nature Limited

        Nature Podcast

        756 Listeners

        Big Picture Science by Big Picture Science

        Big Picture Science

        940 Listeners

        SpaceTime with Stuart Gary by Stuart Gary

        SpaceTime with Stuart Gary

        327 Listeners

        The Quanta Podcast by Quanta Magazine

        The Quanta Podcast

        530 Listeners

        Discovery by BBC World Service

        Discovery

        976 Listeners

        Science Weekly by The Guardian

        Science Weekly

        417 Listeners

        Science Magazine Podcast by Science Magazine

        Science Magazine Podcast

        826 Listeners

        Science Friday by Science Friday and WNYC Studios

        Science Friday

        6,418 Listeners

        Science In Action by BBC World Service

        Science In Action

        337 Listeners

        Unexpected Elements by BBC World Service

        Unexpected Elements

        350 Listeners

        CrowdScience by BBC World Service

        CrowdScience

        474 Listeners

        Physics World Weekly Podcast by Physics World

        Physics World Weekly Podcast

        81 Listeners

        The Supermassive Podcast by The Royal Astronomical Society

        The Supermassive Podcast

        325 Listeners

        Unexplainable by Vox

        Unexplainable

        2,306 Listeners