Chemistry of Everything

Oxidation involves a loss of electrons from a substance, the reaction behind rust forming on iron.

Combustion releases heat and light as fuel reacts with oxygen, the process behind a burning candle flame.

Acids donate hydrogen ions and bases accept them, the reaction behind vinegar fizzing with baking soda.

Fermentation lets microorganisms like yeast release energy from sugar without oxygen, producing bread and beer alike.

Catalysts speed up chemical reactions without being used up themselves, the way an enzyme aids digestion.

Electrolysis uses electric current to force a chemical reaction, splitting water into hydrogen and oxygen gas.

Crystallization builds a solid with a highly ordered atomic structure, as sugar crystals grow into rock candy.

An ionic bond forms when one atom transfers electrons to another, as sodium does with chlorine to make table salt.

A covalent bond forms when atoms share electron pairs, as hydrogen and oxygen do in a water molecule.

Mixing baking soda with an acid like vinegar releases carbon dioxide gas, the fizz behind a classic volcano project.

Ozone is made of three bonded oxygen atoms and forms a high-atmosphere layer that blocks ultraviolet light.

Sugar, or sucrose, is a carbohydrate built from carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen atoms.

Distillation separates mixed liquids by boiling point, the method used to concentrate alcohol from a fermented liquid.

Carbon dioxide cycles between animals that exhale it and plants that absorb it, and also gives soft drinks their fizz.

Chlorophyll gives plant leaves their green color and captures sunlight to power photosynthesis.

Vinegar is dilute acetic acid, useful both as a cooking ingredient and a household cleaner.

Water is unusual among common substances for expanding rather than shrinking as it freezes.

Surfactant molecules in soap attract both water and oil, letting dish soap lift grease off a plate.

Polymers are large molecules built from repeating smaller units called monomers, as in plastic bottles.

Table salt forms when the reactive metal sodium combines safely with the toxic gas chlorine.

Vitamin C is abundant in citrus fruits, and its long-term deficiency was the historic cause of scurvy.

Caffeine stimulates the brain by blocking a chemical that would otherwise signal tiredness.

Nylon was one of the first fully synthetic fibers ever created and found early use in stockings and rope.

Aspirin traces its origin to a pain-relieving compound first found in willow bark.

Penicillin became the first widely used antibiotic after Alexander Fleming discovered it by accident in 1928.

Rust forms as iron slowly reacts with oxygen and moisture, coating unprotected metal in a reddish layer.