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Bytesize Science Presents: The Chemistry of Fireworks

Fri, 25 Jun 2010 13:02:00 -0400

From the sizzle of the fuse to the boom and burst of colors ––a new American Chemical Society (ACS) video brings you all of the exciting sights and sounds of Fourth of July fireworks.

Bytesize Science Presents: The Chemistry of Fireworks from ACS Pressroom on Vimeo.

The Chemistry of Fireworks, part of the ACS Holiday Video Series, illustrates in brilliant high-definition detail how the familiar rockets and other neat products that light up the night sky all represent chemistry in action. The video, released today, features a demonstration by fireworks expert John A. Conkling, Ph.D., Washington College, Chestertown, Md., author of The Chemistry of Pyrotechnics, Basic Principles and Theory.

The video was produced by the ACS Office of Public Affairs and takes a close look at the components of fireworks, including time fuses, fuel and bursting charges, and explains how the vibrant colors are generated.

The Chemistry of Barbecue

Tue, 15 Jun 2010 10:02:00 -0400

With the Fourth of July weekend rapidly approaching, what better time to watch our new video on the dos and don’ts of cooking your favorite foods on the barbecue grill?

The video features Shirley O. Corriher, an award-winning author whose latest book is BakeWise: The Hows and Whys of Successful Baking, and Sara J. Risch, Ph.D., noted food chemist and founder and principal in the consulting firm, Science by Design.

In the video, Shirley and Sarah provide helpful features grilling tips like these:

•   Don’t over-cook meat. Excessive browning or charring forms potential carcinogens.
•   Pre-boil those ribs. It removes fat and reduces flaming, which will burn the meat.
•   Aroma compounds rising off charcoal and wood chips enhance the flavor of grilled foods.
•   Marinating meat before grilling may reduce burning and formation of potential carcinogens.

ChemMatters: Episode 2 - Plastics Go Green

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:56:00 -0400

ChemMatters is celebrating the 40th anniversary of Earth Day with its second episode, which highlights how scientists are trying to make plastic, one of the world's most abundant man-made materials, more environmentally friendly.

In this episode, find out how scientists are developing "greener" plastics using plant materials. By 2020, these bioplastics could provide an alternative for about a fifth of the estimated 200 billion pounds of plastics manufactures produce each year worldwide.

ChemMatters has been demystifying the chemistry at work in our everyday lives for over 25 years. Released quarterly, each issue is full of readable articles about the chemistry used in everyday life, and is of interest to budding chemists and their teachers alike. New episodes of the ChemMatters video podcast will be available throughout 2010.

Bytesize Science celebrates Earth Day

Tue, 20 Apr 2010 13:04:00 -0400

To celebrate the 40th anniversary of Earth Day, we've got six special episodes of our Bytesize Science podcast. Check them out below:

Episode 1: Plants—The Energy-Capturing Machines

A huge amount of plant material is produced every year when plants die or are harvested. In this podcast, we find out how scientists are using all of this plant matter to make useful biofuel.

Episode 2 and 3: Defensive Plants Make Medicines

A huge amount of plant material is produced every year when plants die or are harvested. In this podcast, we find out how scientists are using all of this plant matter to make useful biofuel.

Episode 2:

Episode 3:

Episode 4: Phytoremediation

Plants are amazing cleaning machines, and scientists are using them to pull pollutants right out of the ground using a technique called phytoremediation.

Episode 5: Plants – the Green Machines

Learn all about the plant “machinery” behind photosynthesis, the process of how plants make their own food.

Episode 6: Plants — The Hardcore Cleaning Machines!

Don’t let the Pennycress plant’s wimpy name fool you — this flowery little plant is known as a “hyperaccumulator,” which can suck up toxic amounts of heavy metals and help clean up polluted land.

Taking sharper aim at pesky stomach ulcer bacteria

Wed, 06 Jan 2010 11:44:00 -0400

What’s inside of one-sixth of the world’s population and is a thousand times smaller than the head of a pin? It’s Helicobacter pylori, the pesky bacterium behind ulcers and other unpleasant stomach diseases. In our latest episode, find out more about H. pylori, and how a scientist from Spain named Javier Sancho may have a new way to fight this common microbe.

Taking sharper aim at pesky stomach ulcer bacteria from ACS Pressroom on Vimeo.

Festive Science: A Holiday Chem Lab

Wed, 16 Dec 2009 00:00:00 -0400

What makes the snowflakes flutter down almost hypnotically when you shake a snow globe?

Our new video answers that question and other holiday chem queries in high-definition detail. Check it out!

Festive Science! A Holiday Chem Lab from ACS Pressroom on Vimeo.

The video features Diane Bunce, Ph.D., and her students, who perform experiments with a holiday theme. Bunce, professor of chemistry at CUA, is a recipient of the ACS Helen Free Award for Public Outreach.

Using the magic of chemistry, the video shows students how to make:
•    A colorful, bouncing super ball made with polymers.
•    A snow globe-like stick, consisting of a test tube filled with water, glitter and glycerine. The glycerine slows the glitter and makes it look like snowflakes falling when the tube is shaken.
•    A marbleized gift card made with shaving cream, paper and various food colorings.

Thanksgiving and Chemistry: What's the connection?

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Why do people eat mashed potatoes on Thanksgiving Day but not mashed paper towels? That’s not such an odd question from a chemistry standpoint because potato and paper are almost as similar as two peas in a pod in terms of the carbohydrates they contain.

For the answer to that and other topics that could spark dinnertime conversation on Thursday, check out our latest video featuring Diane Bunce, Ph.D., professor of chemistry at Catholic University of America and associate editor for Chemical Education research for ACS’ Journal of Chemical Education.

Thanksgiving and Chemistry: What's the connection? from ACS Pressroom on Vimeo.

The video focuses on traditional Thanksgiving foods, including topics such as:
• How does the pop-up timer in a turkey work?
• Why do muffins rise, even when made without yeast?
• Which antacids neutralize the most stomach acid?

ChemMatters: Episode 1 - Nanotechnology's Big Impact

Mon, 26 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

The award-winning high school chemistry magazine ChemMatters is making its YouTube debut with its first ever video podcast. The first episode highlights the very big promise of those very small machines known as nanotechnology. The episode explains how incredibly small nanostructures like buckyballs could lead to tiny devices that bring medicine exactly where it needs to go in your body, as well as powerful computers the size of a grain of sand or vital new sources of energy.

Let us know what you think of the episode with a comment! And make sure to click the full-screen button so you can watch the video in its full HD glory.

Ninth-grade CEO Anshul Samar, the Elementeo Kid

Thu, 22 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

While many kids his age mow lawns or babysit to earn spending money, Anshul Samar tried something different. He invented a game. And not just any game. It’s called Elementeo and it’s all about the chemical elements. Find out more about Anshul's awesome game in the last of four National Chemistry Week-themed podcasts:

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Titanium on the Cranium

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Titanium doesn’t just have a cool name – its one of the most useful elements out there! It’s what makes your bikefeel so lightweight. It’s in the sunscreen that helps prevent sunburn. It’s even in fireworks – titanium makes them go boom! Find out more about this amazing element in the second podcast in our four-part series celebrating National Chemistry Week.

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Sunshine Science: Green Chemistry and Solar Energy

Tue, 20 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Did you know that Earth’s greenest and largest source of energy is 93 million miles away? You guessed it. We’re talking about the sun!

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It's Elemental! Everything is in the Atoms Family

Mon, 19 Oct 2009 00:00:00 -0400

It’s National Chemistry Week (NCW), and we here at Bytesize Science are celebrating a very special birthday – this week, the periodic table turns 140 years old! The periodic table lists all of the elements, which are like the ingredients that make up everything on Earth and in the universe around us.

To honor this special occasion, all week we’ll be learning about some of the most fascinating elements out there. But first, let’s start with atoms, the tiny building blocks that make up everything in the universe. Listen to our first NCW podcast to find out more!

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A new weapon in the chemical arsenal of Amazonian poison frogs

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Deep in the lush Amazon Jungle, scientists have uncovered a new family of chemicals that the infamous poison dart frog uses to defend itself. Check out our latest video podcast below to learn more about how these tiny poisonous frogs use chemistry to create some of the most powerful toxins in the world!

Watch the podcast in crisp high definition! Click the "HD" button to get the full effect.

Get our video and audio podcasts as soon as they're available by subscribing to Bytesize Science in iTunes:
http://itunes.apple.com/WebObjects/MZStore.woa/wa/viewPodcast?id=266670954 (requires iTunes software - get it here)

Super Buoyant: New materials could make a horse float!

Thu, 06 Aug 2009 00:00:00 -0400

Here's a story that might float your boat: Researchers in China are reporting the development of miniature super-bouyant boats that float better than anything else out there. These boats float so well that an ordinary life preserver made from the same material might support a horse without sinking.

Watch the podcast in crisp high definition! Click the "HD" button to get the full effect.

Presto! Fast color-changing material may lead to better sunglasses

Thu, 23 Jul 2009 00:00:00 -0400

What do fancy sunglasses and prescription eyeglasses have in common with color-changing chameleons?

Like chameleons, certain sunglasses also can change their color or tint depending on the amount of ultraviolet light in a person's surroundings. When you are outdoors the lenses are dark and keep your eyes comfortable. Indoors the lenses lighten up. You can buy prescription eyeglasses that do the same thing. The scientific name for these lenses is "photochromatic" or "photochromic." Tune in to our latest podcast below to find out how these color-changing lenses work.