Chemistry in its element podcast – compounds – Page 2

  • Labradorite, a type of feldspar
    Podcast

    Feldspar

    2020-06-12T13:45:00Z

    Brian Clegg introduces the humble mineral that delights both astronomers and archaeologists

  • An artistic representation of a stomach ulcer
    Podcast

    Cimetidine

    2020-06-05T13:00:00Z

    Mike Freemantle introduces the peptic ulcer treatment cimetidine, which – as Tagamet – became the first blockbuster drug

  • Tsetse fly
    Podcast

    Fexinidazole

    2020-05-29T15:22:00Z

     The World Health Organisation hope to eradicate sleeping sickness within our lifetimes. Jamie Durrani looks at a drug that may make it possible.

  • Brewing ayahuasca
    Podcast

    DMT – Dimethyltryptamine

    2020-05-22T08:30:00Z

    Georgia Mills investigates the psychoactive found in ayahuasca that may mirror near-death experiences

  • Pool cleaning equipment on the side of a pool
    Podcast

    Chlorine dioxide

    2020-05-15T17:00:00Z

    Katrina Krämer investigates how industrial-strength bleach became promoted as ‘miracle mineral supplement’ – a supposed ‘cure’ for autism, cancer and even Covid-19.

  • Olives and olive oil
    Podcast

    Oleic acid

    2020-05-08T08:35:00Z

    Brian Clegg discovers the link between olive oil, dandruff and stained glass windows.

  • Doctors examining a CT scan
    Podcast

    Interferon beta

    2020-05-01T15:44:00Z

    An immune-modulating compound used to reduce the symptoms of multiple sclerosis and now showing potential against coronaviruses

  • Ritonavir tablet packaging
    Podcast

    Ritonavir

    2020-04-24T15:26:00Z

    The unexplained appearance and dramatic spread of a new form of HIV drug ritonavir hurt patients and cost its makers almost $250 million.

  • An image showing coronavirus particles
    Podcast

    Lopinavir

    2020-04-17T12:34:00Z

    How a drug that prevents HIV from donning its protective ‘coat’ now makes up one arm of the World Health Organisation’s Covid-19 trial

  • Remdesivir
    Podcast

    Remdesivir

    2020-04-03T14:30:00Z

    Will new clinical trials for Covid-19 give remdesivir a second chance? Ben Valsler introduces the broad-spectrum antiviral that didn’t quite make it as the Ebola drug it was originally planned to be

  • A mosquito, a bottle of hyroxychloroquine tablets and social distancing advice
    Podcast

    Chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine

    2020-03-27T16:30:00Z

    The Covid-19 pandemic – and some very high profile backing – has led to malaria drugs chloroquine and hydroxychloroquine hitting the headlines worldwide.

  • Woman taking a pain killer tablet
    Podcast

    Ibuprofen

    2020-03-20T15:15:00Z

    Brian Clegg on the popular over-the-counter painkiller, developed by a high-street pharmacy chain

  • A man checking his hair line
    Podcast

    Minoxidil and Finasteride

    2020-03-13T13:30:00Z

    Catherine Hodges explores the chemical solutions to thinning hair and patchy beards, examining the popularity of minoxidil and the cautionary tale of finasteride

  • An open bee hive
    Podcast

    Fipronil

    2020-03-06T09:46:00Z

    The pesticide that keeps pets free of pests, but may have also been responsible for the devastating collapse of bee colonies

  • An Ob mouse sat beside a normal weight mouse
    Podcast

    Leptin

    2020-02-28T11:10:00Z

    Rotund rodents revolutionised our understanding of the biological role of fat. Now, as Katrina Krämer discovers, the hormones created by fats could redefine obesity

  • An assortment of foods rich in vitamin K
    Podcast

    Vitamin K

    2020-02-21T12:00:00Z

    Ben Valsler on vitamin K – the blood clotting factor that is likely to be the first supplement you ever receive

  • Barley crop
    Podcast

    Amylase

    2020-02-14T09:14:00Z

    Brian Clegg on the enzymes make life a little sweeter by breaking down starch into sugars, helping to make bread and beer

  • A yawning beaver
    Podcast

    Hydroquinone

    2020-02-07T14:10:00Z

    Georgia Mills on a compound that explodes from a beetle’s bum, and has a controversial role in skin depigmentation

  • Fisherman holds up a fish poisoned by cyanide on the Tisza river
    Podcast

    Sodium cyanide

    2020-01-31T10:00:00Z

    This week marks the 20th anniversary of the Baia Mare disaster, when toxic sodium cyanide spilled from a gold processing plant led to ecological damage on a huge scale.

  • Turpentine bottle
    Podcast

    Terephthalic acid

    2020-01-24T15:30:00Z

    Once thought of as an interesting – but useless – turpentine derivative, this oddly-named acid became the precursor to one of the world’s most widely used plastics