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Gutta percha, a natural plastic found in tree sap, allowed the expansion of the 19th century’s global communications network.
In the 19th century a young Italian outside the chemistry mainstream played a part in the creation of the first periodic table.
Absinthe, an alcoholic drink introduced to France in the 1840s, developed a decadent though violent reputation.
With dynamite and cannons, Robert St. George Dyrenforth hoped to end drought in the late 19th century. This vision of weather and climate control seized the imagination of scientists and businessmen.
The science behind a cool, refreshing treat—ice cream.
In the early 19th century people dreamed of using light to paint permanent images.
For brothers William and Lawrence Knox, earning PhDs in chemistry was not enough to overcome discrimination.
From lab accident to wonder drug to chemical has-been, saccharin’s history tracks the rise of consumer consciousness, government regulation, and the uncertainties underlying scientific evidence.
Eighteenth-century author Polycarpe Poncelet finds an unusual connection between music and our sense of taste.
In the late 19th century cod-liver oil was proclaimed the cure for many ailments. One problem: the oil’s foul taste.
An 1828 murder trial provides insight into the moral ambiguity of forensic science and scientific testimony.
A personal portrait of the Nobel prize-winning crystallographer.
The history of pasteurization and the controversy surrounding it demonstrate the complexity of milk as a chemical substance.
Part experimenter and part entertainer, Humphry Davy was a 19th-century icon.
The founding of the American Institute of Chemical Engineers represented the beginning of American technological dominance in the 20th century.
The invention of nylon in 1938 promised sleekness and practicality for women and soon ushered in a textile revolution for consumers and the military alike.
Fatal results of the lax safety standards of yesterday provide powerful lessons in the importance of safety in today’s labs.
In the 18th century Joseph Priestley and others developed artificially carbonated mineral water, uniting the therapeutic powers of an ancient natural restorative with the emerging science of modern chemistry.
Dalton proposed atomic theory in 1808; an additional century passed before the theory was universally accepted by scientists.
In 1788 Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier and Jacques-Louis David were introduced during a sitting for the illustrious scientist’s portrait.
With the curiosity of a scientist and the personal motivation of having lost family members to cancer and bacterial infection, Elion fulfilled a vital role in the fight against disease.
Now ubiquitous and vital to modern life, aluminum was once more expensive than gold, locked away in its ore without a commercially viable method to release it.
Rudolph Pariser’s early life and career were shaped by world wars and other international events.
Historians have uncovered evidence of the immense influence of Arabic alchemy—a largely unexplored piece of the alchemical puzzle.
Our long history with a potent poison.
The rise of the digital age depended on integrated circuits made with new materials and techniques that could both increase performance and drive down cost.
Mendeleev’s greatest achievement was not the periodic table so much as the recognition of the periodic system on which it was based.