/oss/taxonomy/term/3723/all en /oss/article/general-science/infatuated-chemistry <p>The fact that virtually everything in our life, be it digesting our food, using medications to treat disease, producing the clothes we wear, and even the grinding of our mental gears can be described in terms of chemical reactions is fascinating enough.  But what has probably enthralled me the most, is that all these chemical reactions that involve various molecules engaging with each other, can be explained and understood without anyone ever having seen a molecule!</p> Wed, 03 Apr 2024 16:45:45 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9896 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition-history/can-vitamin-c-cure-common-cold-hold <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-can-vitamin-c-cure-the-common-cold-hold-on">The Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>There is no question that Linus Pauling was an eminent chemist, given that “eminence” is defined as fame or recognized superiority within a particular sphere or profession. In this case, chemistry.</p> Fri, 22 Mar 2024 17:35:10 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9879 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/its-chemical-world <p>It’s a chemical world out there! We are awash in some fifty million known chemicals, the majority of which are created by nature, a minority by chemists. They’re not good or bad, not safe or dangerous. It all depends on how they are used, and what our exposure is. There is much debate about the effect of some chemicals on our lives, but about one issue there should be no debate. Chemicals are interesting! So, here’s a little quiz. Where would you encounter each of the following: para-dichlorobenzene, piperine, acetone peroxide.</p> Wed, 06 Mar 2024 20:13:26 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9856 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/dont-throw-baby-out-hydrogenated-bathwater <hr /> <p><em>This article was first published in the <a href="https://montrealgazette.com/opinion/columnists/the-right-chemistry-dont-throw-the-baby-out-with-the-hydrogenated-bathwater">Montreal Gazette.</a></em></p> <hr /> <p>“Congratulations! You have in your hands one of the best available tools to increase your health and vitality.”</p> Fri, 23 Feb 2024 16:50:47 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9843 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/faraday-dickens-and-lighthouses <p>I have a longstanding fascination with Victorian arts and sciences. It was the era when Darwin published the “Origin of the Species,” Perkin synthesized dyes, Lister introduced antiseptic surgery, Conan-Doyle and Charles Dickens thrilled audiences with the adventures of Sherlock Holmes and Oliver Twist. It was also the time when Michael Faraday laid the foundations for the practical use of electricity.</p> Fri, 22 Dec 2023 13:18:13 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9771 at /oss /oss/article/contributors-general-science/call-teach-chemistry <p>Is there something in your past to put you on a path to become an educator? When I was a teenager I did one of those guidance counsellor tests which suggested I should become one. I laughed. But a couple of years later, when I helped a girl with her chemistry homework at the college library, she said I had the makings of a good teacher. My favorite chemistry professor in university reminded me of the Gilligan’s Island professor. Professor McElcheron was a tinkerer in his own lab, and instead of being shipwrecked like the TV character, he lived by choice on his own island.</p> Fri, 10 Nov 2023 16:38:51 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9719 at /oss /oss/article/medical-technology-general-science/nobel-prize-chemistry-no-small-matter <p>The word “quantum” derives from the Latin word for “amount,” so that if something is “quantifiable,” it means that it can be measured. Although I think I have a reasonably good grasp of chemistry, I’ll admit that my knowledge of “quantum chemistry” is quantifiably very small. But it is enough to allow me to appreciate the magnitude of this year’s Nobel Prize in chemistry, awarded to Drs. Moungi Bawendi of MIT, Louis Brus of Columbia University and Alexei Ekimov of Nanocrystals Technology Inc.</p> Thu, 05 Oct 2023 23:11:11 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9680 at /oss /oss/article/medical-history/first-canadian-nobel-prize <p>As we approach the week during which the 2023 Nobel Prizes will be announced (October 2-9, 2023), it is perhaps timely to consider the events that surrounded the first Nobel Prize awarded to a Canadian. Exactly 100 years ago, Frederik G. Banting and John R.R. Macleod, were awarded the 1923 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine “for the discovery of insulin” at the University of Toronto.</p> Fri, 29 Sep 2023 12:40:37 +0000 Patricia Brubaker, Ph.D., F.R.S.C. 9667 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-history/first-consumer-activist <p>So you are worried about aspartame or a little Red #3 in your food? You know what you would have to worry about back in the early years of the 19<sup>th</sup> century? A little strychnine in the beer.  A touch of mercuric sulfide in the candy.  A sprinkling of red lead in the cayenne pepper!   </p> Wed, 26 Jul 2023 14:17:31 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9575 at /oss /oss/article/critical-thinking-technology/looping-chat-gpt <p>Like so many, I have been experimenting with Chat GPT, the artificial intelligence technology that can answer questions or produce articles on a given topic in humanlike conversational language. In some cases, I have been impressed, much less so in others.</p> Wed, 24 May 2023 19:57:33 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9519 at /oss /oss/article/health-and-nutrition/dancing-gummy-bears <p>No, Oprah Winfrey and Dolly Parton do not endorse CBD Gummies. Neither does David Suzuki. That may come as a surprise to customers who purchased the gummies thinking that they must deliver the goods given that such high-profile celebrities believe in them. And what are the goods those gummies supposedly deliver? They are said to reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality, and help with muscle pain and inflammation. They also energize, help with weight loss, boost immunity and normalize heart rate. Who says so? Certainly not Oprah, Dolly or David.</p> Wed, 15 Mar 2023 17:00:52 +0000 Joe Schwarcz PhD 9433 at /oss /oss/article/pseudoscience/pseudosciences-constant-appeal-shadow-beautiful-science <p>Fifty years ago, polymath Jacob Bronowski, creator of the TV series <i>The Ascent of Man</i>, and author of the book by the same title wrote:</p> Fri, 10 Mar 2023 20:35:30 +0000 Enrico Uva B.Sc. Dip. Ed. 9431 at /oss /oss/article/did-you-know-general-science/two-types-erasable-ink-and-why-one-much-cooler-other <p>Introduced in 1979, the Papermate <a href="https://www.papermate.com/about-us.html">Erasermate</a> offered something that, up until then, had been science fiction: an erasable pen. While correction fluids and tape were a well-established solution to inky mistakes, covering up errors was not the ideal way to correct them. Erasermate offered a simple alternative—just remove them.</p> Fri, 04 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Ada McVean M.Sc. 9284 at /oss /oss/article/history-general-science/there-more-acetone-removing-nail-polish <p>Say acetone, and what comes to a chemist’s mind? Washing laboratory glassware is a good bet. Actually, the prime use of acetone is to produce polymethyl methacrylate, better known as Plexiglas. Much of the five million tons of acetone produced annually in the world goes towards satisfying the hunger for Plexiglas. Skylights, light fixtures, automobile parts, furniture, pediatric incubators, hockey rinks, fish tanks, medical implants, household appliances, and of course, all those dividers we have seen during the COVID pandemic are all made of this material.</p><p> </p> Wed, 02 Nov 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz Phd 9283 at /oss /oss/article/general-science/lets-celebrate-national-chemistry-week <p>It is an annual tradition. The third week in October is designated as <a href="https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/outreach/ncw.html">“National Chemistry Week” </a>by the American Chemical Society with a goal of raising the public’s awareness of the value of chemistry in daily life. Educators are encouraged to give talks, perform demonstrations, and write articles designed to demystify the science that many look upon with a wary eye.</p> Wed, 19 Oct 2022 10:00:00 +0000 Joe Schwarcz Phd 9270 at /oss