/oss/taxonomy/term/2209/all en /oss/article/environment-general-science/breaking-down-bioplastics-benefits-and-problems <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-breaking-down-bioplastics-benefits-and-problems">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>What chemical reaction developed in a lab has had the greatest impact on the world? I think I can make a case for polymerization, the process by which small molecules are linked together to make long chains. Specifically, I have in mind the polymerization that produces plastics, a group of materials that can be shaped when soft and then hardened to retain a given shape.</p> Fri, 13 Sep 2024 17:57:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10078 at /oss /oss/article/medical-health-and-nutrition-general-science/should-you-be-worried-about-eating-burned-toast <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/the-right-chemistry-should-you-be-worry-about-eating-burned-toast">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 06 Sep 2024 21:30:09 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10065 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/arsenic-and-old-books <p>I’ve long been intrigued by the 1851 Crystal Palace Exhibition in London. The magnificent building was constructed of 60,000 panes of glass, ten times as many as in the windows of the Empire State Building! There were exhibits from around the world that included the famous Koh-i-Noor diamond, a steam-powered printing press, an early prototype of a fax machine and a device that used leeches to predict the weather based on the idea that leeches in a jar of water would rise to the top when a storm was approaching.</p> Thu, 05 Sep 2024 18:23:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10058 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-general-science/claims-about-ozone-therapy-dont-pass-smell-test <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-claims-about-ozone-therapy-dont-pass-the-smell-test">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 23 Aug 2024 16:50:20 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10046 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/black-goo-blue-dye-and-beyond-fascinating-history-aniline <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-from-black-goo-to-blue-dye-and-beyond-the-fascinating-history-of-aniline">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>During the Second World War, American soldiers carried a first aid kit attached to their belt that contained a powder to be sprinkled on any open wound to prevent infection. That powder was sulfathiazole, synthesized by chemists from aniline, then already a compound of great commercial importance with a fascinating history.</p> Fri, 02 Aug 2024 19:06:17 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10016 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know-general-science/dracula-enhanced-butts-and-grecian-bend <p>The 1993 Academy Award for costume design went to Eiko Ishioka for creating the magnificent costumes in the hit film, “Bram Stoker’s Dracula.” Particularly stunning were the dresses worn by Wynona Rider in her role as Mina Harker, Dracula’s main love interest. The film is set in the late 1800s when women’s fashion featured a padded undergarment known as a “bustle” to accentuate the fullness of the buttocks.</p> Tue, 30 Jul 2024 16:15:37 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10012 at /oss /oss/article/medical-general-science/studying-organic-chemistry-can-pay <p>One of the fundamental reactions we teach in organic chemistry is “nucleophilic substitution” in which an atom or group of atoms in a molecule is exchanged for another one. Quite logically, the substituted atom or group is known as a “leaving group.” The ease with which a leaving group can be displaced by the substituting species, or “nucleophile,” is variable and depends on several factors including the strength of the bond with which the leaving group is attached to the rest of the molecule.</p> Fri, 26 Jul 2024 14:51:32 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 10010 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/bubbling-over-science <p>Bottled soft drinks that lose their fizz also lose their appeal. But it seems technology has come to the rescue with the “Fizz Keeper.” This little pump can be fitted into the neck of the bottle and with a few deft strokes the air space above the liquid can be pressurized. Soon the bottle feels as rigid as a fresh, unopened one. A pretty convincing effect. But does this device really put an end to the disappointment of finding a flat beverage in the fridge? I’ll let that question simmer while we take a little detour into the fascinating world of bubbles.</p> Tue, 09 Jul 2024 02:43:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9997 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science-reviews/pick-card-any-card <p>The curtain went up in “Heller’s Wonder Theatre” on Broadway to reveal a blindfolded lady comfortably seated center stage. A volunteer from the audience was solicited to “pick a card, any card!” She did so, thinking of course that it was a free choice. It wasn’t. Robert Heller, the premier American magician of the mid 19th century, was highly skilled at “forcing” a card. There was nothing really novel about that, but his revelation of the selected card was truly innovative. Heller resorted to chemical magic!</p> Wed, 26 Jun 2024 22:59:16 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9988 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-general-science/why-scary-lab-accidents-happen <p>If a chemist has never been in a lab accident, he has been lucky. Of course, luck is more likely to come to those whose mentors have learned from bad experiences and to those who have taken preventive measures seriously, despite their anal nature. Chemical reactions create products with behaviors that differ from those of the ingredients. That’s what makes them intriguing, and it’s also what makes them potentially dangerous. No matter how simple and controllable a reaction seems on paper, when it’s carried out in real life, the exact conditions determine its rate.</p> Fri, 21 Jun 2024 20:57:40 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9986 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/iron-fallout-hair-permanents <p>For most people a car is just a vehicle that gets them from one place to another, and as far as cleanliness is concerned, occasionally driving through a car wash is good enough. But some individuals are so reviled by a speck of dirt that they will wash, wax and polish until the car has the appearance of one sitting in a dealer’s showroom. The wheels, be they steel or alloys of magnesium or aluminum, receive much attention because they must shine! And this is where focus falls on iron fallout.</p> Tue, 18 Jun 2024 00:21:49 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9980 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-history-general-science/chemistry-inks-old-and-new <p>When we write the old-fashioned way, with ink on paper, we rarely think of the pen’s ingredients. For hundreds of years <i>gall ink</i> was used to produce documents such as Shakespeare’s will and the U.S. Declaration of Independence. The drafts of the latter were written on hemp paper, whereas, luckily, parchment made from sheepskin was used for the final copy. Why did it matter?</p> Fri, 07 Jun 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9973 at /oss /oss/article/history-did-you-know-general-science/canadian-connection-american-greenback <p>The green in American paper bills is chromium oxide, a refined version of chromite, a naturally occurring ore in the Earth’s crust. This ore is also the source of chromium metal which is produced by heating the ore in the presence of silicon and aluminum. The metal derives its name from the Greek “chroma” meaning colour, because all of the compounds of chromium are coloured. Lead chromate, for example, was the original pigment used in paints for school buses and “yellow” cabs. Because of the toxicity of chromium VI and lead ions that make up this pigment, its use has declined. </p> Tue, 04 Jun 2024 18:33:25 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9970 at /oss /oss/article/technology-history-general-science/media-has-expiration-date <p>The tragedy occurred as I was rewatching the final season of <i>Six Feet Under</i>, arguably the best television series ever made.</p> <p>Each episode begins with a death, sometimes comical, sometimes deeply affecting. In this case, the entire episode died. The image started to freeze, displaying rectangular blocks of colour. The audio soon followed. The episode lived up to its name, “The Silence.”</p> Fri, 31 May 2024 16:00:00 +0000 Jonathan Jarry M.Sc. 9965 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/processed-foods-have-many-faces <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-processed-foods-have-many-faces">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> Fri, 17 May 2024 18:57:52 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9950 at /oss