Up Next
Back to Show
Reactions
Cellulose: From Trees to Explosives
Season 6
Episode 15
Cellulose is everywhere. In fact, it is the most abundant organic molecule on the Earth! It’s in (but not limited to) our food, clothing, and plastics, and the cellulose compound nitrocellulose is used in explosives but also in things like x-rays, early silent films and nail polish. In this episode, we get into how this tiny molecule holds up so much of our modern world.
Support Provided By
13:06
Why Alex is terrified of antibiotic resistance, and what chemists are doing about it
9:01
Are liquid, virtually fireproof, recyclable batteries the future of grid-scale storage?
11:39
Join George as he hunts for an antidote to deadly mushrooms.
12:15
George tests a newly discovered technique that could solve a recycling problem.
11:46
How does lime juice turn raw fish into delicious ceviche? We explain with biochemistry!
10:31
Forever Chemicals last… forever. Can a new technology finally send them to their doom?
8:21
Reducing the carbon footprint of concrete and cement by relying on biology.
9:13
Mosquitos really do prefer some people over others, and this Reactions ep explains why!
13:50
Discover the single most important chemical reaction on Earth, and why we need to kill it.
9:38
This week Reactions dives into something truly out-of-this-world: amorphous ice.
15:51
Are we about to re-define meat? If so, what is meat?!
11:48
How do carbon dioxide molecules trap heat in our atmosphere?