Distillations magazine

Is chemistry’s ubiquity why we so rarely talk about its historical importance?

Two books trace the history of Arabo-Islamic science during the European Middle Ages.

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.

DuPont’s colorists were prophets of the color revolution, guiding corporations and consumers in choosing hues for everything from car fenders to countertops.

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.