Benzene is a hugely important compound in organic chemistry. It consists of six carbon atoms joined together in a ring, with a hydrogen atom bonded to each carbon; by replacing one or more of these hydrogens with a functional group, a large number of different compounds can be formed. This ...

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If you’ve ever looked on the back of a bottle of shampoo, or at that of a household cleaner, you’ve probably come across a list of organic compound names. To chemists, these are precise descriptions of the compounds, but to non-chemists, they can sometimes just look like some kind of ...

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Today’s post is a quick one with a look at alcohol oxidation reactions. This graphic tries to provide a basic summary of the reagents used, equipment required, and ways of identifying the products formed. A prominence is given to sodium and potassium dichromate as oxidising agents, despite the ...

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Whether you know it as an Erlenmeyer flask, conical flask, or by some other name, it’s a piece of glassware most of us, chemists or not, have likely used at some point. The Erlenmeyer flask isthe most stereotypical piece of chemistry glassware there is, and today marks its creator’s birthday. ...

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Following on from the previous post on antibiotics, it seemed logical to also take a look at the drugs we take to relieve pain. Painkilling drugs, or analgesics, come in a number of forms, but fall broadly into two main classes: non-steroid anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and opioids. This ...

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The current ebola virus epidemic in West Africa has dominated the news in recent months, and in the pastweek, several medical organisations have announced their intention to commence trials with possible treatments for the virus in the coming months. Two of these treatments are the anti-viral ...

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Avogadro & The Mole

Today, 23rd October, is Mole Day – which might put you in mind of small, furry, burrowing animals. However, they don’t even seem to have a commemorative day of any kind; we’re actually talking about the mole in chemistry, a quantity that essentially allows us to ‘count’ atoms and molecules in a ...

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Back to some chemistry basics for today’s post, with a look at the nine different hazard symbols commonly used towarn of chemical dangers. These symbols are frequently encountered in the lab – and also on some household products – and whilst some are self-explanatory, others can require a little ...

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Adrenaline Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone produced in high stress or exciting situations. Noradrenaline Noradrenaline, also known as norepinephrine, is a neurotransmitter that affects attention & and responding actions in the brain. Dopamine Dopamine is associated with ...

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Roses Their scent is majorly influenced by compound named after the flower, (-)-cis-rose oxide. This molecule is a particular isomer of rose oxide (which has 4 different isomers), and the one which contributes the typical floral rose fragrance. Carnations Carnations, too, are a common component ...

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