Chemical Heritage Foundation

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The Chemical Heritage Foundation is a library, museum, and research center dedicated to preserving and promoting the progress of science. Located in Philadelphia, CHF maintains world-class collections, including instruments and apparatus, rare books, fine art, and the personal papers of prominent scientists, all related to the chemical and molecular sciences.

Pieces

Caption: What's in a kiss?, Credit: Image courtesy of Flickr user Scented Mirror.
Pucker up! On this episode we investigate the kiss. First, what's in the saliva we share with each other? Then we interview Sheril Kirshenbaum, aut...

  • Added: Feb 03, 2012
  • Length: 00:12:41
Caption: Symptoms of extreme fandom can sometimes include the wearing of funny hats., Credit: Image courtesy of Flickr user seantoyer.
On this episode of Distillations we look at the science of sports. First, we learn how athletes go the distance, chemically speaking. Then we look ...

  • Added: Feb 03, 2012
  • Length: 00:11:37
Caption: Images from the Othmer Library of Chemical History at CHF.
There are many different types of crystals we encounter, ranging from tiny to extremely large in size.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:12:00
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Another year has come and gone, but the impact of scientific discoveries made and concerns raised will be felt in 2010 and beyond.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:11:58
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Whether it’s preventing illness by vaccines or avoiding germs, this episode is about getting sick and staying healthy.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:12:09
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Love it or hate it, plastic is hard to avoid. In this episode we take a look at plastic made from corn and find out just how biodegradable it reall...

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:12:04
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Distillations marks our 100th episode! To celebrate, we revisit segments from some of our past shows and bring you new developments.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:13:33
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Distillations takes a step back to bring you some of our favorite segments from past episodes: Glenn Seaborg, the Three Sisters, and Living with Il...

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:12:12
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We continue to bring you some of our favorite segments from past episodes of Distillations: Senescence, Richard Holmes, and Boy Rocketeer.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:14:06
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On this episode Distillations looks back to the future. We compare what people thought the modern world would look like with today's reality.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:12:18
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Innovation can be messy work, and sometimes outright disastrous. In this episode of Distillations we look at some of the 20th century’s most infamo...

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:11:46
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If you could live forever, would you? Though most believe this to be a hypothetical question, there are some scientific processes that impart etern...

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:10:57
Caption: Foxglove photographed in Bestwood Country Park, Nottinghamshire., Credit: Image courtesy of Flickr user DaveKav.
Before pharmaceuticals existed, all medicines had to come from natural sources—like plants. On this episode, we focus on such remedies.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:13:15
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As atmospheric carbon dioxide increases, does the world have to get hotter? Controlling the earth’s weather and climate is the topic of this episode.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:11:54
Caption: BBQ Inferno, from Flickr user Frederic Poirot.
In this episode, a celebration of meat: segments on an all-natural meat tenderizer, BBQ'ed carcinogens, and the history of steak.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:11:55
Caption: Periodic Table of Cupcakes at CHF’s museum’s first anniversary., Credit: Photo by Rosanne Cook.
In this episode we pay tribute to the periodic table. We talk to Sam Kean, author of the best-selling book The Disappearing Spoon; hear an excerpt ...

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:14:04
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This episode will have your skin crawling… literally. In honor of Halloween we bring you a show revealing a scarier (and squirmier) side of science.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:15:30

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:09:10
Caption: Scrooge and his third visitor. Illustration by John Leech, 1843.
In this episode we are visited by the ghosts of chemistry's past, present, and future, who teach us about Greek fire, red sludge, and the future of...

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:13:46
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In this episode we learn about the history and future of nuclear power, in the U.S. and abroad.

  • Added: Jan 16, 2012
  • Length: 00:11:12