

Chemistry For Your Life
Melissa and Jam, Bleav
A podcast that helps you understand the fascinating chemistry hidden in your everyday life.
Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life!
In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating.
If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.
Have you ever wondered why onions make you cry? Or how soap gets your hands clean? What really is margarine, or why do trees change colors in the fall? Melissa is a chemist, and to answer these questions she started a podcast, called Chemistry for your life!
In each episode Melissa explains the chemistry behind one of life’s mysteries to Jam, who is definitely not a chemist, but she explains it in a way that is easy to understand, and totally fascinating.
If you’re someone who loves learning new things, or who wonders about the way the world works, then give us a listen.
Episodes
Mentioned books

Sep 29, 2022 • 33min
Bonus: How is pressure measured? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 35
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about pressure, eicosane, clouds, chemistry analogies, coffee, and baking.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sep 22, 2022 • 52min
What do catalytic converters do?
#144
Cars are complicated, there's lots of parts that do lots of things most of us will probably never understand it all. Well we can at least tackle one of those mysteries today. You've probably heard of something called a catalytic converter, right? And you've probably heard that it's important. Well that's true! But why? What does it do, why is it essential, and how does it do it? It's actually very very cool tbh.
How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!
References from this episode
https://youtu.be/I1YLPfSuNXY
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/outreach/celebrating-chemistry-editions/2021-ncw/catalytic-converters.html
https://cen.acs.org/synthesis/catalysis/optimize-precious-metal-usage-catalytic/100/i10
https://pubs-acs-org.libproxy.library.unt.edu/doi/full/10.1021/acs.chemmater.1c03513
https://www.dps.texas.gov/rsd/vi/inspection/inspectioncriteria.aspx
https://www.epa.gov/transportation-air-pollution-and-climate-change/frequent-questions-related-transportation-air
https://www.tceq.texas.gov/airquality/air-emissions/air-emissions
https://chem.libretexts.org/Bookshelves/Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry_Textbook_Maps/Supplemental_Modules_(Physical_and_Theoretical_Chemistry)/Kinetics/07%3A_Case_Studies-_Kinetics/7.01%3A_Catalytic_Converters
Organic chemistry Solomons 11th edition
Chemistry 2nd Edition Open Stax Robinson, Langley, Theopold & Flowers
Solomons Organic Chemistry 11th Edition
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sep 15, 2022 • 33min
What's up with alcohol(s)?
#057 Rebroadcast
So we all know what we think of when we hear the word "alcohol," but what if that's not really the whole picture? There's actually many kinds of alcohol, most of which we cannot drink. So what's up with all those alcohols? What makes them different? What makes them similar enough to all be called alcohol? Let's find out.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.
References from this episode
https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/ershdb/emergencyresponsecard_29750029.html
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2015/march/food-additive-could-serve-as-a-safer-more-environmentally-friendly-antifreeze.html
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1306022/
https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/14280.htm
https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/89308.htm
https://fscimage.fishersci.com/msds/89530.htm
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4811046/
https://www.fishersci.com/msdsproxy%3FproductName%3DE1774%26productDescription%3DETHYLENE%2BGLYCOL%2BLABORATORY%2B4L%26catNo%3DE177-4%2B%26vendorId%3DVN00033897%26storeId%3D10652
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK482121/
https://www.independent.co.uk/news/science/ammonium-nitrate-beirut-explosion-what-blast-lebanon-latest-a9654861.html
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sep 8, 2022 • 45min
What is gasoline?
#143
For many of us, gasoline is just another everyday thing. It's essential, but we don't give it much thought. But how does it work? What is it made up of? Why are there different "grades" or "types" of gasoline? Let's start it up.
goode.coffee
How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!
References from this episode
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/industry/industry-matters/mark-e-jones/get-the-lead-out.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=R6AdX-bdDaw
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/pressroom/newsreleases/2012/august/fueling-the-future-with-renewable-gasoline-and-diesel.html
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/gasoline/octane-in-depth.php
https://www.eia.gov/energyexplained/gasoline/where-our-gasoline-comes-from.php
https://www.eia.gov/petroleum/weekly/archive/2016/160330/includes/analysis_print.php
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/21086970/#:~:text=Branched%20alkane%20hydrocarbons%20are%20thermodynamically,in%20alkane%20bond%20separation%20energies.
Solomons Organic Chemistry 11th Edition
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Sep 1, 2022 • 26min
Bonus: How does gel nail polish dry under UV light? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 34
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam respond to comments and questions about nail polish, tattoos, viscosity, humidity, life updates, and more!
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Aug 25, 2022 • 39min
How are tattoos removed?
#142
So a couple weeks ago we talked about how tattoos are permanent. But what if you don't want your tattoo to be permanent any more? You won't get any judgement from us. So how can tattoo removal work, when tattoos are designed specifically to stay in our skin indefinitely? Let's find out.
How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!
References from this episode
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411606/
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4411594/
https://edu.rsc.org/feature/chemistry-with-lasers/2020116.article
https://journals.lww.com/dermatologicsurgery/abstract/1999/01000/comparison_of_the_q_switched_alexandrite,_nd_yag,.2.asp
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/11263061_Laser-tattoo_removal-A_study_of_the_mechanism_and_the_optimal_treatment_strategy_via_computer_simulations
Lasers: basics, advances and applications by Hans Joachim Eichler, Jürgen Eichler, Oliver Lux
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Aug 18, 2022 • 31min
How do geckos stick to walls?
#012 Rebroadcast
This week Melissa and Jam continue in the category of "sticky" things by exploring how geckos stick to walls. How do they do it? Is it magic? Is it like spider-man? Is it intermolecular forces?
How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!
References from this episode
Organic Chemistry Textbook, Edition 11 - T.W. Graham Solomons
Chemistry, Edition 2 - Paul Flowers, Clause Theopold, Richard Langley, and William R. Robinson
Ologies Podcast - Episode 99 Saurology with Earyn McGee - Alie Ward
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Aug 11, 2022 • 40min
Why are tattoos permanent?
#141
Tattoos go back centuries across many cultures, and yet their chemistry is still an absolute mystery to most of us. How do tattoos work? What is the ink made of? How does the ink stay in our skin indefinitely? Why don't our bodies get rid of it? Let's do this.
How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!
References from this episode
https://youtu.be/Fs9rR4W0EeA
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2015/07/28/all-the-science-that-goes-into-a-single-tattoo/
https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2014/09/24/watching-a-tattoo-needle-in-slow-motion-reveals-the-physics-of-getting-inked/
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/education/resources/highschool/chemmatters/past-issues/archive-2012-2013/open-for-discussion-tattoos.html
https://cen.acs.org/articles/86/i2/Shocking-Tattoos.html
http://pubsapp.acs.org.libproxy.library.unt.edu/cen/whatstuff/85/8546sci4.html?
https://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i25/Chemistry-Tattoos.html
https://www.nature.com/articles/nri3920
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Aug 4, 2022 • 37min
Bonus: How much does a polar bear weigh? (and other questions)
Bonus Episode: Question and Response 33
In this month's bonus episode, Melissa and Jam do something a little different. Because they're needing to record quite a bit ahead of time, this Q&R couldn't be about episodes that haven't come out yet, so they recorded a long-awaited sequel to their ice-breaker questions episode from last year.
Want to start your own podcast? Use Transistor and you'll have the best podcast platform available. We use it and we are totally in love with it.
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★

Jul 28, 2022 • 44min
Why does ice float on water?
#140
Ice is water right? It's just that it's solid. So why does it float in liquid water? And also why does water expand when it freezes, when typically things contract when they freeze? These are things we are used to observing daily, but they actually are a little strange, and we bet the answer will surprise you.
How to start a podcast. <- Check this out if you've got a podcast idea you want to make happen!
References from this episode
Chemistry - Julia Burdge
https://www.acs.org/content/acs/en/climatescience/oceansicerocks.html
https://cen.acs.org/articles/91/i34/Galileo-Ice.html
Find us on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook @ChemForYourLife.
Email us at chemforyourlife@gmail.com
And check out our chill, simple little website at https://chemforyourlife.transistor.fm/
And seriously, we love using Transistor. Check it out to be sure your podcast makes a bang.
Thanks to our monthly supporters
Ciara Linville
J0HNTR0Y
Jeannette Napoleon
Cullyn R
Erica Bee
Elizabeth P
Sarah Moar
Rachel Reina
Letila
Katrina Barnum-Huckins
Suzanne Phillips
Nelly Silva
Venus Rebholz
Lyn Stubblefield
Jacob Taber
Brian Kimball
Emerson Woodhall
Kristina Gotfredsen
Timothy Parker
Steven Boyles
Chris Skupien
Chelsea B
Bri McAllister
Avishai Barnoy
Hunter Reardon
★ Support this podcast on Patreon ★