Episode information

Synopses, compounds, and sources

Each episode page carries a synopsis, the structures of every compound discussed, and the complete bibliography behind the script.

01

Oxygen, Carbon Dioxide, and Interconnectedness: Joseph Priestley

Perhaps the first great experimental chemist. Priestley’s careful work uncovered oxygen and carbon dioxide — and foreshadowed ecology.

5 compounds15 references
02

Urea and Science Myths

Newton’s apple, Galileo’s whisper, Franklin’s kite — and the myth of Wöhler’s urea synthesis as the origin story of organic chemistry.

6 compounds8 references
03

Benzene, August Kekulé, and the Dream Myth

The famous dream, re-examined — and the last remark of Kekulé’s that chemists should not overlook.

4 structures15 references
04

Tartaric Acid, Lactic Acid, and the Tetrahedral Carbon

Pasteur separates enantiomers, van ’t Hoff and Le Bel give carbon a shape, and Kolbe loses his temper.

7 compounds16 references
Episodes 5–32

In production. Pages appear here as each episode is released.

Suggest a chemical