

Chemistry For Your Life
Melissa and Jam, Bleav
A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life.
Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life!
In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating.
If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.
Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life!
In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating.
If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.
Episodes
Mentioned books

May 25, 2020 • 16min
Chemistry at home: Homemade Lava Lamp
Bonus Episode: Chemistry at Home 1
What's this, another bonus episode? It's something new we're test driving! A short little extra bonus episode dedicated to teaching a specific chemistry experiment you can do at home. This month, the experiment is how to turn some simple household items into a sort of cool, colorful lava lamp! Let us know what you think of this type of episode. Do you like and want more of these? Is there a way we could make them better? Let us know!
We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem
References from this episode
American Chemical Society
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 21, 2020 • 29min
Why do diet coke and mentos do that thing?
#044
You know what we're talking about. That spectacular fizzy geyser. This week, Melissa and Jam explore what makes diet coke and mentos go crazy together. Is it love? Is it hate? Is it chemistry? Why diet coke specifically? Or more importantly, why mentos? Let's get into it.
We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem
References from this episode
Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? - American Journal of Physics 76, 551 (2008)
Diet Coke and Mentos: What is really behind this physical reaction? - Tonya Coffey
Spurting Science: Erupting Diet Coke with Mentos - Scientific American - Science Buddies
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 18, 2020 • 30min
Bonus: My girlfriend's sweat doesn't stink (and other questions)?
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 9
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about sunlight bleaching, weird feeling soap, sweat and smells, popcorn, and more!
We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem
References from this episode
Photodegradation and photostabilization of polymers, especially polystyrene: review - Yousif & Haddad
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 14, 2020 • 32min
How do color-changing mugs change color?
#043
You know how you have that one mug that changes colors when you put hot coffee in it? Let's talk about that. This week, Melissa and Jam explore the chemistry of color changing items. Or rather, a specific item, a Mister Rogers mug Jam's wife has. How do items like this change color? How can heat cause changes like that? And how can it happen over and over again? Also why?
We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem
References from this episode
Thermochromic Liquid Crystals - Liquid Crystals, 38:11-12,1551-1561 - Sage
Thermochromism in Commercial Products - Journal of Chemical Education - White, LeBlanc
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

May 7, 2020 • 45min
How do deodorant and antiperspirant work?
#042
What's that smell? Is it us? Is it you? We hope it's neither, thanks to deodorants and antiperspirants. This week, Melissa and Jam delve into the chemistry of this everyday important substance. What are the differences between deodorant and antiperspirant? How do they work in the first place? Does one work better? Is one better for us? Be kind to one another, wear deodorant.
References from this episode
Individual and gender fingerprints in human body odour – Dustin J Penn, Elisabeth Oberzaucher, Karl Grammer, Gottfried Fischer, Helena A Soini, Donald Wiesler, Milos V Novotny, Sarah J Dixon, Yun Xu, and Richard G Brereton
What are deodorants and antiperspirants, and how do they fight sweat? - Everts, Chemical and Engineering News
Studies of trans 3 methyl 2 hexenoic acid in normal and schizophrenic humans - S. G. Gordon, K. Smith, L. Rabinowitz, P. R. Vagelos, Journal of lipid research
Breast Cancer and Deodorants/Antiperspirants: A Systematic Review
Aluminium, antiperspirants and breast cancer
The mechanism of eccrine sweat pore plugging by aluminium salts using microfluidics combined with small angle X-ray scattering. - Bretagne A, Cotot F, Arnaud-Roux M, Sztucki M, Cabane B, Galey JB.
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
Support this podcast on Patreon
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apr 30, 2020 • 31min
Is it safe to use teflon pans?
#041
Ok! So now that you know how teflon works (see last week's episode if you missed it), now it's time to discuss the equally important question: is it safe to use?? Are there any potential side-effects to using it? Can scratching teflon cause it to have an affect on our food, or even worse, on us? If there are potential dangers to teflon, is there any way to avoid them? Help! This week, Melissa and Jam delve into this topic, and tiptoe through the allegations to give you some things to consider when choosing you next pots and pans.
We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem
References from this episode
Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon
If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does it stick to pans? - Scientific American
DuPont Faces Class-Action Lawsuits Over Teflon - Reich, Chemical and Engineering News
Perspective on Fluorocarbon Chemistry - David M. Lemal
Teflon’s Toxicity Level - Sharon Kelley
PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective - Muhammad Sajid & Muhammad Ilyas
The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare - The New York Times Magazine, Rich
Teflon’s Toxic Legacy - Earth Island Journal, Kelly
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apr 27, 2020 • 20min
Bonus: Do purple carrots have beta carotene (and other questions)?
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 8
In his month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about carrots, pigments, quinones, thermoses, and unscientific theories about why the sky is blue.
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apr 23, 2020 • 38min
What makes nonstick pans not sticky?
#040
Who you calling sticky? This week, Melissa and Jam open up another two-part series about nonstick pans, aka teflon. What keeps food from sticking to them? How did scientists figure out how to create it? How can something that doesn't stick to anything be coated on the bottom of a pan? Are there any potential downsides to teflon? Let's get nonsticky.
We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem
References from this episode
Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon
If nothing sticks to Teflon, how does it stick to pans? - Scientific American
DuPont Faces Class-Action Lawsuits Over Teflon - Reich, Chemical and Engineering News
Perspective on Fluorocarbon Chemistry - David M. Lemal
Teflon’s Toxicity Level - Sharon Kelley
PTFE-coated non-stick cookware and toxicity concerns: a perspective - Muhammad Sajid & Muhammad Ilyas
The Lawyer Who Became DuPont’s Worst Nightmare - The New York Times Magazine, Rich
Teflon’s Toxic Legacy - Earth Island Journal, Kelly
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apr 16, 2020 • 26min
How does helium change your voice?
#039
Part two on the chemistry of helium! Now to the question you've all been wondering, how does helium change your voice? This week, Melissa and Jam explore this mystery, which begs a lot of other questions. What even is the human voice? What's it made up of? And how does just introducing a gas like helium affect it at all? Let's find out together!
We're proud to partner with MEL Science. Check out their home chemistry experiment sets here: bit.ly/melchem
References from this episode
Helium: Its Discovery and Applications – Locker
We Discovered Helium 150 Years Ago. Are We Running Out? - Greshko
Introductory Physics I - Brown
Helium beer: prank or possible? - American Chemical Society
Organic Chemistry, Edition 11 - Solomon
Why does inhaling helium make one's voice sound strange? - Scientific American
Adam Savage Goes High and Low - Mythbusters
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.

Apr 15, 2020 • 16min
Bonus: Podcast For Your Life - Books for your life
Don't worry, you didn't click on the wrong podcast. This week Melissa was a guest on another "for your life" podcast: Podcast For Your Life, Jam's original podcast with his friend Jason Cress. So we thought we'd share this crossover as a bonus for this week! Listen to hear, Jason, Jam, and Melissa attempt to get to the bottom of what is and is not a book. Read more about Podcast For Your Life below.
#092 Books for your life
Books: The Crossover. This latest nugget bridges 2 podcasts from the same "for your life" universe. We're honored to have Melissa Collini, host of Chemistry For Your Life, join us this episode for a page-turning episode about books. The plot thickens and the twist is pretty twisty.
You can suggest a topic for us to cover on Podcast For Your Life on Instagram or email podcastforyourlife@gmail.com
Check out our website here: podforyourlife.transistor.fm
Thanks for listening!
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★
Hosted by Simplecast, an AdsWizz company. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for advertising.


