Waterproof white inspired by nature & low-stakes mistakes | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week we discuss a new light-controlled technique that creates structural color and water repellent properties in polymer films and disc...
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Chemistry World Podcast
Monthly podcast from Chemistry World, the magazine of the Royal Society of Chemistry.
Episodes
20 of 79 episodesNobel prize in chemistry 2026: predictions | The chemical breakdown podcast
It's Nobel season again! And we're doing something a little different here on The chemical breakdown. Instead of our usual stories, in this...
Drugging the 'undruggable' cancer proteins & conserving the Bayeux Tapestry | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we explore how molecular glues have revolutionized how we treat previously 'undruggable' cancers and explore how modern scientifi...
Advances in CAR-T cancer therapy & carbon materials' hidden defects | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss a study showing promise in applying CAR-T immunotherapy in bladder cancer tumours and breakdown how scientists have un...
UK science department abolished & Ireland's crumbling concrete | The chemical breakdown podcast
In this episode, we discuss the changes to science policy made by the new UK prime minister and breakdown the chemistry behind crumbling con...
Thermo Fisher antibody data manipulation & the shrinking chemical recycling industry | The chemical breakdown podcast
In this episode, we breakdown the controversy behind a collection of altered images in the online catalogue of one of the largest laboratory...
50 years after Seveso & changing the way we separate hydrocarbons | The chemical breakdown podcast
In this episode, we reflect on the lessons learned and the impacts of the Seveso chemical disaster of 1976, and discuss the latest membrane...
An update on the Strait of Hormuz & potential explosives at an Antarctic base | The chemical breakdown podcast
In this episode, we bring the latest from the recent temporary reopening of the Strait of Hormuz, and discuss the presence of potential expl...
A warning for US science & wool's chemical versatility | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss the latest challenges facing US science outlined by president of the US National Academy of Sciences Marcia McNutt in...
Click chemistry marks 25 years & covalent bonding in the actinides | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we look back at how far click chemistry has come in the last 25 years and discuss the strange bonding behaviour of some of the la...
Quantum computing & a mysterious contaminant in microplastics research | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss the latest milestone in quantum computational modelling and reveal the common laboratory item causing strange readings...
Battery week 2026: The EV cathode race & battery-recycling | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we are celebrating Chemistry World's Battery Week with a special battery-themed episode! We discuss the race between cathode mate...
Vanadium-based medicines & sustainable labs | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss vanadium's potential in the medical field and the changes you can make in our lab to reduce your carbon footprint, wit...
Inert materials & the Mary Celeste | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss how to ensure experimental instruments are truly inert and chemistry's answer to the fate of the Mary Celeste, with Ph...
The two types of water & science sleuths | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss the peculiarities of water's behaviour and how science sleuths are fighting disinformation with Philip Robinson and Em...
Atomic radii & synthetic food dyes | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss team discuss the boundaries of the atom and breakdown the US's plan to eliminate synthetic food dyes with Jennifer New...
AAAS annual meeting & plasma chemistry | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss reflections from this year's American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) annual meeting and the latest...
AlphaGenome & the RNA world hypothesis | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss the new deep learning model AlphaGenome and visit the very beginning of life on Earth with Mason Wak ley and Neil With...
Bench-stable butyllithium & secrets of Pompeii's limescale | The chemical breakdown podcast
This week, we discuss new butyllithium formulations and ancient limescale chemistry with Emma Pewsey and Phillip Broadwith. New bench-stable...
Halogen-bond catalysis & the future of total synthesis | The chemical breakdown podcast
Welcome to the first episode of our latest podcast series, The chemical breakdown. Each week, we'll dive deeper into two stories we've cover...