Skip to main content

Up Next

How Can A Margarita Do This?

How Can A Margarita Do This?

Season 6 Episode 16
3:47
Color Changing Tea

Color Changing Tea

Season 6 Episode 18
4:00
How Can Fertilizer Explode?

How Can Fertilizer Explode?

Season 6 Episode 20
6:10
Why Does Fall Smell So Good?

Why Does Fall Smell So Good?

Season 6 Episode 22
7:25
The Science of Kombucha

The Science of Kombucha

Season 6 Episode 23
8:12
We Are Made of Star Stuff

We Are Made of Star Stuff

Season 10 Episode 3
10:13
I Reinvented a 300-Year Old Drink

I Reinvented a 300-Year Old Drink

Season 10 Episode 4
16:56
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
Season
The End of Haber Bosch
13:50
Discover the single most important chemical reaction on Earth, and why we need to kill it.
What is Amorphous Ice?
9:38
This week Reactions dives into something truly out-of-this-world: amorphous ice.
Lab-grown, Plant-based, Real – What Is The Chemistry Of Meat
15:51
Are we about to re-define meat? If so, what is meat?!
But HOW Does Carbon Dioxide Trap Heat?
11:48
How do carbon dioxide molecules trap heat in our atmosphere?
EU’s Ban On Tattoo Ink: Breaking Down the Chemistry
10:37
Why has the European Union banned certain colors for tattoos?
Why Are Electric Vehicle Fires So Hard To Put Out?
12:29
Can we solve electric vehicle fires before we fully understand what’s happening?
How a Chemist Makes the Softest Bread You'll Ever Eat
15:58
Fluffy, delicious bread results when starch gelatinization and flour chemistry combine!
Why Calcium Hydroxide + Corn is Key to Understanding Western
12:35
Join George (and, occasionally, Andrew) as they chart corn’s epic chemical journey.
74,963 Kinds of Ice
10:46
We explore and learn anywhere between the 20 and 74,963 kinds of ice.
Time to Strike Antifreeze Off Your List of Usable Poisons
10:34
For years it was used in homicidal poisonings. We learn what made it so dangerous.
What Science Says About Brining Your Bird
12:40
We explore brining and whether or not it makes a different when cooking the turkey.
Some Sugar Free Gummy Bears Are Laxatives. No, Really.
15:23
We dive into the science to figure out how to make gummies without the side effects.
Active loading indicator