Cream of tartar is close to the heart of any organic chemist because the study of this compound by Louis Pasteur in 1848 was pivotal in leading to the understanding of the three dimensional...
Smells of course are caused by volatile compounds which stimulate receptors in our nose. There is a large variety of such compounds with a great diversity of molecular structures. But many of the...
"That's the way the cookie crumbles!" How often have you heard that expression? It is usually a statement of disappointment which may be paraphrased as "tough luck." But why does a cookie...
Last year I worked at a coffee shop on McGill campus. If you ever want to feel appreciated at work, try putting on the first pot of coffee for a bunch of sleep deprived college students and...
Imagine being an elderly woman, sipping her tea in an empty house, and suddenly seeing a girl entering through a closed door and vanishing. The apparition is crisp and well defined. Would you, as...
Am I the only one who tries to ‘swallow my head’ as my Nana used to say while exercising? For a while, I thought so! But a Google search told me I'm not alone. Many people suffer from constant...
There are two myths that are a constant irritation in the fight against pseudoscience. One is the equating of the term “chemical” with “toxin,” the other is the suggestion that “natural” substances...
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