It’s worth taking a look at the decomposition process as a whole. Decomposition can be roughly divided into four stages: the fresh stage, the bloated stage, the active decay stage and the advanced decay stage. Some overviews of the process also add in a final stage, when all that is left of the ...

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Colour, Flavour, and Potential Health Benefits

Red wine has been espoused over the years for its supposed health benefits, fromclaims that it could let us live to 150, to assertions that chemicals within it can help prevent cancer. Whilst these are no doubta very pleasant means to justify a glass of wine (or several), how correct are they? ...

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The Chemistry of Cloves

Cloves are a spice that you may well have stowed away somewhere in the kitchen; originally from the Maluku Islands in Indonesia, the spice itself comes from the flower buds of the clove tree. It is used to flavour food, imparting a sweet, aromatic flavour, and also one of the common spices used ...

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The Chemistry of Coriander

I wasn’t aware of this until recently, being a fan of coriander myself, but apparently there are quite a few people for whom coriander (referred to as cilantro in the US)has a rather unpleasant soapy, or even metallic, taste. The cause of this has its roots in the chemical composition of ...

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The Chemistry of a Chilli

The idea for this graphic came to me whilst saving the chilli peppers from a forlorn looking, aphid-infested chilli plant that’s probably on its metaphorical last legs. I thought it would be quite interesting to look at the origin of the heat in chilli peppers, and how this can be quantified. A ...

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Everyday Compounds: Sodium Lauryl Sulfate

The third of the ‘Everyday Compounds’ series of infographics looks at sodium lauryl sulfate – a compound the majority of us encounter in our showers every day. What’s this chemical doing in your shampoo and toothpaste, why is it also found in engine degreasers,and why could it also potentially ...

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The Chemistry of Fake Tan

We’re all well versed in the dangers of spending too much time in the sun. A goldentan after a few weeks away in the sun is everyone’s aspiration, but no-one wants to come back from a holidayred as a cooked lobster, hence the need for sunscreen (which we looked at in a previous post). However, ...

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The Compounds in Red Lipstick

Lipstick is one of the most commonly used cosmetic products – and arange of chemicals are required for its production. The choice of these ingredients is carefully considered to provide the desired colour, glossiness, and indelibility. A single stick of lipstick will contain several hundred ...

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The pH scale is something we’re all familiar with; most people will remember it from school chemistry lessons. It’s the scale used to rank how strong an acid (or alkali) a solution is. The colours associated with each number correspond to the colour that universal indicator turns in solutions of ...

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Bleach, Swimming Pools & Cleaning Products

It’s been a little while since the last entry in the Everyday Compounds series, so today’s post takes a look at Sodium Hypochlorite. This chemical is likely to be found in several cleaning products in your kitchen, and additionally is one of the main compounds used to chlorinate the water in ...

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