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	Distillations
	Distillations is a weekly science podcast that brings you extracts from the past, present, and future of chemistry. Join us for a new episode every Friday with interviews, monologues, reviews, features, and more, to gain historical perspective on current scientific issues. © ©Chemical Heritage Foundation
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tags: chemistry history science 

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Distillations wants your opinion!

We want to know what you think was the most significant chemical moment of this past year! Vote in our poll, and we’ll report what you thought was most important on our Anniversary Episode, which will go live on Friday, 26 December. Please click here to participate!

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 06:00:07 +0000

Episode 51: Global Health

Monday, December 1, is the 20th anniversary of World AIDS Day. In honor of this campaign, Distillations is considering global health. First, we take a look at how silver can be used as an antimicrobial agent, specifically in a low-cost water filtration system. Then we talk to Seema Shah, a bioethicist and lawyer affiliated with the National [...]

Fri, 28 Nov 2008 05:01:48 +0000

Episode 50: Children’s Health

Nothing is more important to parents than the health of their children, and advances in chemistry and pharmaceuticals have made it possible for children to receive the best care that science has to offer. However, chemical hazards in everyday life still pose hidden risks to children. On this week’s show, we’ll take a look at [...]

Fri, 21 Nov 2008 05:01:13 +0000

Episode 49: Eating

Mmm…tasty! Eating is one of life’s simple pleasures, but the chemical process behind it is actually quite complex.  Balancing the right minerals with good taste is no easy matter. This week Distillations snuggles in with a hot bowl of soup and an episode about the chemistry of eating. We follow Aries Keck on her search [...]

Fri, 14 Nov 2008 05:01:21 +0000

Episode 48: Alchemy

Alchemy is about a lot more than turning lead into gold or making the philosopher’s stone. Until the 17th century, alchemists worked hard in their laboratories to produce medicines, develop metal- and glass-working techniques, and uncover the quintessential essence of all earthly and celestial matter. This week, Distillations explores the wonders and pitfalls of alchemy—a [...]

Fri, 07 Nov 2008 04:01:38 +0000

Episode 47: Making Up

Happy Halloween from Distillations! This week we’re looking at the world of cosmetics, which seems fitting for a day when many people wear makeup who might not normally. First we learn about kohl, an eyeliner that dates back centuries. Then we talk with Rodger Curren, president of the Institute for In Vitro Sciences, who was recently [...]

Fri, 31 Oct 2008 04:01:14 +0000

Episode 46: Charging Up

The first cars didn’t run on gas—they ran on electricity. Over a century later, the high cost of fuel has finally forced automakers to take the possibility of battery-powered cars seriously. On today’s show we look at three kinds of batteries that have been proposed as transportation solutions. We start with nickel hydride batteries, the [...]

Fri, 24 Oct 2008 04:01:34 +0000

Episode 45: Making Modernity

This week we celebrate the opening of the Chemical Heritage Foundation’s new museum! First, we take a look at the periodic table as a whole and how it came to be recognized in its current form. Be sure to check out the YouTube video above, which showcases just one of the many videos on the [...]

Fri, 17 Oct 2008 04:01:47 +0000

Episode 44: Sweet Dreams

There’s nothing quite like a good night’s rest to recharge the body and restore the spirits. Today’s show looks at the science of sleep—and insomnia. We start off with the sun’s role in establishing human biorhythms. Next, we look at modern medicine’s approach to the ancient problem of snoring. Producer Catherine Giradeau wraps up the [...]

Fri, 10 Oct 2008 04:01:37 +0000

Episode 43: Cause and Effect

According to Newton’s third law, “For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.” In this week’s episode we explore causes and their effects in several different ways. We begin with francium—an element that has a half-life of only 22 minutes. Next Gigi Naglak tells us about pheromones in perfumes in Chemistry in your [...]

Fri, 03 Oct 2008 04:01:39 +0000

Episode 42: Women in Chemistry

Breaking through the glass ceiling can be tough, especially when you are a woman in a traditionally male-dominated field. This week’s episode takes a look at women in chemistry. First, we learn about the brave physicist after whom meitnerium is named. Then we talk with Donna Nelson, a chemistry professor and spokeswoman for women in [...]

Fri, 26 Sep 2008 04:01:34 +0000

Episode 41: Self-Experimentation

This week we delve into the world of experimenting on oneself. Many scientists have both knowingly and unknowingly used themselves as guinea pigs in the lab. Marie and Pierre Curie, discoverers of radium, are examples of the self-sacrificing scientist. We learn more about the Curies and others in this episode. Then we speak to Rebecca [...]

Fri, 19 Sep 2008 04:01:27 +0000

Episode 40: Agriculture

All over the Midwest, farmers are cranking up their combines for the corn harvest. Modern agriculture depends on science and technology at every step of the way, from genetically modified crops, to the fertilizer on the fields, to the fuel in the tractor. We begin today’s show with a look at nitrogen fixation, a process [...]

Fri, 12 Sep 2008 04:01:40 +0000

Episode 39: Photography

In the eleventh century the first camera obscura was invented, helping artists draw. It would be another eight centuries before people figured out how to capture images directly onto film. This week we focus on photography. We start with a look at how selenium is important to black and white photography and photocopiers. Next, CHF’s [...]

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 05:01:26 +0000

Episode 38: Best of Distillations #2

We continue to look back at some of our favorite episodes this week at Distillations. First, we look back at the four humors featured in our body chemical episode. Our former host, Robert Hicks, tells us about black bile. Then Jackie Duffin, of Queen’s University in Ontario, and Audra Wolfe talk about the scientific proof [...]

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 05:01:42 +0000

Episode 37: Best of Distillations #1

This week we’re looking back at some of our favorite Distillations episodes. First, we return to one of our first shows with the element of the week. Audra Wolfe explains the standards that make precise measurement possible. Next we visit CHF’s kitchen as Erin McLeary and Integral Molecular’s Joe Rucker try their hand at making [...]

Fri, 22 Aug 2008 05:01:43 +0000

Episode 36: The Olympics

Addicted to the Olympics? Take a break from too much video with 12 minutes of audio. On today’s show, we investigate Olympic mysteries, from the flame of the torch to the composition of those so-called gold medals. Next, we turn to one of the side stories at this year’s games: pollution. Of course, China isn’t the only country that has [...]

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 05:01:56 +0000

…In With the New

If you missed last week’s episode, you’ll be in for a surprise tomorrow. Robert Hicks, our erstwhile host, has left Distillations for the greener pastures of the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, where he is now the Director of the fabulous—and fabulously creepy—Mütter Museum. Our new host is Meir Rinde, a graduate of the Columbia University [...]

Thu, 14 Aug 2008 14:39:55 +0000

Episode 35: Things We Wear

This week we discuss the chemistry behind what we wear. Many modern fabrics include synthetic materials , and these synthetics would not be possible without chemistry. In the Element of the Week, we learn about aluminum’s role in creating Lurex, a brand of metallic thread. Then producer Jean Parker takes us to India and visits a [...]

Fri, 08 Aug 2008 05:01:04 +0000

Episode 34: Criminal Chemistry

We’re rather fond of chemistry here at Distillations, but even we have to admit that not everyone who’s interested in chemistry is inspired purely by a love of science. On today’s show we explore the uses of chemistry on either side of the law: as a poison, as a set of skills to create illegal substances, and as a tool for forensics. [...]

Fri, 01 Aug 2008 05:01:30 +0000

Episode 33: Molecular Gastronomy

The term molecular gastronomy can sound pretentious, but food writer Harold McGee describes it as “the science of deliciousness.” Learn more about the science of food (and deliciousness) in this week’s episode. First we take precautions by discussing Pepto-Bismol, in the event that an experiment in the kitchen goes wrong. Next we find out how [...]

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 05:01:27 +0000

Episode 32: Religious Experience

There’s an old stereotype that portrays science and religion as inevitably mired in conflict. On today’s show we look past the clichés—evolution and Galileo and all that—for some areas where the two have something constructive to say to each other. We start off with early philosophers’ attempts to understand the soul as an element. Next, [...]

Fri, 18 Jul 2008 05:04:32 +0000

Episode 31: Motherhood

What makes motherhood scientific? This week, we try to answer, with a look at motherhood, pregnancy, and science. We explore the history of pregnancy tests, and what that has to do with South African clawed frogs. Janet Golden, an expert on fetal alcohol syndrome, joins us to talk about how ideas have changed regarding pregnant women [...]

Fri, 11 Jul 2008 05:01:50 +0000

Episode 30: American Chemistry

Chemistry has been part of the American experience ever since the settlers at Jamestown built a lab for blowing glass and assaying metal (you can learn more on our Jamestown episode). Today we celebrate the 4th of July with a tribute to American scientific and technological achievements—and we’ve thrown in some fireworks, just for fun. [...]

Fri, 04 Jul 2008 05:01:28 +0000

Episode 29: Left Behind

Matter can neither be created nor destroyed. So when you take your garbage out to the curb every week, do you ever stop to think about where it’s going? In this week’s episode, Jori Lewis explores how New York City is trying to make it easier for residents to recycle their electronic waste. Electronic devices [...]

Fri, 27 Jun 2008 05:01:01 +0000

Episode 28: Summer

Summer 2008 officially begins today, June 20, at 7:50 EDT (at least in the Northern Hemisphere). Here at Distillations, we’re celebrating with a show dedicated to poolside lounging. We’ve got the sunscreen and the chlorine—in fact, two different kinds of chlorine. Later in the show, CHF’ s own David Caruso explains how buoyancy allows some [...]

Fri, 20 Jun 2008 05:01:07 +0000

Episode 27: Illumination

Illumination has been a quest of humans for centuries now—both in terms of the cerebral and the physical. In today’s episode we focus on the physical type of illumination. First we learn about light pollution and why sodium vapor lamps are used so abundantly today. Then producer Ann Dornfeld goes to Bioluminescent Bay in Vieques, Puerto [...]

Fri, 13 Jun 2008 05:01:34 +0000

Episode 26: Performance

Baseball, track, swimming, biking—is there any sport that hasn’t suffered a scandal in the past few years? It turns out that the obvious culprits—performance enhancing drugs—are just the tip of the iceberg for how chemistry can alter athletic competition. In today’s show we look at some of the chemistry going on both inside and outside [...]

Fri, 06 Jun 2008 05:01:04 +0000

Episode 25: The Chemistry of Time

There are four fundamental qualities: time, length, mass, and temperature. All other units can be derived from them, but these four can’t be broken down any further. This week we focus on time—the measurement that orders our lives. Catalysts are something chemists use to speed up time; in other words, to make chemical reactions work faster. [...]

Fri, 30 May 2008 05:01:54 +0000

Episode 24: Beer and Brewing

At least some members of the Distillations crew will join millions of other Americans in drinking a beer this Memorial Day weekend. Beer is produced through fermentation—a biological process whose details are greatly affected by chemistry. In today’s show we’ll explain how alpha acids in hops (pictured) affect the bitterness of beer and what pH [...]

Fri, 23 May 2008 05:01:55 +0000

Episode 23: Preservation

Entropy is defined as the degree of disorder in a system, and according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics entropy is always increasing. Preservation is a way that humans are trying to beat entropy, and this week we look at why and how we preserve. Document preservation is important for historical items like the Constitution. We learn that [...]

Fri, 16 May 2008 05:01:53 +0000

Episode 22: Virtual Classrooms

Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and wikis are just a few of so-called Web 2.0 technologies that are transforming the look and feel of science on the Web. Last week a group of leading science educators met at CHF during the annual Leadership in Science Education Conference to discuss how these new media technologies are affecting science [...]

Fri, 09 May 2008 05:01:46 +0000

Episode 21: Sound

Sound is often thought to be a science of physics, but on today’s show we consider its chemistry. When we hear sounds, we’re really encountering waves. The frequency and amplitude of these waves are largely determined by the kinds of materials that produce them, or that they encounter on the way to our ears. And [...]

Fri, 02 May 2008 05:01:23 +0000

Episode 20: Spring Cleaning

Tuesday, April 22 was Earth Day. Amid all the hubbub about “going green,” it’s a fair question to ask how much power individual consumers have to reduce their environmental impact. Today’s show looks at a range of environmental issues at three different points on the individual/collective responsibility spectrum. Producer Jori Lewis takes a closer look [...]

Fri, 25 Apr 2008 05:01:54 +0000

Episode 19: Jamestown

Jamestown celebrated its 400th anniversary last year. Many people may know that it was the first permanent English settlement in North America, but less commonly known is that Jamestown was also the birthplace of the American chemical enterprise. Today we learn why the settlers of Jamestown purposely packed copper waste products to bring to the New [...]

Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:01:52 +0000

Episode 18: Beyond the Chip

Semiconductors are at the heart of countless electronic devices. Although we often think of Silicon Valley as being built on computer chips, the companies that make the chips often depend upon materials and equipment manufacturers who build the component parts. On today’s show we explore some of the unheralded companies that have made the Digital [...]

Fri, 11 Apr 2008 05:01:56 +0000

Episode 17: Dual Use

Science has long been a component of warfare, and in this week’s episode we look at how it has played a part in both destruction and preservation during times of war. Villanova University history professor Jeffrey Johnson spoke to us about dual use technology and how products and processes can be used by the military and [...]

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 05:01:24 +0000

Episode 16: Vitamania!

In today’s show we take a closer look at vitamins, the tiny substances that are vital to our health. You’ll hear how the British biochemist Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins discovered vitamins (or, as he preferred, “vitamines”) in 1909 and find out why the rate of rickets is once again increasing. Finally, producer Jocelyn Ford takes [...]

Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:01:24 +0000

Episode 15: The Art of Science

While chemistry often plays a silent role in art, such as synthetic additives in acrylic paints, both artists and scientists have consciously chosen to intersect the two. CHF’s Erin McLeary was astounded by the work of Friedlieb Ferdinand Runge, who created images with filter paper and called them “self-grown pictures.” In this week’s episode, Erin tells [...]

Fri, 21 Mar 2008 05:01:40 +0000

Episode 14: Blockbuster Science

Is science on the silver screen any less real than science in the lab? A crew from CHF attempts to answer this question with a visit to a new Star Wars exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philadelphia. In a commentary on how cartoons shape our ideas about emerging science and technology, Jody Roberts suggests [...]

Fri, 14 Mar 2008 05:01:15 +0000

Episode 13: The Nanoscale

You’ve heard the hype—but what’s nanotechnology really all about? Today’s show is an investigation into the current reality and the future potential of nanotechnology. In an interview with CHF’s Chi Chan, Harvard University chemist George Whitesides explains how nanofabrication works, what it has to do with chemistry, and what new developments we should expect to [...]

Fri, 07 Mar 2008 05:01:32 +0000

Episode 12: Chemistry as Technology

In today’s world, technology is seemingly ubiquitous. Chemistry plays a role in many technologies and may be obvious in some products, but is quite invisible in others. This week we learn about the discovery of liquid crystal and how it is used for many different electronic displays—from digital watches to computer screens. We also explore the [...]

Fri, 29 Feb 2008 05:01:58 +0000

Episode 11: Wonder Drugs

From antibiotics to chemotherapy, modern pharmaceuticals have transformed the experience of illness in the 20th century. Kiran Mazumdar Shaw (left), the founder and chairman of Biocon, Ltd., joins us for a discussion of how the global business of pharmaceuticals is changing the culture of science in India. But while modern “wonder drugs” have saved countless [...]

Fri, 22 Feb 2008 05:01:09 +0000

Episode 10: Color

Color literally fills our world, and it plays a dominant role in how we perceive our surroundings. Scientists have been fascinated with the question of what color is ever since Isaac Newton discovered that white light contains the entire color spectrum. Our show on color explains not only how color is produced, but also looks at how scientists use color to investigate [...]

Fri, 15 Feb 2008 05:01:50 +0000

Episode 9: The Love Show

Please note: In today’s episode we have included more mature content than a typical show.  A Valentine for our listeners, this show is dedicated to the chemistry of love. In today’s show, we explain why passion has always been associated with fire and how the stars can influence your love life. We will also look at the long history [...]

Fri, 08 Feb 2008 05:01:34 +0000

Episode 8: Chemistry in the Classroom

Today’s show takes a look at how scientists and educators are reinventing American science education. We chat with Tom Tritton, former president of Haverford College and CHF’s new president and CEO, about how to introduce liberal arts students to science—and just as importantly, vice versa. (Check out Tom’s blog, The Periodic Tabloid.) Later in the [...]

Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:01:49 +0000

Episode 7: Electronics

We don’t normally think of computers, radios, and cell phones as products of chemistry, but none of these devices would be possible without specialized chemical manufacturing components and techniques. The integrated circuits at the heart of these tools depend on the unique electrical properties of certain inorganic elements such as silicon, germanium, and gallium. On today’s show we speak [...]

Fri, 25 Jan 2008 05:01:46 +0000

More Ways to Listen

Good news for anyone with a slow internet connection! We’ve added new ways to listen that allow you to hear our shows without downloading the entire episode. Simply click on the “Listen now” icon, and your default MP3 player will open. You should hear the beginning of the episode within a few seconds. If you prefer [...]

Mon, 21 Jan 2008 16:34:47 +0000

Episode 6: The Chemistry of Texts

Creating ink for both the printed and handwritten page, as well as preserving it, has a long history in which chemistry plays an integral part. Some historic inks have started to destroy the pages they’re printed on. Other books and manuscripts have been damaged as a result of older conservation practices that place more emphasis on looks than historic accuracy. In [...]

Fri, 18 Jan 2008 05:01:53 +0000

Episode 5: The Body Chemical

Western medicine has always looked at the body as a system in balance. Today’s show looks at how ideas about the body’s equilibrium have changed over the past few centuries, from humoral theory to the discovery of vitamins and the role of trace elements in human health. In a new segment, “Mystery Solved,” Erin McLeary, [...]

Fri, 11 Jan 2008 05:01:09 +0000

Episode 4: Measurement

Chemistry has always been a science of measurement. In this episode, we look at several cases of how measurements affect scientific research and practice as well as daily life. We also explore two instances where the “standards” are changing: debates over how to fix the standard kilogram, housed at the Bureau International des Poids et [...]

Fri, 04 Jan 2008 05:01:12 +0000

Episode 3: Happy Holidays from CHF!

This week, in honor of the holiday season, we’re offering a toast to chemistry. We’ll explain what makes champagne bubble, and why size matters when you’re talking about carbonation. From all of us to all of you: Happy Holidays. The Element of the Week: phosphorus. Listen now (streaming file) Download or listen (6.7 MB MP3 file) Show Clock 00:00 Opening [...]

Fri, 28 Dec 2007 05:01:20 +0000

Priestley and Scheele

A couple of our listeners have noted that they were surprised that we didn’t say more about the controversies surrounding phlogiston, particularly where Joseph Priestley and Carl Scheele were involved.  As it happens, my original script included this material, but Priestley and Scheele found themselves off the air as we found out just what fits [...]

Mon, 24 Dec 2007 14:00:40 +0000

Episode 2: Cleaning Up

After the recent oil spills in the San Francisco Bay and the Kerch Strait, Distillations delves into the reality of cleaning up human-made messes. In this episode, Jody Roberts, the program manager for environmental history and policy at CHF’s Center for Contemporary History and Policy, talks about environmental remediation. Also, learn about how the San [...]

Fri, 21 Dec 2007 05:01:27 +0000

Episode 1: Communicating Chemistry

How do scientists explain what they do to the larger public, and how can historians help? In this fi