Human Touch Of Chemistry - Basic Concepts, Fun & Facts of Chemistry in Daily Life

Microwave ovens - the magic of cooking in minutes

The microwave oven is one of the great inventions of the 20th century -- millions of homes have one. Microwave ovens are popular because they cook food in an amazingly short amount of time. They are also extremely efficient in their use of electricity because a microwave oven heats only the food, and nothing else!

Learn More
The Artificial Ripening of Fruits

If you've ever had a fruit before it ripens, you'll never forget the sour, unpleasant taste. So why are fruits unripe in the first place, and why does it ripen later on? Let's look beneath the skin.

Learn More
Using nanotechnology for drug delivery

Today, when you have an illness, you have to take medicine in several doses, as pills or syrups. Imagine a day when you have to take the drug only once, and it works a whole lot better. Nanotechnology can help do that.

Learn More
Fiery facts about firecrackers

We love to make noise as kids. We also like things that make noise. This is why firecrackers are so much fun. Especially the ones that make the maximum noise.

Learn More
Dan Shechtman: Man Behind Quasicrystals

Prof Dan Shechtman is the first person to discover quasicrystals. Quasicrystals are the crystals found in the atoms of metals that are structured in certain pattern, however unlike a normal crystal, they do not repeat their patterns.

Learn More
Why is blood collected in 'heparinised' vials?

When you have to take a blood test, do you notice that the lab person collects your blood into a special tube marked 'heparinised'? Let's find out why a special vial is needed.

Learn More
Josiah Willard Gibbs

We read a little about Hermann von Helmholtz, the founder of thermodynamics, last week. But it was really Josiah Gibbs who helped it develop into a great science, which is followed by all chemists today. Let's know more about him.

Learn More
Prafulla Chandra Ray

Many scientists are happy to make their discoveries, but are not interested in making a business of it. But a few rare ones understand why it's important to build bridges between science and industry. Prafulla Chandra Ray was the first Indian to realise this.

Learn More
Honey I shrunk the lab!

When doing chemistry experiments at school, you might have heard your teachers telling you to use as little as possible of every chemical. Now imagine of all chemistry could be done with just one drop! That's the idea of a lab-on-a-chip.

Learn More
Walter Gilbert Unveils the Secrets behind RNA and DNA

Walter Gilbert developed a technique of using gel electrophoresis to read the nucleotide sequences of DNA segments.

Learn More