There are four fundamental qualities: time, length, mass, and temperature. All other units can be derived from them, but these four can’t be broken down any further. This week we focus on time—the measurement that orders our lives. Catalysts are something chemists use to speed up time; in other words, to make chemical reactions work faster. Ruthenium is an element that has recently become an important catalyst in organic chemistry. This week Chemistry in Your Cupboard explores the wonders of the pressure cooker. And finally, producer Eric Mack visits the National Institute of Standards and Technology in Boulder, Colorado, to check out the world’s most accurate atomic clock (shown on the left). Element of the Week: Ruthenium.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:32     Introduction
01:30     Element of the Week: Ruthenium
03:59     Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Pressure Cooker
06:20     The Atomic Clock
10:37     Quote: William Faulkner
10:51     Closing Credits

Resources and References

Check out the summer issue of Chemical Heritage for more information about green chemistry.
The 2005 Nobel Prize in Chemistry, awarded to Robert H. Grubbs, Yves Chauvin, and Richard R. Schrock.
Learn more about pressure cookers and their history.
More information about the NIST-F1 Cesium Fountain Atomic Clock.

Credits

This show was researched by Audra Wolfe.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “1 o’clock Martini Intro,” by Podcast Troubadour. After Chemistry in Your Cupboard is “The Wonder Clock,” by The Psycho Daisies. The music after the feature and under the quotation is “Tick Tock,” by Podcast Troubadour.

This week’s image is the NIST-F1 clock, which uses a fountain-like movement of cesium atoms to determine the length of the second so accurately that—if it were to run continuously—it would neither lose nor gain one second in 80 million years. Image copyright Geoffrey Wheeler Photography.

At least some members of the Distillations crew will join millions of other Americans in drinking a beer this Memorial Day weekend. Beer is produced through fermentation—a biological process whose details are greatly affected by chemistry. In today’s show we’ll explain how alpha acids in hops (pictured) affect the bitterness of beer and what pH has to do with flavor. In the final segment of the show, producer Joel Rose visits Dogfish Head Brewery in Rehoboth Beach, Delaware, for a taste of an ancient brew. Element of the Week: Calcium.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:31 Introduction
01:04 Element of the Week: Calcium
02:57 Chemistry in Your Cupboard: Hops
05:44 A Visit to Dogfish Head Brewery
09:57 Quote: Ben Franklin
10:10 Closing Credits

Resources and References

Brew Your Own is a magazine for the home brewer. Their Web site is chock full of useful information, including recipes and this article on the hops shortage.
Another useful site for home brewers, maintained by Chris Love, is Brew-Monkey.com.
Philadelphia is home to many craft brewers. Besides Dogfish Head, some of our favorites are Flying Fish, Dock Street, Philadelphia Brewing Company, and Yards.

Credits

This show was researched by Hilary Domush.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music at the beginning of the Element of the Week is “Montana de Ora,” alt. mix, by Rachel Kann. At the end of the Element is “Cuckoo’s Nest/Old French/Red Wing,” by Beyond the Pale. Next, at the show ID, is “Cincinnati Flo Rag,” by Ken Tucker and James Swafford. The music for the quotation is “Tanya—The Secret Tango,” by Romashka.

The image you see above is a detail of a hops plant in the hops fields near Olomouc. The photo was uploaded by nutto to stock.xchange.

Entropy is defined as the degree of disorder in a system, and according to the Second Law of Thermodynamics entropy is always increasing. Preservation is a way that humans are trying to beat entropy, and this week we look at why and how we preserve. Document preservation is important for historical items like the Constitution. We learn that argon is an inert gas much less reactive than oxygen and is used by places like the Library of Congress to display important documents safely. Also this week we interview Ronn Wade, director of the Maryland State Anatomy Board. Wade tells us about plastination, a modern-day mummy, as well as securing and preserving cadavers for medical students. And producer Eric Mack visits Nederland, Colorado, for Frozen Dead Guy Days where cryogenics and cryonics are discussed very seriously. Arguably Nederland’s most famous resident is the Frozen Dead Guy, Bredo Morstel. Element of the Week: Argon.

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Show Clock

00:00     Opening Credits
00:32     Introduction
01:08     Element of the Week: Argon
03:24     Conversation with Ronn Wade
07:29     Frozen Dead Guy Days
11:28     Quote: Neil Rollinson
11:44     Closing Credits

Resources and References

An article about using argon to preserve documents.
More about Waldseemüller’s 1507 map.
The National Institute of Standards and Technology Cryogenics Web site.
The Cryonics Institute Web site.
All about the plastination process.

Credits

This show was researched by Audra Wolfe.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music for the Element of the Week is “Shambhala,” by r.domain. Under the show ID is “Cafe Turc,” by Sara Alexander. The music for the quotation is “Shimdiggy,” by Romashka.

This week’s image is of Martin Waldseemüller’s 1507 map, which was preserved in argon gas in December 2007, courtesy of the Library of Congress, Geography and Map Division.

Blogs, YouTube, Facebook, and wikis are just a few of so-called Web 2.0 technologies that are transforming the look and feel of science on the Web. Last week a group of leading science educators met at CHF during the annual Leadership in Science Education Conference to discuss how these new media technologies are affecting science education. To find out more about how students are using the internet, we spoke with John Horrigan, an expert on broadband and associate director for research at the Pew Internet and American Life Project. We also take a look at popular internet science videos, like the oscillating reaction shown above. Finally, Abigail Paske, a science teacher in Oakland, California, shares her experiences dealing with No Child Left Behind. Element of the Week: Iodine.

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Show Clock

00:00 Opening Credits
00:32 Introduction
01:04 Conversation with John Horrigan
05:00 Element of the Week
08:01 Science Education in the Era of No Child Left Behind
10:58 Quote: Mary Shelley
11:16 Closing Credits

Resources and References

On the Riggs Brauscher reaction: Instructions and an explanation from the University of Leeds Chemistry Department.
For surveys of internet users, analysis of current Web trends, and more: The Pew Internet and American Life Project.
White papers summarizing LISE 5 and LISE 4 are available online.

Credits

Special thanks to Audra Wolfe for researching the show.

Our theme music is composed by Dave Kaufman. Additional music was provided by the Podsafe Music Network. The music at the end of the interview is “Upbeat for Cable TV,” by Andrew Chalfen. In the Element of the Week, you’re hearing “Stopped Time,” by 37Hz. The music at the end of the show is “The Land of Candy,” by Chris Resu.