the chronicle flask | Tales of interesting chemical tidbits

I am no longer updating this blog, but all my previous posts remain, and underneath this entry you’ll find a list of some of my all-time favourites. You can find out a bit more about me on the About page, or in this Career Ladder article on C&EN...

From citric to hydrofluoric, acids are an ever-popular topic
I began this blog in 2013, and since then I’ve written at least one post a month. This will be the 150th.
I put love and care into all my posts and, in turn, this blog has been good to me. Although no one’s ever paid me to write it, it has brought me work over the years – many people have asked me to write for them having read things here. But life is busier...

In January I wrote about a nasal spray that could prevent COVID-19 infections
It’s Christmas 2021, everyone. Can you believe it? It feels like it’s been 2020 for about five years now, doesn’t it? Anyway, regular followers will know that each year in December I write a ‘Chronicles’ post summing up everything I’ve written about...

Hair ice, in which ice crystals grow in thread-like structures, can be found at northerly latitudes in broadleaf forests [image source]
I’ve written about water before and in particular, if you’ve been paying very close attention, you might remember that November 12th marks the anniversary of the day, in 1783, that Antoine Lavoisier formally declared water to be a compound rather than...