Distillations | Science History Institute

Sound is often thought to be a science of physics, but on today’s show we consider its chemistry. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:11 Element of the Week: Neodymium 03:03 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Pop Rocks 05:43 Sonic Art: Experimental Musical Instruments 10:43 Quote: Ludiwg van Beethoven 11:08 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Chi Chan and Catherine Girardeau for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

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. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:18 Element of the Week: Fluorine 02:48 REACH: A New Approach to Chemical Regulation 07:44 A Conversation with John Mullins, Sun and Earth 10:38 Quote: Francis Bacon 10:54 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jori Lewis and Jody Roberts for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.

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. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:16 Mystery Solved 04:00 Element of the Week: Strontium 06:24 Visiting Josh Simpson's Glassblowing Studio 10:13 Quote: Captain John Smith 10:23 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Robert Hicks and Amy Mayer for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.

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 Revolution possible. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:20 Element of the Week: Silicon 02:46 Conversation with Griff Resor 06:26 Virtual Tour of the Computer History Museum 10:52 Quote: N. Bruce Hannay 11:05 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Hyungsub Choi and Mia Lobel for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.

In today's show we take a closer look at vitamins, the tiny substances that are vital to our health. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:39 Mystery Solved: Rickets 04:35 Element of the Week: Iron 06:41 Making Vitaming C 10:18 Quotation: George Bernard Shaw 10:38 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jocelyn Ford and Anke Timmermann for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.

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. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:19 Conversation with Jeffrey Johnson 07:35 Element of the Week: Chlorine 09:35 Review of This Republic of Suffering 11:46 Quote: William Jennings Bryan 11:56 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to David Caruso for researching this show. Additional credits available at chemheritage.org/distillations.

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. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:09 Element of the Week: Neon 03:37 Commentary: Self-Grown Pictures 06:54 ChemArtists 10:51 Quote: Bo Malmstrom 11:04 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Erin McLeary and Audra Wolfe for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.

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. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 00:50 Element of the Week: Krypton 02:28 Commentary: Cartoons as Science? 06:15 Exhibit Review: Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination 11:10 Quote: Lex Luthor 11:30 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Jody Roberts, Jennifer Landry, and Tori Indivero for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.

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. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:31 Introduction 01:32 Element of the Week: Carbon 03:08 Conversation with George Whitesides 07:51 Mystery Solved! Damascus Steel 10:49 Quote: Richard Smalley 11:08 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Chi Chan for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.

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. SHOW CLOCK 00:00 Opening Credits 00:32 Introduction 01:39 Element of the Week: Uranium 04:13 Mystery Solved: Liquid Crystal Displays 06:51 Hydrogenation 10:59 Quote: Karl Compton 11:19 Closing Credits CREDITS Special thanks to Victoria Indivero, Jody Roberts, and Catherine Girardeau for researching this show. Additional credits available at distillations.org.