Chemistry In Its Element

Brian Clegg discusses the vitamin found in both breakfast cereal and meteorites: Niacin

Start your engines! Simon Cotton looks into one of the few chemical names known well to the public: Octane

Sensible approach to dental rot or sinister communist plot? Brian Clegg examines the much-maligned fluorides

Simon Cotton introduces the first of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants: Prozac

Once thought to extract the truth and now used to enact the ultimate punishment, this week's compound is sodium thiopental

It may have been largely superceded in the clinic but Phil Robinson discovers there is no rest yet for barbituric acid

RNA may be less famous than it's more stable cousin, but is central to cellular function

Breaking Bad may have exaggerated its body-dissolving effects, but Katrina Krämer finds the truth about hydrofluoric acid is just as gruesome

From lemon-fresh detergent to home made silly putty, Jenna Bilbrey expounds the virtues of borax

Brian Clegg introduces the 'ogres' that make up transparent electronics

Nina Notman describes the dance of olefin metathesis, and how the tempo is set by Grubbs' catalysts

Brian Clegg explains how titanium nitride could protect artificial joints and pimp out your ride

Matt Gunther introduces the alloy that links armour-piercing bullets and ball point pens: Tungsten carbide

Brian Clegg introduces a weedkiller whose name has entered public consciousness – Paraquat

In this seasonal podcast, we look at the compounds found in frankincense and myrrh

Nina Notman introduces isoniazid - an antibiotic key to treating tuberculosis

Could this be the sweetener that causes the most online panic?

Used to make synthetic cannabis, cannabicyclohexanol may be more risky than its non-synthetic counterpart

Simon Cotton introduces the painkiller tramadol – could this be the next banned drug in competitive cycling?

A protein with an impressive roster of 'firsts': Anna Lewcock introduces insulin